The beauty of nearing retirement is...

EdSwippet

bostonerimus said:

My point was that your work should not dominate your life so that the transition between working life and retirement is not major. I would say that it's a pity that you didn't do the things you seem to be enjoying in retirement while you were still working.

Fair. And the answer would be, broadly, lack of time. A full working day with over an hour commute at either end realistically left only weekends, and precious vacation hours. Simply not enough spare time, or energy, to accommodate all but the smallest amount of these activities. I agree that work should not dominate one's life, but a demanding job invariably does. Not least because that's what many employers expect. (Or, more accurately for me, it's what the more average among us have to do just to keep up with the smart folk!)

I spent a full year designing my post-work lifestyle before handing in my notice, something a lot of people perhaps don't have the luxury of being able to do. A lot of introspection about what was unsatisfactory about office/work life. Things such as: missing the one sunny day in a week; rainy weekends curtailing cycling, gardening, and walking; gym, yoga, art, and so on classes happening at times when I was out at work; narrow focus on a computer screen for hours on end (I'm doing that now, but only for a couple of minutes!); few unmediated events; too much 'left brain' activity; insufficient time to visit with distant friends/family; realisation that my work progress had peaked; corporate politics; weekend outings or meals out crowded by other workers.

Then more introspection about what I wanted more of: non-computer based activities; connection with nature; physical movement; full control over my own time; fitness; better health; engage in new and completely different activities; gain new skill sets. Result: an almost complete change in life focus.

From this, perhaps it sounds like I hated my job so much that I rebelled. Not a bit of it! I enjoyed my job, a lot. Satisfying, challenging, interesting, leading-edge, and working with a bunch of really smart people in a work setting most would kill for. Not just that, but pretty remunerative too. Giving it up was a wrench, and I could probably have stuck with it to the grave and not been unhappy with my choice. The switch was a leap of faith then, albeit with an easy return route if it turned out to be a mistake. Working (and in particular, employment) has an 'opportunity cost'. If it's time for a change -- and when resources permit then retirement really has to come at some point -- why not make the change a sizeable one?

Of course, this won't be for everybody. But for me, it's worked out great. The introspection and planning was the key. Some folk might plan their retirement to closely resemble their working life. And good for them if that's what they want. I just didn't want that. My current 'work' then, if you like, is to optimise my subjective experience of life.

GunJack

EdSwippet said:

bostonerimus said:

My point was that your work should not dominate your life so that the transition between working life and retirement is not major. I would say that it's a pity that you didn't do the things you seem to be enjoying in retirement while you were still working.

Fair. And the answer would be, broadly, lack of time. A full working day with over an hour commute at either end realistically left only weekends, and precious vacation hours. Simply not enough spare time, or energy, to accommodate all but the smallest amount of these activities. I agree that work should not dominate one's life, but a demanding job invariably does. Not least because that's what many employers expect. (Or, more accurately for me, it's what the more average among us have to do just to keep up the smart folk!)

I spent a full year designing my post-work lifestyle before handing in my notice, something a lot of people perhaps don't have the luxury of being able to do. A lot of introspection about what was unsatisfactory about office/work life. Things such as: missing the one sunny day in a week; rainy weekends curtailing cycling, gardening, and walking; gym, yoga, art, and so on classes happening at times when I was out at work; narrow focus on a computer screen for hours on end (I'm doing that now, but only for a couple of minutes!); few unmediated events; too much 'left brain' activity; insufficient time to visit with distant friends/family; realisation that my work progress had peaked; corporate politics; weekend outings or meals out crowded by other workers.

Then more introspection about what I wanted more of: non-computer based activities; connection with nature; physical movement; full control over my own time; fitness; better health; engage in new and completely different activities; gain new skill sets. Result: an almost complete change in life focus.

From this, perhaps it sounds like I hated my job so much that I rebelled. Not a bit of it! I enjoyed my job, a lot. Satisfying, challenging, interesting, leading-edge, and working with a bunch of really smart people in a work setting most would kill for. Not just that, but pretty remunerative too. Giving it up was a wrench, and I could probably have stuck with it to the grave and not been unhappy with my choice. The switch was a leap of faith then, albeit with an easy return route if it turned out to be a mistake. Working (and in particular, employment) has an 'opportunity cost'. If it's time for a change -- and when resources permit then retirement really has to come at some point -- why not make the change a sizeable one?

