Finally jumped in

[NotOldYet]

I have joined the ranks of the FIRE'd folks here as of Monday. I signed my paperwork Monday evening, and promptly hauled my behind out of bed first thing Tuesday morning to return my company property. If there is one thing I KNOW I'm not going to miss about the job, its fighting traffic in the morning.

Unfortunately I wont be saying goodbye to the early rising as I have to take DD to school in the AM most mornings (age 6), but I'm not complaining.

My entrance into this club has been a bit emotionally challenging, as I am leaving a company I founded and then sold to a megacorp for health reasons. I have to say that MegaCorp stood by the contracts that were written to protect me for this specific case and I wish them no harm.

My biggest struggle right now is setting up my post work life, but I suppose this is a high quality problem.

As of right now, the most annoying question I get from everyone who sees me retired at 34 years old is, "What are you doing/going to do with yourself?" I suppose in my case the root of this question comes from the fact that I had up until very recently been the type of guy who was fist in/last out, travel 20+ weeks of the year (much of it to Europe and Asia), sleep in the datacenter if I have to kind of guy. But to be honest I've been out on limited duty since October (medical reasons) but have yet to find a lack of things to fill my day with.

It is really amazing the amount of stuff that needs to be done that you never quite get to when your working 16 hour days, just getting to the bottom of the list might take my entire first year.

The best part of the decision so far was the look on my daughters face when I told her there would be no more trips to India for work (the last two times she cried and tried to hold on to me to keep me from leaving). I've been lurking here for quite some time, but havent posted much because I didnt dare to jinx my negotiated exit with MegaCorp. But now the papers are signed and financial package is being delivered, I feel like a new man.

 

[pb4uski]

Welcome... and congratulations!!

To be able to retire at 34 is outstanding... you are only 3 years older than my DD. Take some well deserved time off and enjoy your family and think of what your next chapter will be... it sounds like you deserve to take a break.

 

[Travelwanted]

Congrats! Great to hear your good news, although sorry to hear about the health issues.

So nice that you now have the time to spend with family. As to people's comments, there is much discussion about that on the threads. I plan to tell people I left my career to become an investor. That's all they need to know. Never mind that it's mostly passive index investing!

I, too, have concerns about post w*rk life, but wise folks ahead keep telling me to relax and enjoy. Good luck!

 

[NotOldYet]

Thanks guys. I like the idea of referring to myself as an "Investor" quite a bit. It even fits the bill as I am doing a small amount of angel round tech investing right now, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it an occupation..

 

[petershk]

Thanks guys. I like the idea of referring to myself as an "Investor" quite a bit. It even fits the bill as I am doing a small amount of angel round tech investing right now, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it an occupation..

Youre a few years ahead of me (turning 40 this year)... and have quite a bit more in "safety" . Good work!

I went back and read your original post and I hope your health has been good as that can be a big factor.

I was also a huge workaholic for many, many years and am now WAAAYYY cutting back. I have 2 young kids (daughter is 2.5) and I know just what you mean. The days she says "Daddy... don't go to work? Can you stay and have a tea party" and her little hands wrap around my legs... it's sooo hard to leave.

Enjoy!

 

[redduck]

... until very recently been the type of guy who was fist in/last out, travel 20+ weeks of the year (much of it to Europe and Asia)...

First of all, congratulations on the early retirement. Sounds like you might have done just as well working in West Hollywood thereby foregoing all that foreign travel.

 

[Clone]

India. Truly one of the reasons that I am glad my retirement happened in a hurry. They asked me if I would make one last trip. NFW.

 

[NotOldYet]

India. Truly one of the reasons that I am glad my retirement happened in a hurry. They asked me if I would make one last trip. NFW.

I had a love hate relationship with India. On the love side, the people I had working for me over there were amazing, we grew it from a 5 man team to over 40 full timers over there in 3 short years. Took a bunch of people right out of college and turned them into seasoned software people. Beyond the people, the food was amazing (I never ate Indian before traveling there).

