Giving notice tomorrow. A little worried about my Type A personality

[brett]

When I first left I was convinced that I wanted to work again. Perhaps in a consulting engagement.

I had several colleagues in my industry call me to give me a 'heads up' about a position that I would be 'perfect' for. They seemed astonished when I thanked them and said not interested. Same with a consulting opportunity. I had had enough, finances were secure, and I just did not want to do it. This was a change that came about over the first six-nine months.

Everyone does something different in retirement. Either because of their financial situation or because of preferences, want, needs. We leave next week for two months of independent travel in SE Asia. We do two of these trips a year to various places. It is what floats our boat. We have a general idea of an itinerary but really only plan few days in advance. We only travel with carry on. Not for everyone, but for now this is part of fulfilling our retirement aspirations. I have no doubt that this might change in a few years, then change again.

Bottom line for us is doing what we want, when we want, while we have the health and the inclination to do it. We decided not to make many decisions in the first six months, other than downsizing our home. My perspective changed quite a bit during that six month period so I am glad that we held off a little.

[retiringby50]

Thanks for sharing. I was smiling the whole time reading your reply. Glad I asked.

[2lhasas]

Three days from retirement and I thought I would update the group on what a strange trip my 3 month notice period has been. Let me be clear, I like my job; I love the team I manage and most of the people I work with on a regular basis. We've had our FU money since 2014, so I certainly could have made the decision to retire a few years ago. My role has always been travel intensive, but after some staffing downsizing last year, I lost any semblance of balance. With my son graduating HS in 2020, I decided the time I could spend with him was more valuable than anything I was getting from work.

First, let me say thank you to all of you who told me to give them a date certain. You were right! I would still be working here in December if I had not. I gave them three months notice. I still thought there was a possibility that the role would not be filled in 3 months due to the specialization of the role, and level within management. That said, the first candidates were interviewed less than 2 weeks ago. They had identified them much earlier, but took over 2 weeks to set up interviews. Clearly, there is no sense of urgency.

I am in the middle of several large projects that no one else in the firm is involved with from the perspective of my role. As late as yesterday, I have been conducting meetings as if I'm not going anywhere. No one else has been asked to join these meetings. Even the outside teams I am working with are asking who they call next week. I have started giving everyone our CEO's v-card.

Two weeks ago, I was waiting for the train, talking to one of our marketing managers and she told me she was glad to hear I was staying on as a consultant. I told her I had no idea what she was talking about and she was shocked. She told me that several people had said I was staying on as if it was a done deal. I mentioned this conversation to one of my friends who later told me the Chief of HR mentioned I was staying on. LOL.

Yesterday, my boss (CEO) sent me an email about something and ended with - BTW, when is your last day. I told him it was Friday. Still, no one has come to ask what I have on my plate that needs transition. I have no idea what they think is going to happen on April 2nd. They will no doubt figure it out, as they have had to many times in the past, but I feel as if I gave them a fair chance to avoid having to reinvent the wheel and they decided to stick their heads in the sand. I could have given 2 weeks back in January and we would still be in the same place today.

I'll be sad for about 60 seconds, and then move on to enjoy my retirement.

[O2Bfree]

That's an eye-opener! Maybe not not uncommon? A woman at my workplace who's been there for 27 years is also retiring tomorrow. She gave her notice 6 months ago, but HR approved the request to replace her just yesterday.

Congratulations on your big accomplishment!

[AS2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2lhasas With my son graduating HS in 2020, I decided the time I could spend with him was more valuable than anything I was getting from work.

Ok I absolutely love this. Up until now I had been thinking that I need to work until my daughter graduates high school because kids are expensive. I hadn’t really looked at it from the viewpoint of having more time to spend with her before she leaves home. Thank you for this very simple statement.

[2lhasas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlhendren Ok I absolutely love this. Up until now I had been thinking that I need to work until my daughter graduates high school because kids are expensive. I hadn’t really looked at it from the viewpoint of having more time to spend with her before she leaves home. Thank you for this very simple statement.

