Poll: What was your employment track record?

[Alan]

Lucky enough to be employed, paying the UK equivalent of SS taxes from age 16 and I never missed a day's pay from then until ER at age 55.

 

[Valen]

I took a year off in my mid-20's to travel around North America with a girlfriend in her parents' motorhome (makes me smile just thinking about it). Other than that, I had steady employment until I retired at 54. Never used (or needed) unemployment benefits.

 

[memejipakid]

I worked summers and weekends from 1965 to 1969 in hamburger joint and full time in government from 1969 to 2010 when I retired.

 

[ducky911]

35 years

Graduated on a Friday and started work the following Monday.

6 employers. Only missed three days of work, but I had two weeks severance pay.

Drives me nuts when people say they can not find a job.

 

[Mulligan]

I had seven different jobs in same career over my 25 yr. working career. Never was without a job. I was fortunate and also subscribed to the theory the best way to get a new job, is to have a job already. It was harder to get a job while in college (early 80s recession) than out of college. I bothered the Safeway store manager once a week for almost a year until I got one of those sweet little union grocery store jobs that lasted me until graduation. Back then you could wear them down and they would hire you. Now they say apply online. I may have never got a job that way.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Mo Money]

Started full time in 1986 and it's been a constant [-]grind[/-] paycheck ever since.

 

[Walt34]

Only during college was I unemployed but looking for a job for a couple of weeks. Then during college I got a summer job with a national department store chain that also had a service department to repair appliances they sold. That turned into an evening part time job during the school months that kept me in gas money and the occasional date. After college I was full time there for almost a year before being hired by the police department. Last day was a Friday, started Monday with the PD. Retired from there after a bit over 29 years, goofed off for a few years, stumbled into another job for five years and when that went south I left.

Out of idle curiosity I occasionally look at the job ads but cringe at the thought of actually becoming a productive member of society again.

 

[foxfirev5]

Started my first real job a couple of weeks before college graduation. I have been fortunate enough to never have been unemployed. Although in 1982 I came real close but the paperwork at mega corp never went through and I didn't miss a paycheck. I never made real big money but was able to keep plodding along.

 

[truenorth418]

I had a job right out of college, worked 3 of 4 semesters during graduate school, and then worked consecutively for 4 different big companies for the following 22 years without a break. Although I was laid off from 2 of those companies and basically pushed out of another, I always had another job lined up and never had a day of unemployment.

This is one of the reasons my first Monday morning of ER felt so good.

 

[youbet]

Since being canned from my factory job in 2006, I never found another job. So almost 8 years of unemployment so far. Life is tough for us long term unemployed folks but we do the best we can.

 

[REWahoo]

After 100+ responses, more than 60% of those in or nearing retirement (presumed to be the "early" variety) have never had a period of unemployment. Another 20% have experienced less than six months of unemployment.

Is this coincidence or does it indicate there is a correlation between steady employment and early retirement?

 

[HFWR]

Is this coincidence or does it indicate there is a correlation between steady employment and early retirement?

Certainly doesn't hurt...

Lots of j*bs, and lots of unemployment, in the 70s/early 80s. Two j*bs and two relatively brief periods of unemployment since, both with a nice severance package.

 

[pb4uski]

After 100+ responses, more than 60% of those in or nearing retirement (presumed to be the "early" variety) have never had a period of unemployment. Another 20% have experienced less than six months of unemployment.

Is this coincidence or does it indicate there is a correlation between steady employment and early retirement?

Correlation is not causation, but it certainly helps not to have had to raid your emergency fund for living expenses for a long period of unemployment.

 

[Mulligan]

Correlation is not causation, but it certainly helps not to have had to raid your emergency fund for living expenses for a long period of unemployment.