Of course, this won't be for everybody. But for me, it's worked out great. The introspection and planning was the key. Some folk might plan their retirement to closely resemble their working life. And good for them if that's what they want. I just didn't want that. My current 'work' then, if you like, is to optimise my subjective experience of life.

Ed, you sound like me in many ways both in career and retirement plans however I've still got 7-8 years to go before I can pack it all in and do those good, healthy things I just don't have the time to do now - it's the old but true thing of if you have the time, you don't have the energy left and if you have the energy you don't have the time. I want to go swimming, walking, tai-chi, etc., etc. and retirement is when I'll be able to do them and get fit again. Good on you for getting there, hope I'll be following on in due course

I'm stuck with 7-8 years as I've got 2 DB pensions (one deferred and one still building) which in many ways are a bit of a millstone round your neck - ok, I'll never run out of income (neither will Mrs. G-J if I die first) but actuarial reduction kills the initial figure for ever....

colmel16

Each to their own. i had a workmate who worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week because he believed that to recieve death in service payment you had to die at work,

Ganga

What i find interesting when i read the posts in the retirement /pensions forum is the number of people who  " appear " to hate their work and work colleagues ,surely if work was that bad why not move on ,i am retired and the thing i missed the most was other people ,i used to work for a national pump hire company and travelled to various sites and locations to carry out my job albeit in the area i lived /worked ,met some great people and worked with some great people i could always get on with , i suppose i am a people person at heart and maybe lucky in that i only worked for  four companies including doing my apprenticeship 

bostonerimus

EdSwippet said:

bostonerimus said:

My point was that your work should not dominate your life so that the transition between working life and retirement is not major. I would say that it's a pity that you didn't do the things you seem to be enjoying in retirement while you were still working.

Fair. And the answer would be, broadly, lack of time. A full working day with over an hour commute at either end realistically left only weekends, and precious vacation hours. Simply not enough spare time, or energy, to accommodate all but the smallest amount of these activities. I agree that work should not dominate one's life, but a demanding job invariably does. Not least because that's what many employers expect. (Or, more accurately for me, it's what the more average among us have to do just to keep up with the smart folk!)

I spent a full year designing my post-work lifestyle before handing in my notice, something a lot of people perhaps don't have the luxury of being able to do. A lot of introspection about what was unsatisfactory about office/work life. Things such as: missing the one sunny day in a week; rainy weekends curtailing cycling, gardening, and walking; gym, yoga, art, and so on classes happening at times when I was out at work; narrow focus on a computer screen for hours on end (I'm doing that now, but only for a couple of minutes!); few unmediated events; too much 'left brain' activity; insufficient time to visit with distant friends/family; realisation that my work progress had peaked; corporate politics; weekend outings or meals out crowded by other workers.

Then more introspection about what I wanted more of: non-computer based activities; connection with nature; physical movement; full control over my own time; fitness; better health; engage in new and completely different activities; gain new skill sets. Result: an almost complete change in life focus.

From this, perhaps it sounds like I hated my job so much that I rebelled. Not a bit of it! I enjoyed my job, a lot. Satisfying, challenging, interesting, leading-edge, and working with a bunch of really smart people in a work setting most would kill for. Not just that, but pretty remunerative too. Giving it up was a wrench, and I could probably have stuck with it to the grave and not been unhappy with my choice. The switch was a leap of faith then, albeit with an easy return route if it turned out to be a mistake. Working (and in particular, employment) has an 'opportunity cost'. If it's time for a change -- and when resources permit then retirement really has to come at some point -- why not make the change a sizeable one?

Of course, this won't be for everybody. But for me, it's worked out great. The introspection and planning was the key. Some folk might plan their retirement to closely resemble their working life. And good for them if that's what they want. I just didn't want that. My current 'work' then, if you like, is to optimise my subjective experience of life.

I think it's vital to sit down and plan like you did. So nearing retirement you should be weening yourself off work if it has taken up a large part of your life so that the transition to retirement is not abrupt. If you have the chance to go part time that's ideal. The worst thing is to wake up the day after your "leaving do" and maybe your spouse has gone to work and the kids are no longer at home and so you are alone and wondering what to do.

