What do you miss?

[kat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tekward Another post got me thinking and I have 135 paychecks until I can seriously consider ER. The upside is that I like my current job & boss. Next month I'm being sent to Spain and Italy. Which generated my question to the forum: What (if anything) do you miss about the job? Travel, frequent flyer miles, training, benefits, T1 net access, free pens & coffee ?

If going to Spain and Italy were part of my work, I never would have quit.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kate If going to Spain and Italy were part of my work, I never would have quit.

I've traveled all over the world on a government salary, but I much prefer doing it on my own itinerary.

Better accomodations too...

[Martha]

It hasn't been quit a month yet, but . . .

I did like having clients call with a convoluted story and being able to tell them then and there exactly what to do. When I retired I joined the board of one of my clients, so I should be able to feel helpful, without having the day in and day out responsibility.

I miss my very comfortable office chair.

My office was warm and cozy, decorated to my taste. I kind of miss that.

I miss having lunch with work friends-stopped by last week and a friend took me out to lunch.

I miss making the staff laugh.

I miss from my management days being part of the machine at work. A lot of people were supported by the work we did.

The pay check was nice.

I still have health insurance paid for by work for this coming year and they are paying for my cell phone as well. Also, I am typing on my work laptop which I can keep for the year or maybe forever. I'll really miss it when we have to pay for those things on our own.

But, there is plenty that I will not miss.

[theloneranger]

The 135 paychecks... is that weekly, beweekly or monthly?
A big difference in the ET to FIRE.

[sgeeeee]

I really did like engineering when I first got involved in it. I studied electrical engineering because I enjoyed it, not because I wanted to be paid to do it. Of course, I did have to make money somehow. I had forgotten why I had enjoyed engineering by the time I started my transitional retirement , but I did find it again before I retired comletely. I really can't do the kind of engineering work I did without having a job. It would cost me over $2M in lab equipment and software to do it on my own. I did get a sense of satisfaction from solving difficult problems. I can get that in other ways and eventually the absolute control over my own schedule was worth more to me than the engineering.

I recently did some research on why some people missed their jobs after retirement. I found a number of surveys and articles on the subject. I provide the following descriptions without applying a value judgement to the reasons. In some cases, I think I understand the sentiment, in others I think that these people are the very people I wanted to avoid in the workplace.

Quote:

To some, a job provides not just money but lifestyle, self-image, purpose and friendships. A job can also be a means of personal fulfillment and creative expression. . . The most common motivators people gain from their jobs relate to self worth or self-improvement. Many people enjoy feeling creative. They like feeling that they make a difference and feel good when they find solutions to problems. Intellectual stimulation contributes to their own feelings of accomplishment. . . Friendship and interactions with other people is a second important motivator that many find in the workplace. Many people value friendship highly and gain satisfaction from feeling they “belong”. They enjoy camaraderie with colleagues even if the most common shared experience is complaining about work. . . Some people cite a need to wield power as an important driver that is fulfilled in the workplace. The need to be competitive, to be an authority figure, to mentor others, or to be a leader are closely related drivers. . .

I think you are smart to think about what you might be getting out of work other than a paycheck. If the answer is "nothing" then you are set to retire. All of the things I found discussed in surveys and articles can be found in other places -- volunteer activities, clubs, etc. If there is anything about your job that motivates you, you can think about how to replace that before you retire.

[audreyh1]

I really can't think of anything I miss! Not even the paychecks! LOL!

What do I miss the least? (i.e. most thrilled to not have in my life anymore) - the daily commutes! And my commute wasn't really long, just 20 mins each way with so-so traffic. It was just twice a day, every day on and on and on - what a drag!

Audrey

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I miss seeing the range of people I worked with. I still hang out with a dozen or so folks that I really liked, but there were a few hundred or so I saw once or twice a month and had some nice talks with, but never became friends with.

Most folks there were well educated, intelligent and interesting in one way or another. In a few cases, the interesting part was how the hell they were still employed.

And yeah, the payouts were kind of nice, as were the assured full range of benefits. Funny how we took the latter for granted.

What I dont miss is the bureaucracy, the politics, the BS, the meetings, the thousands of powerpoint slides, 250 emails a day, etc.

[audreyh1]

Wow! You know the people I have met since retiring have been way more interesting than the people I worked with. This might have something to do with the fact that I meet these people when I am at play!

Or is it just that you meet a lot of interesting people while traveling?

Audrey

[Cattusbabe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tekward What (if anything) do you miss about the job?

Not a blessed thing. After 32 years in the nursing profession I can't think of any thing I would like to have back or any experence I would like to re-live.

Mind you I made a good living and feel I did a lot of good along the way but I don't miss any of it and am glad I am no longer on those floors.

I was in the hospital a month ago and I got to talking to some of the staff, you know trading old war stories, even got to give advice to a student nurse, the voice of experence, and it was fun and brought back memories but that was it. I felt thankful that it was them and not me.

No more 12 hour shifts, no staying up all night, no more rotating shifts, no manditory overtime. etc., etc, etc.

