One door closes, another is opening. Hello retirement!

[gearbasher]

My brother's response to retirement: About a week into his retirement, he was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. He started to get annoyed then thought: "I'm retired, I'm in no rush to get anywhere."  So, he sat back, turned the radio up and just chilled.

Edited July 3 by gearbasher

[kidblast]

14 hours ago, Retired said:

Congratulations Ray. I looked forward to it for years and then when the day came I was celebrating all the way home.  Then it hit me. Over half my life is gone! What am I cheering about? I don't miss anything though from work 

Growing old, beats dying young all day long!  

I miss NOTHING about the work I was doing.  Hated the job, could not stand the management.  Good riddance to all of it.

13 hours ago, gearbasher said:

My brother's response to retirement: About a week into his retirement, he was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. He started to get annoyed then thought: "I'm retired, I'm in no rush to get anywhere."  So, he sat back, turned the radio up and just chilled.

that's kind of it right? No where to go, and all day to get there.

the only work I'm doing now is yard work which I enjoy doing.

['Scales]

9 hours ago, kidblast said:

Growing old, beats dying young all day long!  

I miss NOTHING about the work I was doing.  Hated the job, could not stand the management.  Good riddance to all of it.

that's kind of it right? No where to go, and all day to get there.

kb, I know some folks miss work when they retire but sounds like you may be more like me….i packed it in 2 years ago at 52 and can hand on heart say I haven’t given my former work life any thought whatsoever in the time since. I’m actually meeting a former colleague and still friend (who left before me) for a beer next week - and I doubt we’ll discuss that past life at all. And I agree with Gearbasher’s  comment re traffic  - whenever some stressed looking clown races to pass me on the way into town I just smile and say “yeah, you go man….that sh!t ain’t gonna kick itself!”

[SteveFord]

I think when I retire I'm going to smoke a joint.

I haven't done that in nearly 40 years, that'll put me right to sleep.

[Retired]

14 hours ago, kidblast said:

Growing old, beats dying young all day long!  

I miss NOTHING about the work I was doing.  Hated the job, could not stand the management.  Good riddance to all of it.

that's kind of it right? No where to go, and all day to get there.

the only work I'm doing now is yard work which I enjoy doing.

Funny, I could not stand our management.  I even argued with some about how stupid they were.  I did cartoons of them. One had the Superintendant looking like Kernel Klink.  He was talking to the General Foreman that looked like Sgt. Shultz.  Many supervisors came to look at it and never figured it was them? The sayings I wrote was them. 

[Notes_Norton]

One door closes, another is opening - I had a car like that once. It was a problem. :D

[gearbasher]

When people retired from my job, they always came back to visit asking about what was happening  on the job. Why? I don't know. When I retired (8 years ago), I told all my co-workers that they will never hear from me again. About 2 years after I left, I got a call from the guy I worked with the most. He told me: "Man, you weren't kidding about us never hearing from you again." I worked with a guy who was a heart attack waiting to happen. He refused to retire until he maxed out his pension and social security. I kept telling him: "What good is all that money if you won't live to spend it." When my partner called, the only question I asked about the job was if that guy ever retired.

Now the reason I'm writing this. When I first got out, I was having nightmares about the job. They stopped years ago. Then I read and contributed to this thread, and I had a nightmare about the job last night. Thanks a lot.

[10PoundLester]

On 6/29/2024 at 10:06 AM, kidblast said:

Thanks Rob!!  47 years in IT,   it used to be a good career,

but America loves it's cheap labor,  and that eventually put an end to it.

Enter India -  Exit IT as a place to build a good career.   

Same here - they tried to get me to train my Indian replacement. If I repeat here what I told them, I'd probably get kicked off the forum.

[kidblast]

15 hours ago, 10PoundLester said:

Same here - they tried to get me to train my Indian replacement. If I repeat here what I told them, I'd probably get kicked off the forum.

I got stories, you got stories, the situation is total chaos, but this is the industry standard choice.  I'm glad to be done with it all.