Unfortunately as good as the above was, there were things i couldn't stand about those trips: 14.5 hours on an airplane in coach (I tried to set an example for my people that even the founder flew coach. After MegaCorp bought us they started flying me business), the abject poverty that most people lived in, the horrible infrastructure (power outages daily?!), the bureaucracy of the government, the weather (always hot and humid), the sheer crowds of Mumbai, etc. But the worst of it was the time difference (10.5 hours). The time difference made meaningful communication with the family very hard, and it made certain I was basically working 24 hours a day.

Its all in the past now, but I'm striving to keep in touch with some of the senior people on the team I built there.

 

[NotOldYet]

Youre a few years ahead of me (turning 40 this year)... and have quite a bit more in "safety" . Good work!

I went back and read your original post and I hope your health has been good as that can be a big factor.

I was also a huge workaholic for many, many years and am now WAAAYYY cutting back. I have 2 young kids (daughter is 2.5) and I know just what you mean. The days she says "Daddy... don't go to work? Can you stay and have a tea party" and her little hands wrap around my legs... it's sooo hard to leave.

Enjoy!

Just reading your last sentence made my stomach clench like it was happening all over again. I'm happy to hear you are also able to be there for your daughter more , its one of my biggest regrets that I was largely absent for the first 5 years of my daughters life.

Are you working from home more, or transitioning to part time?

 

[petershk]

Just reading your last sentence made my stomach clench like it was happening all over again. I'm happy to hear you are also able to be there for your daughter more , its one of my biggest regrets that I was largely absent for the first 5 years of my daughters life.

Are you working from home more, or transitioning to part time?

This may draw some fire ... no pun intended.
I'm "down to" 40-50 hrs/week. I'd say for the better part of 15 years it was 60-80 spiking to 100. Also, that included significant travel, so that is also gone. Leaving for work around 8:30-9AM (when my kids are all fed and ready) and coming home around 6:30-7 (before they go to bed) no weekends and no travel is awesome. My son wakes up around 6 so I get about 2 hours of 1 on 1 time. My daughter stays up kinda late so I get an hour or so there. Plus I get all the weekend time I "want" (or they want ).

Planning on cutting to 1-2 days (16-20 hrs) with a substantial reduction in income (but really I save way over half my post tax income so a 60% reduction is no biggie), and then, assuming I like the extra time, going to 0 the following year.

My kids are 8 months and 2.5 so my goal is to spend time with them before they don't like me anymore. Then if I'm super board, I can go back to work I guess... but I don't think that will be the case.

 

[petershk]

I had a love hate relationship with India. On the love side, the people I had working for me over there were amazing, we grew it from a 5 man team to over 40 full timers over there in 3 short years. Took a bunch of people right out of college and turned them into seasoned software people. Beyond the people, the food was amazing (I never ate Indian before traveling there).

Unfortunately as good as the above was, there were things i couldn't stand about those trips: 14.5 hours on an airplane in coach (I tried to set an example for my people that even the founder flew coach. After MegaCorp bought us they started flying me business), the abject poverty that most people lived in, the horrible infrastructure (power outages daily?!), the bureaucracy of the government, the weather (always hot and humid), the sheer crowds of Mumbai, etc. But the worst of it was the time difference (10.5 hours). The time difference made meaningful communication with the family very hard, and it made certain I was basically working 24 hours a day.

Its all in the past now, but I'm striving to keep in touch with some of the senior people on the team I built there.

Speaking of stomach churning . I didn't do India, but spent loads of time in China. It was "only" 12 hours there and 10-11 back. Also flew coach for similar reasons and did that about 1 week every month for about 18 months and then it cut down to about every two months before I stopped international travel a little while ago.

Ditto on the 24 hour thing. I'm in the "software as a service" industry which is also delivered globally which translates to "people who are critical path work 24/7." That was necessary for a while and my company was very good about moving out of that day to day. It's super manageable now and unlike many people on this board, I was very lucky with my work experiences from every angle.

For me it's just about wanting to do something different with my life and being lucky enough to do so. In 99/100 situations I'd keep working, spend reasonable amounts of time with my kids and keep saving for another 10 years... then make the transition when they are 10 and 12. But I really like the idea of getting those extra 8 years. Plus... if I get board/disaster strikes, I suspect at 45-50 I still have a shot at getting back into the work force.