I have known a few half dozen or so acquaintances over the past few years and what they all did simply amazed me. They would raid their buyout and/or retirement funds during unemployment and not make one concession to standard of living until they cut a huge hole in them. I would have went into immediate budget cutting mode to preserve the nut as best as I could.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[robnplunder]

I was laid off from my 1st job (a start up company that could not turn profit) and it took me a month or two to find another one. Other than that, it was nonstop working (and/or school) since I was 14 years old. That's 32 years and I am ready to kiss goodbye to "work" as soon as I get OMY out of my system. Work has become a four letter word ....

 

[Willers]

An interesting aside (hopefully not too far off topic) to this is the "threat" of unemployment. We kept more in cash than I'd have liked to during the 2009-2011 period because both the DW and I felt the likelihood was ~70% that both of us would lose our jobs. We both ended up surviving some interesting times at our employers. It slowed our path to RE a bit, but it did help us sleep at night.

 

[jollystomper]

I worked all 4 years in college and the summers in between. I started with Megacorp 4 weeks after my graduation (they wanted me to start 2 weeks after, but I asked for 2 more weeks as "I haven't have a break from work this long since starting college and don't know when I'll ever get a break like this again') and have never been unemployed.

 

[pb4uski]

I have known a few half dozen or so acquaintances over the past few years and what they all did simply amazed me. They would raid their buyout and/or retirement funds during unemployment and not make one concession to standard of living until they cut a huge hole in them. I would have went into immediate budget cutting mode to preserve the nut as best as I could.

+1 that is a situation to tighten the belt and try to ride out the situation with the minimum damage possible.

 

[anethum]

Unlike most respondents, I practiced ER early and often. I also had a good role model; my dad ER'd at 55. After saving up my money while working for about 3 years following college graduation, I quit and went on a 14-month trip (mostly by bicycle) on 3 continents. Travel was much cheaper back then. Later in life, I worked for several companies which went belly up, and also experienced corporate downsizing. I think that there were 3 times that I immediately started a new position (with a raise). However, I sometimes took advantage of these situations by twice going to Latin America to study in Spanish language schools for several weeks, followed by some travel. BTW, when asked at interviews what I had been doing since my last period of employment, my answer about studying at a Spanish-language school in Latin America was very well received.

The last two times I was downsized, unemployment lasted for at least 6 months both times, but I was being picky about only seeking employment at locations which would be easy commutes. However, I had reached "critical mass", because by the time I began a new job, my savings and investments were worth more than at the beginning of those periods of unemployment.

 

[Spanky]

As I recalled, there were about 3 periods of unemployment that lasted less than 2 months. The shortest one was only a week. Every time when I think about them gives me a sour feeling of insecurity and some bitterness, albeit not self-defeating by any means. Life continues nevertheless.

 

[iam21177]

I have been employed for 21 years straight so far (37 years old). I was maybe out of work for a less than week in between moving (like from home to college), but jobs were found quickly. I've held this salaried job for 15 years - knock on wood. I am very grateful.

 

[MBAustin]

I said "unbroken" although I did take some unpaid leave when DS was born - I had 6 weeks paid leave then took another month or so off, then DH and I both went part-time until DS was 6 months old. Didn't figure that counted for the topic of the poll.

 

[ejman]

I took a one year non paid sabbatical 12 years before I ER'd. In fact that sabbatical is what led me to conclude that ER was a desirable destination for me.

 

[Rustward]

Started full time in my field at age 20, six months before getting my degree. Was laid off from the fifth job in 2001 with 27 weeks of severance + unused vacation pay. Took 3 months off and landed at the last place which was absolutely the worst place I have ever been, and I have seen the insides of lots of places working for a vendor for 12 years. Job ended after 7 years and I decided I am done after 32 years. Never collected unemployment.

Unbroken until the end.

 

[MRG]

Went to work at 16, my SR. year I was in 'work release' so I had a full time job that year. The only time I was unemployed was 3 months going to a trade school.

Didn't like that career after a few years. Signed up for night school to get a career in IT. Worked full time days, while going to night school full time.
Got an entry level programming job, started 2 days after graduation. Never changed Megacorps, so other than vacation, and 3 months disability, I was never out of work for 39 years.
MRG