[fortyearspickn]

I had the occasional dream about 'work'  for a half dozen years after I retired.  The usual mish.mash, people you don't recognize, disconnected.  None of them were as bad as the 38 years of the real thing:  Bosses who thought their employees were indentured servants; subordinates who go around your back; executives who believe they are 'business royalty'.   When I began my career,  loyalty was a highly respected quality among employees. When I left - it had gone the way of the Passenger Pigeon.   

[DanvillRob]

42 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said:

I had the occasional dream about 'work'  for a half dozen years after I retired.  The usual mish.mash, people you don't recognize, disconnected.  None of them were as bad as the 38 years of the real thing:  Bosses who thought their employees were indentured servants; subordinates who go around your back; executives who believe they are 'business royalty'.   When I began my career,  loyalty was a highly respected quality among employees. When I left - it had gone the way of the Passenger Pigeon.   

I still have dreams of work, (better than the "Earthquake Dreams" and "War Dreams" I used to have!), but they're never bad....just deadlines.....making decisions, trying to get things done.

I was trained in Management, both in college and The Tampa Manufacturing Institute.   I fully understood the ONLY things I could get done were a result of the labor of others.  I appreciated my team....they were the best in our industry.    When I retired, my replacement was hired with my input....but he stated after I had left.    At our executive staff meeting the president asked each department head to "Rate" him..... all 11 heads gave him an "A"....when he got to me, I gave him a "B"....and I could tell the President wasn't happy with my response.    I get regular calls from my guys complaining about him....I remain non-committal on him to them....but they complain anyway.

[ksdaddy]

I still dream about work, and it’s never pleasant. Often I dream about a factory I worked at that moved away in 1992. It’s like I walk in thirty years later and there are changes one would expect, but I’m expected to pick up where I left off. If I dream about my gov job, it’s often being assigned a task that I don’t feel qualified to do… which coincidentally is pretty much how I felt during my gov career. 
 

I’m considering going back a couple days a week. Not sure how I feel about that. I did it for a year before the heart attack and now I’m basically in a “leave of absence” status. 

[Notes_Norton]

I've been a professional musician for almost all my life  (I did have 2 day-jobs while testing out what it is to be normal).

I have no intention of retiring. Why? Gigging is the most fun I can have with my clothes on.

 

Notes ♫

[DanvillRob]

33 minutes ago, ksdaddy said:

I’m considering going back a couple days a week. Not sure how I feel about that. I did it for a year before the heart attack and now I’m basically in a “leave of absence” status. 

I considered consulting back to the industry I spent 53 years in.....but after I decided to retire, I've never even ONCE wanted to go back to do anything!

One of my jobs I had  in my position was to be an "expert witness" in court proceedings...talk about stressful!

On Monday, I have to drive 3 hours to Visalia to be present at the final court proceedings in my cousin's estate.   He died 2 years ago, and his estate (@ $350K) will finally be settled and the proceeds will be sent to his two nieces who both live in Europe.    That's as much work as I want to do!

 

[DanvillRob]

1 minute ago, Notes_Norton said:

I've been a professional musician for almost all my life  (I did have 2 day-jobs while testing out what it is to be normal).

I have no intention of retiring. Why? Gigging is the most fun I can have with my clothes on.

 

Notes ♫

What I didn't like about gigging on a regular basis was having to still work when sick, hurt, or having a family emergency.

You have to show up no matter what.

When I was working, I was credited with 6 "sick days" a year.... they accrued, but you couldn't take them with you when you left.   After 39 years, I had accrued about one full year's worth of 'sick days'.   You have to understand, these days were worth several hundred grand.....and I left them.....the option would have been to take a year off with full pay and pretend I was sick....but my company always treated me well and treated me fairly....so I did the same back to them!

So having a 'normal' job ain't all that bad!

[Retired]

On 6/29/2024 at 7:45 AM, kidblast said:

Naps, yep,  

Plan to stay Active  Check!

 

YEP! Who needs a wrist watch,  in three weeks I won't even know what day it is!  😀

Larry, guitar! Yep again!

and here is just the guitar that you speak of.  Arrived last Friday and it's perfect.

