You've retired, thinking about going back to work?

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound But I have eyes and I can behold.

As a (female) friend of mine once said, "it hardly matters where you got your appetite as long as you eat at home."

[DallasGuy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan How about a COBOL mainframe programmer of 58? And I'm not even cute.

I'm an old COBOL mainframe programmer who somehow stumbled onto a 3rd generation code generating language as a skill (the language has had several names over the years...IEF, then Composer, then CoolGen, then AdvantageGen, then AllFusionGen and finally CA Gen...it's been sold and repackaged many times). Anyway, it's one of those skills where the jobs are feast or famine since not many companies use it. I've retired a couple of times but since it's difficult to find people that know this skill, I keep getting called back for short term contracts. I started another contract job in January, 2009. It was very difficult and sort of depressing going back to work this time, but I will admit that the extra cash is nice expecially since I'm down over $150,000 since the stock market halved itself. The weird thing is that I have programmer friends who would kill for a job right now and I'm not looking and get a job offer....sometimes it doesn't seem fair....not that I'm complaining.

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DallasGuy The weird thing is that I have programmer friends who would kill for a job right now and I'm not looking and get a job offer....sometimes it doesn't seem fair....not that I'm complaining.

Right now it's all about actual experience -- no amount of competence, ability to learn new skills or other accomplishments matter in this job market. No one will train on the job because they don't need to.

[Purron]

I answered "yes" because I seriously thought about going back to work. Came pretty close too. Have since changed my mind. Khan is right.

[JOHNNIE36]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khan How about a COBOL mainframe programmer of 58? And I'm not even cute.

Now you guys are bringing back memories. I was involved in this back in 1963 as a Tool and Die Engineer with Fisher Body (do you remember that division of GM?). I wasn't a programmer but had to go to the IBM school as we were instituting a system of scheduling automotive die construction (called network scheduling). The programming school I went to was SPS and Autocoder which were for-runners to Cobol and Fortran. In those days all the data was input via punched cards. Can you even imagine that today? We at the plant had IBM 1401 computers while the GM Tech Center had IBM 7094's). The 1401's had much less capacity than the computer I'm using here at home. I remember the computer department at the plant was about half the size of a football field with about 8 tape decks, a dozen card readers, a dozen girls transmitting the date onto punched cards, the computer itself, a printer the size of a small U-Hall and some offices. I'll guarantee you my home computer today has more capacity than that monster. The good 'ol days. Just thinking back!

[Alan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound As I age, I find women of my age group more attractive.

I've definitely noticed that the older I get, the number of attractive women increases.

[boont]

Retired not going back to work. That doesn't mean that I am going to stop working on my own projects. I still have an office at the movie studio I used to work for.

The difference is, now they are my own projects and I come and go as I please.

b.

[Moemg]

No thoughts about going back to work but if an interesting temporary job showed up I might be tempted .

[clifp]

I vacillated between Yes and if things get worse. I told my friend that I was thinking about it and he said I am surprised that I haven't done it. (The aren't you bored story, this from a guy who plays 40+ hours a week of Everquest.)

Actually, boredom is 10% of the reason. But the other 90% is a set a lower limit of net worth when I retied and I passed this year. While I could survive on the 4% of my current net worth, I think I should plan for 40 years not merely 30 years.

But the primary reason is the dividend cuts I've experienced mean I will in all likelyhood dip into my diminishing cash reserves this year. A few years working would really help. The trick of course is to find a good job in this sucky economy...

[TromboneAl]

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Originally Posted by REWahoo I voted No, but if things get worse and stay that way for several years, I'll think about it.

Didn't you have a post a while ago about going back to work? Was that a joke?

Quote:

Now you guys are bringing back memories.

In my head I can still hear/feel what it was like when you finished a card and sent it to be added to the bottom of the stack.

[TargaDave]

Hmmmm, no place in the poll for planned semi-ER type work (part time, etc), rather stated as a win or loose full retirement question. Why doesn't that surprise me. Sort of odd how ESRBob's book is well promoted on this site but so few frequent posters subscribe to the semi-ER philosophy.

