January 13, 2012 at 3:11 am
After I'd made sure the kids had a fund to allow them to go to university I'd probably go back to University myself and study something for the fun of it.
I'd probably do a few big cycle trips and explore a few places.
I'd learn the guitar and probably resume my piano lessons.
Then I'd get a lower paid developer job for the joy of it.
January 13, 2012 at 3:25 am
I'd make video games. And if the FU money was sufficient, I'd donate the profits to charities. In fact, maybe I'd even setup my own charity and fund it through the sales of games.
One thing I'd really like to do is setup an outdoor walking/running/cycling/dog-exercising area. Maybe buy a big area of land/forest or something, and then setup various different trails. I'd try and make it a real destination for people who want to enjoy an active lifestyle. The trails would be separated to some degree too, so cyclists wouldn't be on the same trails as walkers/runners, and dogs could have an off-lead and on-lead trail and so on. I'd hold events throughout the year, 10k charity runs/cycles and the like. There would be good facilities on site too, so you can have a shower, get changed, buy some good food and so on.
Yeah, I'd really like to do both those things.
January 13, 2012 at 3:58 am
It's really hard to answer a question like this, because it's not a position I've ever been in...the idea of being in a situation where I literally could do what I liked with no money worries at all is way outside my experience! I can absolutely guarantee that I'd buy a new house, a new car, and take my mother on holiday, but beyond that, who knows? Maybe I'd sit down and write the next Minecraft...
January 13, 2012 at 6:21 am
Without a doubt, go back to school for fun, add to my home studio, and be even more of a regular at the local pub.
Cheers!
January 13, 2012 at 6:43 am
I like your idea about Habitat for Humanity Steve.
I have one of those "dream jobs" when it comes to technology, great use of technology, busy with challenges, work from home 100%, etc. Really couldn't ask for more. When people ask me what it would take for me to leave the only thing that I can come up with is a job where I could help other people.
That being said, when the end of our life comes the things that we have tasted, felt, owned, will not be what matters, it will be the lives that we touched.
In the words of a Christian singer - "When it's all been said and done, there is just one thing that matters, did I do my best to live for truth, did I live my life for You?"
I couldn't agree more.
David
@SQLTentmaker“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot
January 13, 2012 at 6:50 am
I would dedicate my time to my children, but I think while they were at school, I would do Yoga each morning then film editing during the day-with a new computer just for that. And sometimes I would just hang out with my husband and other family members, lounging around the new built-in swimming pool. I would also do volunteer filming and film editing for the school events, continue to coach my girls soccer teams, do some volunteer work, and maybe fund a few events for the PTO.
After my girls leave for college, I might volunteer for 4-H or some other worthly organization.
And, we would travel-I have only been to about 30 countries so far, so there's lots more. First though, we would see all US states rather than just the 28 I have been to so far! Perhaps a place Belize would be in order.
January 13, 2012 at 6:59 am
Even with a lottery win I'd probably stay at my job for a while. I'm the only SQL person here and I've built all the infrastructure for reporting and data interchange between our systems. I also suck royally at documenting so if something went wrong it wouldn't be easy for someone to fix it. (i'm trying to fix that particular deficit). I ike my job and I like the people here so I'd train my replace ment and document everything before I'd feel comfortable leaving.
I think with FU money I'd find somewhere out of the way and just dissappear. I'd bring my bike,skiis, guitar and music collection and leave everything else. Maybe I'd bring a computer so I can build AS Cubes on long cold winter nights.
January 13, 2012 at 7:16 am
With apologies to Janis Joplin,
"Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Corvette? My friends all drive Porches; I must make amends".
Ever since I was a kid, I wanted a Corvette. I would also get a DSLR (full-frame) with the big supertelephoto lenses. A house on the lake, boat included of course. And set up a university scholarship.
I still enjoy programming, so even if I won the lottery, I would probably still work. When I saw an MSDN article about Visual Studio Tools for Office, I got the project idea to write a program that reads the Excel file that NASA publishes Space Shuttle mission schedules in and create appointments in Microsoft Outlook.
I have a few project ideas, one of those is for an Android app.
January 13, 2012 at 7:29 am
I'd retire, travel around the world, and when I got bored with that, I would teach SQL Server, but only to interested adults (no kids) and totally on my own schedule. No more someone else telling me where and when to be. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
January 13, 2012 at 8:02 am
I would probably spend all the lottery money in my own real estate business, and make it grow and live out of its profits. I would keep working in my job (I love what I do) but probably hire someone to supervise the RE business.
A few things I want to do if money is not an obstacle:
- Build (from scratch) and operate a datacenter
- Build (from scratch) a 500+ CPUs Linux Supercomputer (just for the fun of building it)
- Travel around the world just switching planes at the airports without visiting the city (say Dallas-Miami-Paris-Tel Aviv-Delhi-Sydney-Tokyo-Los Angeles-Dallas, also just for the fun of it!!)
Regards,
January 13, 2012 at 8:14 am
This is were I go to work.
January 13, 2012 at 8:15 am
Well, first I'd register for the SQLCruise to Alaska 🙂
I would put an addition on my house and buy the 3 acres behind me from my neighbor. I would buy a truck and a horse trailer, and probably another horse. Or two. No, no, just one.
And, I like my job and the projects I'm working on, so I'd like to keep doing it, but I'd want to reduce my time commitment so I could spend more time with my son, and my older horse plus the new one 🙂 And, I'd be able to be more active in the school district through PTO and maybe even the board of education. Maybe.
If my job didn't like the reduced time commitment, then I'd go to the county animal shelter and see if they needed any sort of database/application development, and maybe work with them to provide those. I could then expand to other animal shelters and work with animal rescue groups to assist them with needs they may have as well.
I really enjoy moving more into a DBA role from being a developer; the community is amazing as far as support, so I want to stay (or become) more actively involved, and hopefully I'd have more time to devote to this involvement.
January 13, 2012 at 8:24 am
I've often played the "what if" game about winning the lottery. I've always figured what I would do is first take 1/2 of every check and put it in some sort of long term / low risk investment account.
I'd keep working for my current employer, but I'd go to part-time, maybe work Tuesdays-Thursdays. Pay off my current house and buy a bigger house out in the country, then sell my current house to my Mom-In-Law for $1, create college fund accounts for my nieces and nephews, and help my Dad out financially. I'd also make the current owners of my Grandparents old house up north an "offer they can't refuse," 😎 and get that place back in the family.
Once all that was set, then the wife and I would take 6 months off from work and go traveling.
The wife has always wanted to open her own bookstore / comic shop, so I'd help her do this with the seed money for it. As for my spare time, I'd probably use it to keep improving myself, maybe do some charity work around the area. Maybe donate PCs to local charities to give to kids whose families can't afford them (maybe even start a charity to do that, cut a deal with a local cell provider to provide internet for these kids, too)
January 13, 2012 at 8:29 am
As with most people, first, I would pay off my house and insure that my children did not have to worry about how to pay for their college.
I would still have to work on something, though, even if I had enough FU money to quit my job. I've thought some about this and what I would like to start is a foundation for small business incubation. Basically, a person with a business idea would present their proposal for a loan and if it was feasible, we would fund the business for a non-controlling stake, with the proceeds to help fund more start-ups.
Personally, I would want to travel with my wife. The one other thing that I would probably indulge on are new motorcycles for me and a couple of friends to ride the Trans-America trail.
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