 

 

Again, thanks for all your kind words and encouragement boys.   I'm hoping my wife is following me in September  At least that is the plan

Love it! Thats what I did when I retired.  I went to Guitar Center and looked around. In the used section was a Gold Top on sale for $1,400.  I took it down and examined it.  Not a hint of ever being played. Looked brand new.  I had a suspicion that it was a Standard. The truss rod cover just said 60's neck.  So I payed them and on the way to the suv, the guy ran out asking me to sell it back to them.  Heres what happened, The guitar came from another store that couldn't sell it. It was placed high up on the wall there and  had the new price on it. He was a new employee and was not to place it on sale. He was fired after I bought it. They also didn't know that it was a Standard model. I thought it was. We had a conversation and I was asking questions. So I went home and contacted Gibson asking them what it was. It was made in Tennessee and sold from there for $4,000 plus. They dated it when made there. I have it written down but forgot when, as I type. So that was my retirement present to myself. Enjoy yours! 

[Retired]

Another thing I do is quote, Its GROUND HOG DAY, Again! lol You can do anything You want and every day is exactly the same. Except 4th of July and Christmas. I pay no attention to other holidays anymore. I often ask my wife, Whats today? Oh Yeah, It's Ground Hog Day, Haha. 

She is always laughing each day. Says she is so glad she married me because I make her smile and laugh a lot. 

[PrairieDog]

3 hours ago, DanvillRob said:

I still have dreams of work, (better than the "Earthquake Dreams" and "War Dreams" I used to have!), but they're never bad....just deadlines.....making decisions, trying to get things done.

I was trained in Management, both in college and The Tampa Manufacturing Institute.   I fully understood the ONLY things I could get done were a result of the labor of others.  I appreciated my team....

Nod, exactly… you don’t have to be your employees best friend, but you do have to appreciate they are giving a part of their life to work for you.  And if they are doing their jobs, that is all that really matters.  

As a business owner/manager, I can pretty much guarantee nobody is pulling the wool over the bosses eyes when it comes to whether an employee likes the job, or their bosses.  But all we really can care about is if folks are doing well at the job they were hired to do.  If the person with the attitude isn’t interested in improving things, and isn’t bringing down the morale, or riling up the rest of the group, then the best we can do is keep giving them what they need to do the job, take the usually not well disguised digs, and hope for the best for them, all while keeping the door open if they want to address the issues they have.  If I can fix anything I always will.  But if they are producing, and the attitude isn’t disrupting their co-coworkers, then we just deal.  

We’ve had some pretty arrogant employees, but they did their work well so they got a pass.  I’ve only had two folks in over 20 years I had to let go.  And that was only after multiple attempts to help get them comfortable with us.  But they had egos that wouldn’t quit, chafed at “working for the man” and thought they were smarter/more qualified than the bosses, and/or were damaging morale with the other employees, who saw the shirking and had to put up with the snark.  

One was a young college intern we took on for a hot, difficult project that was going to last most of the summer. At the beginning of a big project like this it is important we have crew that clicks, is willing and knows what needs to be done, and trusts each other.  It can be dangerous work.  It quickly became clear this kid was not prepared and not cut out for the work, or the social responsibility.  They had such a sour attitude. they actually had a tantrum when a boss offered to buy folks ice cream after a particularly hard day.  They actually hissed at the boss, “I don’t need any of your stinking gas-station ice cream!” To their credit the rest of the crew snapped back with, “then you don’t have to have any.” When the truck pulled into the Dairy Queen, they tried to back-track, “Oh, I didn’t realize you meant DQ”.  Yeah, they still got a cone, but hoo boy was that an awkward trip back to the hotel.  

The next day they bragged to the crew, when everyone else was beat after a brutal day, that they weren’t tired because when it got hard they just handed their work off to a co-worker to finish.  (We pulled the co-worker aside and told them they should never put up with that, and they had our blessing to tell anyone to go find a boss if they were having trouble finishing tests.)  Besides the goldbricking, they were generally insulting and made inappropriate comments, including about co-worker’s disabled sibling.  We could see the rest of the good folks were getting sick of it and the wheels were turning about whether it would be worth putting up with the clown for the rest of the summer.  As bosses we knew, if we didn’t step in, the whole crew could fall apart.  But we couldn’t coach the kid out of it, in a field where interpersonal conduct and personal responsibility is everything.  When we called them out on the disruptive behavior, they didn’t apologize or even acknowledge they might have inadvertently overstepped. Just doubled down with,  “I’m only joking. Nobody here gets my sense of humor.”  I gently observed if no one else is laughing, it’s not a joke. Even after daily coaching with warnings they were in jeopardy, they were completely shocked when I told them we were ending their internship after one week. 