I had a meeting shortly after I gave notice to kick off a new and really exciting project. I left the meeting really jazzed up about the conversation and questioned if I wanted to pull the trigger now. On the way to the train, I face timed my son to let him know I was on my way home. By the end of that call, I felt entirely at peace with my decision to leave. If I get really bored in a few years, I can always go back to work doing something. My parents have both passed and I still regret times I cut visits short for work reasons.

[OldShooter]

Years ago, a friend told me this: "You want to see how critical you are in your job? Stick your hand in a bucket of water, then pull it out and look for the hole."

That's pretty much what I have observed and pretty much my personal experience.

[Travelfreek]

Quote:

First, let me say thank you to all of you who told me to give them a date certain. You were right!

When I gave notice of my retirement a couple of years ago, I told them about 2 months beforehand. My boss decided 2 weeks after me to give HER notice to also retire at the same time. Being in the same small specialized unit, it made it interesting to say the least. The HR manager tried to get me to extend the date I would retire by a few months but I had it all calc'd out on a spreadsheet and needed to retire before Dec 31st to get my first COLA by May of the year following my retirement. I told her there's no way I could extend my retirement date. She then begged me to fill out an application to work as a retired annuitant. I said I'll be happy to do that and would work 2 days a week maximum. Turns out I never heard from them again. That place was very dysfunctional because the HR mgr was an airhead and a fake. She also lied on the daily and no one respected her. So, good riddance! I would have gone back part time to help out my coworkers, however. But the place was toxic and the lead person didn't give a rat's behind about the work. It was all for show for her next promotion. It's such a relief to no be surrounded by that stuff. Retirement is so much fun!

My husband had a similar experience 8 months ago. He gave 6 full months notice and had a very responsible job (Principal Engineer at a Level 1 Trauma Center). They interviewed and offered the job to a well-qualified candidate about a month before my husband's final work day. Then the guy they picked got a better offer with higher pay somewhere else. Everything went kaput and they had to start the search process all over again. My husband was gone 6 full months before they got a new person in the job. Unbelievable! My husband was asked to come back for 1 day a week to give the new guy guidance but he's actually dreading it. He's been loving retirement and doesn't want to remember the headaches of his past job. Retirement is so GREAT!

[Aerides]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2lhasas I could have given 2 weeks back in January and we would still be in the same place today.

For emphasis, and for everyone who thinks "Oh I need to give them X-months for a good transition". Unless you are a small-firm-partner type, or C-suite, this plays out as yours did pretty much every time.

Congrats, leave extra early on your last day, and enjoy your trip!

[4aboard]

2lhasas

Congratulations on making it to the finish line. Reading through your thread is very helpful for me. I'm giving notice next Monday, and will remain in role no more than six weeks longer.

Similar to you, the time with the kids is the driving reason for me to FIRE. I'm very interested to see what the reaction is with my company on next week.

Keep us posted as you transition into your new reality.

4aboard

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldShooter Years ago, a friend told me this: "You want to see how critical you are in your job? Stick your hand in a bucket of water, then pull it out and look for the hole." That's pretty much what I have observed and pretty much my personal experience.

+1 and this is despite my boss and other practice leaders telling me that I added a lot of value (which I think was true) and they they would have a hard time getting along without me (which I thought was nice for them to say, but not true). I thanked them and told them that they had a lot of smart people in the firm and I was sure that they would have no problem getting along without me. We had both left the door open to consulting when I left, but they never called me and I never called them... so all is good.

[FrugalMcDougal]

I loved your post. I’m retiring 6.1.18- 2 mo before 50. I’ve mostly done what everyone else expected of me the past 50 years (I say MOSTLY because I was a rebellious teen), and the next 50 are ALL MINE! Best of luck to you! I gained some great pointers from this thread.

[MarieIG]

Congratulations to OP on this new and exciting time in your life! Enjoy the extra time with your DS.

Now, should we have a poll on how many calls you are going to get from the job next week?

