Anyone close to retirement? / when do you start counting the days?

[Science52]

I was part of this group when it first started and everyone was retiring. I was a little young then but now it is reality. After 42 1/2 years of teaching, I am retiring.  Actually I have been working part time in the school library for the last 4 years. But now I am ready. 

[PhotoDennis]

Welcome! It was 44 years for me, and it took a push, but...

Yeah. I've worked for over two-thirds of my life. Now's the time to enjoy that!

[BillOh]

I'm sure I responded to this thread in the past, but now its getting real.  Retirement cruise on Wonder of the seas is only 38 days away!  When I get back from the cruise,  I will have 18 work days left, but I won't be working too hard on those last days!  I don't feel bad saying that , my full time working career ends with 17+ years at an evil corporate giant that I fell into and just waited out the time. (Now that time is almost over!) I will continue to work part time a couple of days a week at a job I love.   For now between this cruise and camping, this is a party season!

[BillOh]

On 9/10/2023 at 5:56 AM, CDNPolar said:

I just cannot make the decision as to when because I am fearful that I will be bored out of my mind.

 

I really want to find a part time job when I retire from my corporate position, but don't know what that will be.

This message is 9 months old, I hope your doing well, this has/will work out well for me, I am keeping a fun/rewarding job for 2 days a week. 

[BillOh]

On 9/10/2023 at 8:58 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

Well, I suppose that the word retire means something different to each person.

 

Retire to me means getting out of the corporate world of deadlines and expecations.

 

A part time job to me could also just be volunteering at something that I enjoy and that does not carry deadlines and expectations.

 

 

I know I am revisiting a lot of old posts, but I am getting so close.   I have been a volunteer helping run the Columbus Marathon for a few years, I will expand that now.   I also am keeping a part time job that I really love, just 20 hours a week and 5 day weekends every week!  My new industry is dominated by younger people and their is a real need for older people like myself. The kids seem to like me and I do help people.  I just have to remind my new employer (part time 3 years now) that I am doing this for fun and can walk away, or to another location easily.   While I consider myself very middle class all of these kids working hard for a living call me "Big Money"  as I go on cruises, work but don't have to, and we go on trips when the mood strikes. 

[BillOh]

On 9/10/2023 at 6:47 AM, KforKitty said:

I stopped counting down on Friday, which was my final day in paid employment.  My original plan was to retire April 2024 but got a severance package due to an internal restructure.  I have been paying into my pension for nearly 37 years and have worked full-time throughout.  I’m not quite 60.

 

Catherine 

I work for a recognizable Fortune 50 company.  In my 17 years here they have done the same thing every year!   They predict they will make (our division)  90 million in profit. When they only make 85 million in profit they lay people off.  That is usually proceeded by a request for Voluntary termination where they offer you one week of severance for every year you have been there.  I have been there , as mentioned 17 years and I have 10 weeks to go. Where is that #$%$% offer!

[BillOh]

On 2/5/2024 at 11:19 PM, CptBoatface said:

109 workdays, or 872 work hours to go...

Ha, I have been kidding my fellow cruisers giving how many seconds till we cruise, but I haven't converted my employment to work hours yet -   328

[BillOh]

On 4/9/2024 at 1:54 PM, sevenhearths said:

Retiring on 4/19, less than 2 weeks!

I stumbled on this post the day before your last day!  What's up today!  I've avoiding work and researching my cruise!

[BillOh]

On 4/16/2024 at 8:19 PM, Science52 said:

I After 42 1/2 years of teaching, I am retiring.  Actually I have been working part time in the school library for the last 4 years. But now I am ready. 

Congratulations, I loved our librarians, I recently went on a 45 year reunion tour of our high school and the biggest disappointment was the Library. What use to be 10s of thousands of books is now a multi-media facility.

[CptBoatface]

452 hours remaining 😆

[Science52]

6 hours ago, BillOh said:

Congratulations, I loved our librarians, I recently went on a 45 year reunion tour of our high school and the biggest disappointment was the Library. What use to be 10s of thousands of books is now a multi-media facility.

I remember you from a few years ago.  I was a classroom teacher until 2020 and Covid. The librarian’s job was open and part time. I had a degree in library science which I never used so for four years I became the librarian. But I turned 72 and said I need some time for my husband and me.  We will be married 50 years in August.

[BillOh]

14 hours ago, Science52 said:

I  We will be married 50 years in August.

That's rarely heard of these days   43 years in 2 weeks.

[Science52]

Our good friends will be married 50years in May.  Our son is married 23 years. 

[MacMadame]

Our 35th is next month. I never thought I'd be married that long let alone for 50 years. For one thing, I thought we'd be dead before the 50th. 🤣 But now it's only 15 years away and I'm not anywhere near death! 🤸‍♀️ 🤸‍♀️ 🤸‍♀️

 

Anyway, I intended to work until 70. Then I got laid off last Fall. I thought I'd be back at work by now but right after that a bunch of tech firms also had layoffs. So the market was flooded with people with my skill set right around the holidays. I'm still getting callbacks but the interview process for software developers has changed a lot since I last looked for a job and I find myself freaking out at what they call the "coding interview" and not getting past that point in the interview process. I'm starting to wonder if I'm too old for this sh*t (to quote Detective Murtaugh from the Lethal Weapon franchise).

 

So I think I might be involuntarily retired. Thank goodness I've already saved up the money for our Panama Canal cruise. 😄  

[PhotoDennis]

Leaving on the NCL Sun in a week. I mentioned to my cruise consultant that this was my first trip since retiring, and that my travel partner and I plan to do a lot of cruises. He said he'll have the ship bring me a retirement cake!