The other person we had hired as a project manager. A few months after they started, they began padding their timesheet, lied about completing assignments and reasons why they couldn’t complete others, and tried to get a fellow employe to fudge results when they were caught out by an agency they had done a project improperly.   We didn’t even enter that last coaching conversation intending to fire them, just help with clarifying our expectations again, and set an improvement plan, but by the end of it, they were so volatile and threatening, it became clear we had to let them  go.  That was the only time I called the sheriff to ask for some extra patrols in the aftermath.  

 Sure, it’s irksome, and a bummer knowing you are making the unpopular decisions that are keeping the company open even so a disgruntled employee can keep  their job. Even while the employee makes no secret they think they know better, or that you are an idiot or an ogre, but as bosses we have to keep our eyes on the bigger picture, and what’s best for everyone and the firm.

 I always make clear that we will do what we can to help an employee if they are unhappy, even if that means making it easier for them to transition out, or even actively helping them find another, more well-suited position.  I’ve worked at jobs I hated and I knew the best moves I ever made were the ones that got me out them.  I don’t want my employees to feel as if they are trapped in a place they aren’t happy.  There are always options.  

 

 

Edited July 6 by PrairieDog

[sparquelito]

I must confess that the job I retired from was great. 

I loved the work, I believed in the mission, and the majority of my coworkers and team-mates were fantastic. 
And my military commanders, especially near the end there, were fine officers and leaders. 

I go back to the airfield every now and then, to bring lunch to my old Operations crew. 
And the command invites me to come help out (cooking mainly) for the charity fund-raisers. 
Pancake breakfasts, serving chili at hot dog sales, stuff like that. 

The best thing of all is that my brother and I get asked to come out and perform live music for a variety of celebrations, outdoor sports festivals, and the big Christmas party. 
Sometimes we put together a full band, other times it's just a guitar/bass duo. 
Good times. 

All that said, there is zero desire to ever go back to work. 
There's a time and a place for everything, and that time came and went. 

🤔

[Sheepdog1969]

6 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I have no intention of retiring. Why? Gigging is the most fun I can have with my clothes on.

I swear that the only "nightmares" I have ever had about past jobs were ones that I was, for some reason, only wearing my underwear in (during a work day), or sometimes a dream about sitting on a toilet, which was oddly located in the center of a large room in the workplace,  as I was trying to poop on it, (in full view of everyone).  WHAT'S WITH THAT??

(don't ask me to tell you about my mother)

Edited July 6 by Sheepdog1969

[Sheepdog1969]

4 hours ago, PrairieDog said:

Nod, exactly… you don’t have to be your employees best friend, but you do have to appreciate they are giving a part of their life to work for you.  And if they are doing their jobs, that is all that really matters.  

As a business owner/manager, I can pretty much guarantee nobody is pulling the wool over the bosses eyes when it comes to whether an employee likes the job, or their bosses.  But all we really can care about is if folks are doing well at the job they were hired to do.  If the person with the attitude isn’t interested in improving things, and isn’t bringing down the morale, or riling up the rest of the group, then the best we can do is keep giving them what they need to do the job, take the usually not well disguised digs, and hope for the best for them, all while keeping the door open if they want to address the issues they have.  If I can fix anything I always will.  But if they are producing, and the attitude isn’t disrupting their co-coworkers, then we just deal.  

We’ve had some pretty arrogant employees, but they did their work well so they got a pass.  I’ve only had two folks in over 20 years I had to let go.  And that was only after multiple attempts to help get them comfortable with us.  But they had egos that wouldn’t quit, chafed at “working for the man” and thought they were smarter/more qualified than the bosses, and/or were damaging morale with the other employees, who saw the shirking and had to put up with the snark.  

