How long was it before you stopped identifying youself with your profession?

[Davis65]

I expect that many retirees here were like I am now: in a position of some authority/prestige, doing work that was professionally fulfilling, and to some degree defining themselves by their jobs -- "I am a _________".

I have read enough here to know not to worry about missing that feeling of fulfillment after leaving work in June 2016 -- the consensus is that you move on to new things and forget about your working life and its stresses.

So how long did it take you to go from being "I am a banker/lawyer/plumber/mechanic/accountant/teacher" to "I am Betty/Joe?Rashmi/Vladimir/Julio/Patience"?

 

[frayne]

Funny thing is even in retirement people will ask what you did before you retired and to some degree, judge you by your previous profession.

Guess in some ways I still identify myself that way as well.

 

[Del Q]

I'm not even ER'd and I don't identifiy myself with my profession. Truth is, most of the really successful people in my line of work are not people I want to be like.


I never offer, but if I'm asked what I do I just respond that I'm a small business owner.

 

[braumeister]

I always just say I'm retired.

If pressed, I say what I retired from, because it defines a large portion of my life and I'm proud of it.

 

[Meadbh]

Some people ask. I don't bring it up in casual conversation. Occasionally a subject comes up where my professional knowledge is relevant. As an INTJ, I do feel the urge to correct incorrect information that may cause harm, and my credibility depends on disclosing my previous profession. An example would be the anti vaccination lobby. If someone is spouting unscientific theories that they found on the Internet or saw on TV, claiming that measles is harmless and that the vaccine causes autism, you bet I will join in the debate and bring my pediatrician's expertise to the table.

 

[utrecht]

I was a police officer and worked undercover the last 3 years. I was already used to lying when someone asked what I did for a living so now I say the same thing, except I'm not lying anymore. I say some version of stock trader, portfolio manager or wealth manager.

 

[travelover]

I'm not even ER'd and I don't identifiy myself with my profession. Truth is, most of the really successful people in my line of work are not people I want to be like. .........

Same here, though I'm retired. I was in engineering management and for similar reasons, I tend to skip the management part.

 

[Tailgate]

for a couple of months I would tell people that I met that I used to be ______ .... haven't done that in a year.

 

[steelyman]

People do have a tendency to form an opinion based on your former career. I'm fine with that and say "here's what I did:" and tell them. Then, "You can call me Al".

 

[marko]

Took me about three years to fully become "just me" instead of a "Retired ______".

 

[W2R]

I don't really think about it much any more, although I don't keep it secret either. It will always be part of who I am, but it has slowly receded from my attention as time passes.

I am in my 6th year of retirement. Any expertise I may have had is becoming more and more out of date during every successive year of retirement. I have never been one to take my own professional opinions lightly, or to blabber on about them in casual social conversations, even when working. I certainly don't do that now. So, in that respect nothing has changed.

 

[ls99]

On rare occasions if I am asked about what I did befeore retiring, I answer with a question, how much time you have, as I did many things. Since I never had a profession, never had to identify with one.

Funny just a week ago or so in the coffee shop a professor from a nearby university asked the question. He had time, as did I, and he ended up learning about seismometers.

 

[athena53]

I always ask what people did for a living because it's a good way to find common ground and start a conversation. Doesn't matter if they taught history, tended bar or made widgets. I can always get started from there.


I've still got my actuarial certification up on my home office wall as well as 2 plaques, each of which acknowledges a term on my Society's Board of Directors. My affinity for spreadsheets, economics and investing are still a big part of who I am, so telling people I'm a retired actuary makes sense to me. I retired less than a year ago, so that may change.

 

[Rustic23]

Athena53 +1

When I meet someone new, asking them what they do or did, is a way to start a conversation. Often they have done something I am either not good at, or have never tried. I then try to learn as much as I can, it also gets them talking.

 

[RetireAge50]

I'm the opposite. Never ask what they do or tell people what I do if possible. Do not want the conversation to be about work.

 

[steelyman]

I agree that the topic of former occupation is a good conversation starter. People really are interested and interesting themselves, if you ask them - it goes both ways.

For people who had/have occupations that can be hard to explain, if you really were/are as good as you think, you should be able to explain it in a layperson's terms without sounding like a snob.

I met a guy at a dinner party over the holidays who asked. His sister was there too, both from Quebec (they were nice enough to compliment my lousy French). He really was interested in my field. In turn, he is a master woodworker and I could only wish I had a small piece of his skill.

To answer the original question: I still do identify with my occupation of 20+ years in a good way. I just do something else now.

 

[grasshopper]

I was a kept man always worked for me, no one asked for details.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I was a police officer and worked undercover the last 3 years. I was already used to lying when someone asked what I did for a living so now I say the same thing, except I'm not lying anymore. I say some version of stock trader, portfolio manager or wealth manager.

Sounds like you could be a regular George Castanza "I'm an architect!"


I try not to identify with my previous "working life", but it was more than just a job...it was definitely a life style...so it's quite difficult to NOT discuss it with new folks.

 

[ronin]

Never identified who I am with what I did for a living. Usually try to deflect the "what do you do?" conversations. I do a lot of different things. None of them are more than a small aspect of who I am.

 

[Car-Guy]

When asked, I tell people I'm retired. In the past 3 years I was only asked once about what I did when I worked.

 

[mpeirce]

I'm backing off a bit, but still tell people I'm a retired software developer. I've been one for just too darn long to get over it.

I even have this license plate (I like that it's bit of a double entendre):

 

[REWahoo]

So how long did it take you to go from being "I am a banker/lawyer/plumber/mechanic/accountant/teacher" to "I am Betty/Joe?Rashmi/Vladimir/Julio/Patience"?

15 or 20 minutes.

 

[razztazz]

I was going to say, "About one second", but the reality is I never personally identified with that thing I did for money. I was merely "in" that world, not "of" that world. I always found it amusing and a little sickening whenever I'd see the old timer careerists confusing their personhood with their pay grade. And especially when they'd confuse other people's personhood with their pay grade. I thought them stupid people. Contemptible for trying to pass as adults. Sick children. Silly-assed twits.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I always identified with my work, and when I was younger never thought there would be any reason to retire. Feed forward a few decades and those things that excited you so much when you were young don't excite quite as much anymore. And throw in much less tolerance for B.S., posturing, and politics and finally FI and you get to that retirement point. Still it was difficult for me to disengage my mind and a part of my identity with what I did. So for about a year before I retired I prepared myself mentally, joined this group and talked with others about it. Now 11 months in, I don't identify with my previous life at all. For the first few months I told a few associates I was taking a sabbatical or leave or something, so as to no make them feel too bad. But now I just say retired. I am over it, and excited about all the new travel and things I am doing. So for me, about a year before exiting, and under a year afterwards and I am over it, a completely new me. And I love it!

 

[freebird5825]

FIREd almost 8 years...and I will still refer to myself as an Engineer or just a techno-geek. I enjoyed my profession, just not the politics of the place I ended up w*rking.
I would never allow anyone to change the pride I have in accomplishing what I did in the c*reer phase of my life.
I continue to use my techie skills in my daily life, but obviously not for a paycheck. I'm a born problem solver and a visualizer of solutions to make things more efficient and easier to perform.
Current example...my gardening buddy's aluminum snow rake has some serious design drawbacks. He and I are going to put our heads together and design a better one. I view this project as a fun challenge.

When I run into former cow*rkers, they ask me what I'm doing with myself, am I doing contractor techie w*rk, consulting etc.

I just smile and say, "Any damn thing I want to do."