LV_426

Ganga said:

What i find interesting when i read the posts in the retirement /pensions forum is the number of people who  " appear " to hate their work and work colleagues ,surely if work was that bad why not move on ,i am retired and the thing i missed the most was other people ,i used to work for a national pump hire company and travelled to various sites and locations to carry out my job albeit in the area i lived /worked ,met some great people and worked with some great people i could always get on with , i suppose i am a people person at heart and maybe lucky in that i only worked for  four companies including doing my apprenticeship 

I don't hate work. Far from it, I love what I do. However these past few years have for various reasons jaded my outlook.
And maybe I've been unlucky, but I've come across a few unpleasant individuals in recent roles and that hasn't helped.
But there appears also to be an element of ageism in the IT industry too. There's almost an expectation that at my level I should know everything. This despite the fact that there's a window of relevant technology of about 5 years. Then new things start to come in which displace the previous technology stacks. Honestly it's like a bloody fashion show.
The bottom line here is that some fresh grad out of Uni has about the same level of knowledge as me, but obviously on a vastly different salary package.

vulcanrtb

This thread has got rather interesting. One side simply can't understand the other. For me, it's obvious that retiring as early as possible is the way to go, but for the 'other side' it's obvious I'm wrong. Neither of us are right, of course.
You do what you want to do, and so will everyone else  👍

Doglegger

Ganga said:

What i find interesting when i read the posts in the retirement /pensions forum is the number of people who  " appear " to hate their work and work colleagues ,surely if work was that bad why not move on ,i am retired and the thing i missed the most was other people ,i used to work for a national pump hire company and travelled to various sites and locations to carry out my job albeit in the area i lived /worked ,met some great people and worked with some great people i could always get on with , i suppose i am a people person at heart and maybe lucky in that i only worked for  four companies including doing my apprenticeship 

Some people do work that can be brutal and non-enjoyable but comes with high reward, ie, potential to build sufficiently for an early exit. I now hate what I'm paid to do (have done for a long time tbh) but am at the point where it would be sheer stupidity to quit. Two years to see out and I'm through. I'm sure there are plenty of us. 

cfw1994

Ganga said:

What i find interesting when i read the posts in the retirement /pensions forum is the number of people who  " appear " to hate their work and work colleagues ,surely if work was that bad why not move on ,i am retired and the thing i missed the most was other people ,i used to work for a national pump hire company and travelled to various sites and locations to carry out my job albeit in the area i lived /worked ,met some great people and worked with some great people i could always get on with , i suppose i am a people person at heart and maybe lucky in that i only worked for  four companies including doing my apprenticeship 

I hope my posts don't give that impression!
I was lucky to enjoy a great career, travelling a lot around the States & Europe (& in previous company, Nairobi a few times).

As others have said....IT has a generation of us who were in at a very interesting time: I've worked with some very smart people, been part of a fabulour 'journey' with a company that went from IPO just before I joined to a multi-$B industry leader...but once you have been in a big company for a few years, it can get harder to avoid an element of nonsense corporate 🐂💩 !!

It was a tough decision, BUT for me, attending a few too many funerals a couple of years ago really honed my mindset.   
Covid delayed it a year, but no regrets - I will stay in touch with those I got on well with, & no more Corporate Ethics Training courses to be undertaken 🤣👍

I urge our offspring to find work that interests them: I cannot imagine anything worse than really hating a job but having to stick it out for years!

pensionpawn

EdSwippet said:

bostonerimus said:

The best sort of retirement is one that isn't that different from when you were working. Work is important as that's how most of us initially get our income and hopefully it's fulfilling, but we should have other things in our lives so that when work stops we don't have to make major adjustments.

For some maybe, but personally I'd disagree.

My work life was indoors, technical, sedentary, and screen-based. I intentionally designed my post-work life to be outdoors (at least to the degree allowed by the fickle UK climate), non-technical, active, and real-world. A full 180 degrees. I travel as much possible, and spend my non-travel time at the gym, walking, cycling, gardening, learning new things: languages, drawing and painting, meditation, psychology, physiology, ...

All completely and entirely unconnected with my pre-retirement lifestyle. Consciously designed to be open-ended -- you can never be too fit, too good at drawing, too fluent in a language, or run out of new things to learn. It's been an eye-opening change, and I'm really happy with the results. Fitter, healthier, and more balanced than ever before. I don't want to do anything similar to what I did for a job.

I resonate with your point of view. Since graduating with an electronics degree I spent 20+ years working in technology and 10+ years teaching maths and technology. Although I remain interested in keeping up with the advances in all form of technology (reading tech, watching TeD talks etc) I am increasing wanting to expend my (decreasing) energy on non technical pursuits e.g. exploring the countryside, cooking, getting fitter, reading more etc...