One was a young college intern we took on for a hot, difficult project that was going to last most of the summer. At the beginning of a big project like this it is important we have crew that clicks, is willing and knows what needs to be done, and trusts each other.  It can be dangerous work.  It quickly became clear this kid was not prepared and not cut out for the work, or the social responsibility.  They had such a sour attitude. they actually had a tantrum when a boss offered to buy folks ice cream after a particularly hard day.  They actually hissed at the boss, “I don’t need any of your stinking gas-station ice cream!” To their credit the rest of the crew snapped back with, “then you don’t have to have any.” When the truck pulled into the Dairy Queen, they tried to back-track, “Oh, I didn’t realize you meant DQ”.  Yeah, they still got a cone, but hoo boy was that an awkward trip back to the hotel.  

The next day they bragged to the crew, when everyone else was beat after a brutal day, that they weren’t tired because when it got hard they just handed their work off to a co-worker to finish.  (We pulled the co-worker aside and told them they should never put up with that, and they had our blessing to tell anyone to go find a boss if they were having trouble finishing tests.)  Besides the goldbricking, they were generally insulting and made inappropriate comments, including about co-worker’s disabled sibling.  We could see the rest of the good folks were getting sick of it and the wheels were turning about whether it would be worth putting up with the clown for the rest of the summer.  As bosses we knew, if we didn’t step in, the whole crew could fall apart.  But we couldn’t coach the kid out of it, in a field where interpersonal conduct and personal responsibility is everything.  When we called them out on the disruptive behavior, they didn’t apologize or even acknowledge they might have inadvertently overstepped. Just doubled down with,  “I’m only joking. Nobody here gets my sense of humor.”  I gently observed if no one else is laughing, it’s not a joke. Even after daily coaching with warnings they were in jeopardy, they were completely shocked when I told them we were ending their internship after one week. 

The other person we had hired as a project manager. A few months after they started, they began padding their timesheet, lied about completing assignments and reasons why they couldn’t complete others, and tried to get a fellow employe to fudge results when they were caught out by an agency they had done a project improperly.   We didn’t even enter that last coaching conversation intending to fire them, just help with clarifying our expectations again, and set an improvement plan, but by the end of it, they were so volatile and threatening, it became clear we had to let them  go.  That was the only time I called the sheriff to ask for some extra patrols in the aftermath.  

 Sure, it’s irksome, and a bummer knowing you are making the unpopular decisions that are keeping the company open even so a disgruntled employee can keep  their job. Even while the employee makes no secret they think they know better, or that you are an idiot or an ogre, but as bosses we have to keep our eyes on the bigger picture, and what’s best for everyone and the firm.

 I always make clear that we will do what we can to help an employee if they are unhappy, even if that means making it easier for them to transition out, or even actively helping them find another, more well-suited position.  I’ve worked at jobs I hated and I knew the best moves I ever made were the ones that got me out them.  I don’t want my employees to feel as if they are trapped in a place they aren’t happy.  There are always options.  

 

 

I feel you brother. What is it they say, "It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the whole batch."? 

At every job I ever worked, I ended up being promoted to management rather quickly. I loved the pay bump associated with the promotion, but I never really considered myself anything other than labor. (even as an owner.)  I never asked a person to do a job that I had never done myself, nor would I not do said job myself, (regardless of my position), if it needed to be done in a pinch. As such, no one could ever complain about being tasked with "scut work" that the bosses wouldn't/couldn't do. I lead by example, not because I was some type of saint, but because certain things needed to be done or my business would fail. I dealt with very few complaints from employees about their job responsibilities/duties, simply because I had held that job position previously. Employees that ignorantly claimed, "This job is too hard.", or "I can't do that.",  got canned immediately. It's called "WORK" for a reason. If it was called "FUN", I would never have to pay anyone for it!

I have worked for lots of people that had never, nor were capable, of doing the job they hired me for. I never had an ounce of respect for them.

I have hired many people that refused to do , (or were incapable of doing), a job that I had done successfully in the past. I terminated them immediately.