[Walt34]

I'm one of the ones who chose to go back to work. In fact when I retired the original plan was to get a part time job doing "something" but I had no idea what. But then I found that almost all of the part time jobs don't pay enough to make the commute and vehicle wear expenses worthwhile, and involved either retail selling, which I loathe, or cleaning something. I also found that while I like fishing, walking, bicycling, etc., I can't do that all day, every day, or anything else for that matter. It sounds idyllic when chained to a desk but it didn't work out that way for me.

But then I did find a job that pays enough to make it worthwhile. Three months of it earned enough to write a check for a $12k motorcycle, and at the moment we're saving most of the rest. We also helped out FIL with some expenses that he will reimburse later (I hope. If not, chalk it up to tuition....).

However, I still have my KMA hat firmly in place, and while I figure another two to four years of this job, perhaps more, maybe less, if I go to work tomorrow and am told that "You don't work here anymore" I won't be overly distressed by it. I'd probably go volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or a similar organization with the free time.

[canadianteddy]

Oh wow -COBOL mainframe programmer & GM Body by Fisher

Blast from the past

What next - Mood rings & Pet Rocks

[yakers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TargaDave Hmmmm, no place in the poll for planned semi-ER type work (part time, etc), rather stated as a win or loose full retirement question. Why doesn't that surprise me. Sort of odd how ESRBob's book is well promoted on this site but so few frequent posters subscribe to the semi-ER philosophy.

Part time work=slightly pregnant?

I bought & found some good information in Bob's book and I recommend it to friends for whom I think it is a good fit but it just doesn't *work* for me to work. I put just as much effort into Habitat other charitable and recreational activities but those are not work. I really liked my job and maybe I should have stayed on a bit but part time doesn't do much for me except complicate my schedule.
Now my wife works a few hours now & then coordinating student teachers. She loves the contact with new, young teachers and the college faculty. She would probably do this for free. But it messes up our freedom to not have a schedule.
For me, the real focus of this board and my investment efforts is to achieve financial independence which I did about 3 year before retiring@58. But once I didn't have to work and my old boss left I didn't see any reason in staying. So if you are FI and want to work, that is terrific. If you are FI and don't want to work there is nothing better about part time work than full time work.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakers If you are FI and don't want to work there is nothing better about part time work than full time work.

I have to disagree . When you work part time especially if you can get a flexible position you do not get involved in the committees or the policy meetings or any of the BS . You just have to show up and do your job and that is pretty freeing .

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl In my head I can still hear/feel what it was like when you finished a card and sent it to be added to the bottom of the stack.

OMG! So can I! Thanks (NOT!) for bringing back that persistent memory!

LOL!

Audrey

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl Didn't you have a post a while ago about going back to work? Was that a joke?

Hey Al, you know me - always serious, never joking. No, wait. Never serious... Always... I forget.

[Dennis]

Back to work? Well Only if the Bond Market Collaspes for Several yrs..
I allocated to save enough up that a 6% ave in bonds would take care of me first and any extra could go into Equities..

I just barely made it now, with doubling my $ in bonds these past 9 yrs and down to less than a 2.5% WD.. Last yrs Treasuries Boosted thing by a couple of yrs ahead of plans.. Thank You Financial Advisor..Thank You, Thank you, Thank You...

and here I almost listened to those Indexers to have a 50/50 Portfolio.. and would make More $....Yeah Right... after 10 yrs? It Be worth The same as When I started with it now.. Whew...

[Meadbh]

Will there be work to go back to?

[freebird5825]

I actually thought I might have to do something part time in 2007 before I got my annuity income squared away with TSP. I even put some applications for part-time j*bs as a backup.
Now that I have things squared away, there is no way, I repeat no way I would go back to w*rk.
I paid no NYS income taxes this year, and intend to keep it that way.
It's my turn to be a slacker, Albany. Have a nice day.