[2lhasas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarieIG Congratulations to OP on this new and exciting time in your life! Enjoy the extra time with your DS. Now, should we have a poll on how many calls you are going to get from the job next week?

Well, I don't have a home phone and my cell phone was company issued, so they'll have to find me! Even though they didn't ask, I think I left them in decent shape. I spent the last two weeks creating memos that summarized the state of projects, linked all the relevant documents, and v-Cards for outside parties involved in the transaction.

I managed to engineer my admin into a better position on the way out, and she knows my new cell number if she gets really desperate, but she insists she is not going to call me unless it's to catch up.

I worked all day yesterday, and then we had an event with our Krav Maga gym so I don't think it really sank in. Today around lunch time, it really hit me that I no longer have to think about work at all. I don't know how Monday will feel, but today was the most relaxing weekend day I can remember in some time. I honestly feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me. I don't think I realized how stressed I have been.

[MarieIG]

Sleep in tomorrow for me!

[Markola]

Enjoy it! DW left her too-stressful federal management job on Friday so, like you, Monday is her first day off and “the first day of the rest of her life,” as that old jingle went. She has no plan but to detox, garden for the summer and see what comes along. She’s 55 and really hasn’t had a substantial career break since her 20s so, like yourself, it’s new mental and temporal territory to explore.

[justakrusen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markola Enjoy it! DW left her too-stressful federal management job on Friday so, like you, Monday is her first day off and “the first day of the rest of her life,” as that old jingle went. She has no plan but to detox, garden for the summer and see what comes along. She’s 55 and really hasn’t had a substantial career break since her 20s so, like yourself, it’s new mental and temporal territory to explore.

My DW is looking at one year or 18 months (so she says) I have to get used to looking busy. It's getting harder every day.

[Bigdawg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2lhasas Well, I don't have a home phone and my cell phone was company issued, so they'll have to find me! Even though they didn't ask, I think I left them in decent shape. I spent the last two weeks creating memos that summarized the state of projects, linked all the relevant documents, and v-Cards for outside parties involved in the transaction. I managed to engineer my admin into a better position on the way out, and she knows my new cell number if she gets really desperate, but she insists she is not going to call me unless it's to catch up. I worked all day yesterday, and then we had an event with our Krav Maga gym so I don't think it really sank in. Today around lunch time, it really hit me that I no longer have to think about work at all. I don't know how Monday will feel, but today was the most relaxing weekend day I can remember in some time. I honestly feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me. I don't think I realized how stressed I have been.

Well Curiosity is killing me. Any phone calls? Did you sleep in? Did you get a good night sleep? Inquiring minds want to know.

[2lhasas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Markola Enjoy it! DW left her too-stressful federal management job on Friday so, like you, Monday is her first day off and “the first day of the rest of her life,” as that old jingle went. She has no plan but to detox, garden for the summer and see what comes along. She’s 55 and really hasn’t had a substantial career break since her 20s so, like yourself, it’s new mental and temporal territory to explore.

I too plan to garden, and based on advice in this group, have made a concerted effort to not commit to much in the first few months. I am taking a photography class at the local arts center, but beyond getting my son to school every day, that't the only scheduled activity on my calendar.

My husband said he really enjoyed the weekend with new "relaxed" me. I don't know what he's talking about; I'm sure I'm a ray of sunshine at all times! Hopefully, you will also reap the benefits of a less stressed DW!

[2lhasas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigdawg Well Curiosity is killing me. Any phone calls? Did you sleep in? Did you get a good night sleep? Inquiring minds want to know.

No contact so far, although those who left before me have said 2 weeks is generally the grace period before the start to call. By then, I plan to have purged all knowledge of my job from my brain. LOL.

Alas, years of getting up at the crack of dawn seems to be a hard habit to break. I laughed with my husband this morning that some of it is me, not the job stress. I laid in bed this morning thinking as usual, but instead of work, I was planning making an appointment to service my car, picking up some sunblock before my son heads to the beach tomorrow...... I may never change that aspect of my personality, but I'd rather put together a Gantt chart for a personal project than a work project.