The reason that I have been retired, and financial stable, for nearly 20 years, is that for over three decades, I worked mostly "half days". Yup, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 30+ years. Unless you've worked 72+ hours a week for 30+ years, zip it Skippy!

[PrairieDog]

18 minutes ago, Sheepdog1969 said:

I feel you brother. What is it they say, "It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the whole batch."? 

At every job I ever worked, I ended up being promoted to management rather quickly. I loved the pay bump associated with the promotion, but I never really considered myself anything other than labor. (even as an owner.)  I never asked a person to do a job that I had never done myself, nor would I not do said job myself, (regardless of my position), if it needed to be done in a pinch. As such, no one could ever complain about being tasked with "scut work" that the bosses wouldn't/couldn't do. I lead by example, not because I was some type of saint, but because certain things needed to be done or my business would fail. I dealt with very few complaints from employees about their job responsibilities/duties, simply because I had held that job position previously. Employees that ignorantly claimed, "This job is too hard.", or "I can't do that.",  got canned immediately. It's called "WORK" for a reason. If it was called "FUN", I would never have to pay anyone for it!

I have worked for lots of people that had never, nor were capable, of doing the job they hired me for. I never had an ounce of respect for them.

I have hired many people that refused to do , (or were incapable of doing), a job that I had done successfully in the past. I terminated them immediately.

The reason that I have been retired, and financial stable, for nearly 20 years, is that for over three decades, I worked mostly "half days". Yup, 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 30+ years. Unless you've worked 72+ hours a week for 30+ years, zip it Skippy!

hah! Yes, I could have written your post! that is us exactly.  By the nature of the work, the owners and the employees are all doing the same job, the owners just do more of it.  the employees get the last week of the year off, paid, as a reward for all their hard work.  The owners spend Christmas Eve finishing up the reports and taking care of what need to get done.   I’ve had terrible crummy jobs, and I swore I would never treat worthwhile employees with anything less than total respect and support. We do try to make as much fun for them as the job allows.  We take them on side trips if we are in an interesting area, we give them impromptu days off when they need them, we profit share and offer full bennies, even though we are  so tiny we are exempt from many of the mandates.  Our labor is the only thing that makes the company run.  I gotta treat them right.  It’s just the right thing to do.  

[tx-ogre]

I was eligible to retire in April 2009.  I was planning to go, but got a transfer/promotion back to TX, much closer to our eventual home.  So I stayed on until the end of 2011.  Then the political crapola got so bad I couldn’t stand it anymore.  I could have stayed on until April 2017, but that wasn’t happening.

I could have retired at any age with 25 years “covered” LE service or age 50 with 20 years “covered” service.  Our mandatory retirement age was 57.  So if you hadn’t already come to your senses, they shoved you out the door on the last day of the month that you turned 57, with instructions not to come back.  Sadly enough, I knew a guy who worked for another agency and didn’t want to retire.  He showed up th day after his retirement (the first day of the following month) to complete the end of the month reports he had done for years.  He was forced to leave.  Many of us were afraid that he would suffer the fate of many of our colleagues who died shortly after retirement.

[Sheepdog1969]

42 minutes ago, tx-ogre said:

Many of us were afraid that he would suffer the fate of many of our colleagues who died shortly after retirement.

Were these colleagues "Epstein'ed"???  Did they commit suicide by stabbing themselves in the back 14 times? Asking for a friend. 

Seriously, WTF????  You said that these folks were LEO's?

[tx-ogre]

11 minutes ago, Sheepdog1969 said:

Were these colleagues "Epstein'ed"???  Did they commit suicide by stabbing themselves in the back 14 times? Asking for a friend. 

Seriously, WTF????  You said that these folks were LEO's?

The problem was two-fold:  the job is very stressful.  You see and experience things that accumulate over many years and have adverse effects on you physically and mentally.  This can lead to people either suffering from medical issues such as heart disease that can shorten lifespans.  It can also lead to the increased incidents of mental health issues that can result in suicide, which is entirely to prevalent in LE and veterans.  Unless you have experienced it, you won’t understand it, but you are entitled to your feeble attempts at humor.