How many years do you work before retire???

[Enuff2Eat]

The question of the day is "How many years do you work before retire". Well, let assume that people retires on the average at the age of 65 and starting working when they are 22. So basic math indicate that on "average" we work around 43 years.... for a tiny pension and health care. if it still exist.

With that I say, It sucks.


I guess a smart person can get out of the grind in 20-25 years and may be a government worker can get out in 35 years. And if you don't know what you are doing you might have to do 53 years of working (age 75). I am hoping to sip my coffee while watching people fighting in the traffic after 30 years of working. What's your number?


enuff

 

[REWahoo]

35 - and the last 27 of that wasn't with the govt.

 

[GregLee]

What's your number?

40. But I'm not complaining.

 

[Andre1969]

Well, I'm still working, at the ripe old age of 41. Hoping to retire at 46. Graduated college at 23, so at that point, I should have 23 years in. If you count part time work, it would be 33.

 

[Midpack]

Worked exactly 34.5 years, I'll be retired in 12 working days. All in private sector, no pension and no retiree health care - but I have had good fortune in my career or I'd be working another 10 years or so.

 

[scrabbler1]

I worked for 23 years before I ERed back in 2008, the first 16 full-time and the last 7 part-time (all in the private sector). If you include the odd, part-time jobs I held while I was in high school and college, then add on another 6 years of part-time work (2 in the public sector and 4 in the private sector).

 

[steelyman]

It's coming up for me, and I will be three months shy of 24 years, all at the same job right out of graduate school.

 

[Ally]

I will probably work about 31 years at my job and previously worked about 2 yrs before staying home with my kids for awhile.

 

[Moemg]

I worked forty years but the last eight were part time . I could have retired sooner but I just was not psychologically ready .

 

[Packman]

Not including part time jobs in my teen years, I worked 33 years and 9 months. Now I'm working on my 6th day of ER - feels pretty good.

No pension, no paid health care, but I've had a much better, and more sucessful career than I ever imagined I would have had.

 

[FIREd]

I worked for 9 years and, if she retires as planned in 2013, DW will have worked for 13 years. All private sector.

 

[JmfromTx]

When I got my drivers license in October 1970 my dad told me it time for me to get a job. I lollygagged for a couple of weeks and he took me down to the local grocery store and introduced me to the manager and suddenly I was a sacker. $1.36 an hour if I remember right. I thought I was rich and I was hooked on working. Many jobs later and 30 yrs with the last one I retired in March so that makes a little over 40 years for me since I didn't attend college.

 

[zaqxsw]

35 years in a few more weeks. D.O.N.E. as noted below!

 

[WhoDaresWins]

Right now, I am planning to work 3 more years max and retire at age 60. I will have worked at full-time employment a total of 26 years at that point as I took about 13 years off from paid work to be a SAHM.

 

[rescueme]

I started my first full-time j*b at age 18 and retired at age 59 - a span of 41 years (with no gaps, but six different companies along the way)...

BTW, what's a pension?

 

[Rambler]

4 years of 20-30 hour per week part time work in college (full time summers), sporadic pt work in HS, coming up on 26 years in the career, 1.5 until agreement with megacorp allows a little slowdown, 1-3 years planned for phased-in semi retirement. Total career will be around 29-30 years, plus work to get thru college, so around 33-34 years. That said, I am FI enough to go now, if it came to that. Depending on the stress level required in semi retirement in a year and a half, I may very well punch out sooner rather than later.

R

 

[Katsmeow]

I worked full time for 32 years (about 8 years of part time work in high school, college and law school). Then last year I ESR'd and have worked part time for the last year.

 

[Gumby]

If all goes as currently planned, I will have worked 32 years full time when we pull the plug.

 

[aaronc879]

Started working full-time at age 20. Hope to be done no later than age 49. So 29 years or less.

 

[IBWino]

Still working, but planning to retire in 2016 at age 55, at which point I will have put in 32 years full-time since graduating college. If I include part-time and summer work during high school and college, then it's closer to 40 years working.

 

[traineeinvestor]

Assuming I retire in early 2013, I will have spent 24 years at the coal face.

No pension, no SS etc.

 

[Donzo]

26 years for me - got out at 49 - have not missed the mind numbing silliness of the corporate world..............at all!

 

[Dreamer]

I worked sporactic, part-time jobs in and right after high school for 6 years, then worked full-time for 32 years and 8 months, then early retirement for 4 years and started back part-time work 3/10. I am hoping to work part-time for the next 3 years. We shall see.

 

[FreeAtLast]

30 years at my career full time. The past 5 years at my career P/T. I am now down to under 20 hours per week.

No solid plan to retire in full, but I am ready should the job end or something else happen.

 

[chemist]

Started full time job in Dec 1981. Retired Aug 2010 at age 55. Almost 29 years in the salt mines.