I did my bit and now its over. Time for a new generation to make their mark and for me to explore and enjoy this new phase of my life. That tells me I was ready to hang up the cap.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Wow! You know the people I have met since retiring have been way more interesting than the people I worked with. This might have something to do with the fact that I meet these people when I am at play! Or is it just that you meet a lot of interesting people while traveling? Audrey

You dont live where I live.

[Dawg52]

In just a few short weeks I will be able to tell you what I miss. Three of my old college buddies work with me so I'm sure I will miss seeing them on a daily basis. No checks coming in will take some adjustment. I will probably continuing working a day or two a week for a few months, so that will help in my transition to a new lifestyle. But I really do look forward to my new freedom. Golf will keep me occupied, so I don't expect too many problems. Time will tell.

[Sundance Kid]

The paychecks. And that I never took the opportunity to knock my lying, two-faced,
egotistical, a** kissing, self-serving, do nothing Supervisor, on his Fat A**!!!!!

"When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there!!"

Don't miss work, for One Second.

[ex_CFO_now_RVer]

Okay, I am being honest. I miss being wined and dined by those seeking to get my business. You know: insurance brokers, bankers, actuaries, attorneys, investment managers...have been to a lot of nice places and spent a lot of their money. They kept trying but, I always remained loyal to my principles of doing the right thing. I rarely switched consultants.

Also, while I did not travel much, our quarterly Board Meetings were in pretty nice places.

Now DW and I pay our own.

Dave

[rogerc1944]

I don't miss a thing about work. My job remained stressfull right through the last hour. My boss put me in charge of a brand new project at 2PM on the day I retired. I thought he was kidding and said so! He was serious! I said, "Do you know this is my last day?" He said he did but that he just wanted to get this project underway. Clueless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sgeeeee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerc1944 I don't miss a thing about work. My job remained stressfull right through the last hour. My boss put me in charge of a brand new project at 2PM on the day I retired. I thought he was kidding and said so! He was serious! I said, "Do you know this is my last day?" He said he did but that he just wanted to get this project underway. Clueless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like he was looking for a way to rationalize the failure of the project. I can hear him explaining why the project was 3 months behind at the quarterly review: "This project has been severely impacted by the unexpected departure of the project leader." You were a perfect scapegoat since you wouldn't be around to defend yourself.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, blame the dead guy.

I got the "project of death" on my way out of the company but they gave it to me a couple of weeks before I left. Basically it required putting together a strategic long range plan to defeat the company perceived as our number one competitor, an assessment I didnt agree with.

That was kind of fun. For a change I got to kick disruptive people out of the meetings, tell people I didnt care about their stupid ideas and opinions, and just throw together what sounded reasonable to me from the input I got. No fear of reprisals or political issues down the road.

Presented it to a panel of a half dozen VP's, who said it was the best strategy presentation they ever got.

I think my boss knew exactly what he was doing.

[Leonidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogerc1944 I don't miss a thing about work. My job remained stressfull right through the last hour. My boss put me in charge of a brand new project at 2PM on the day I retired. I thought he was kidding and said so! He was serious! I said, "Do you know this is my last day?" He said he did but that he just wanted to get this project underway.

Wow - I'm sure you don't miss that guy. There are so many ways to come back on that comment..."sure, you wait right here and I'll go get started." would have been my first thought.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ex_CFO_now_RVer Okay, I am being honest. I miss being wined and dined by those seeking to get my business. You know: insurance brokers, bankers, actuaries, attorneys, investment managers...have been to a lot of nice places and spent a lot of their money. They kept trying but, I always remained loyal to my principles of doing the right thing. I rarely switched consultants.

You tease you. You let them wine you and dine you while flirting, but you never came across with the goods, eh?

I think I might have dated a younger female relative of yours.


Dave, I'm just kidding. I'm actually jealous - nobody ever wanted to woo me that way.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We had one of those guys, sat in the office next to mine. Had absolutely zero power to buy or do anything, but he had a constant stream of sales gals taking him out to lunch and writing up proposals for him.

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonidas I'm actually jealous - nobody ever wanted to woo me that way.

Given that you were in law enforcement, you probably would have to arrest those who wanted to woo you.

[Leonidas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha Given that you were in law enforcement, you probably would have to arrest those who wanted to woo you.

I did get an interesting offer from the King of the Gypsies once. I had arrested his eldest son while investigating his fraudulent car sales practices. We also wound up seizing the RV he had tried to sell me. I had very little experience with gypsies and did not know who this kid's dad was, or how big a disgrace it was to get caught in the process of ripping someone off.

The whole royal entourage showed up at our office and I find myself talking with the King and a "fixer" introduced as the kid's "Godfather". They all dressed like mobsters and the Godfather even talked in that same raspy voice as Marlon Brando did when playing Vito Corleone. He wanted to make me an offer.

Twenty years have gone by, but I can still remember what he said.

Quote:

So, Detective Leonidas, we got a problem. You got our boy, and, eh, you got our motor home-ah. You can't have-ah both. So, why don't we do this? We take-ah the boy, and you keep-ah the motor home.

I almost peed on myself it was so funny. The only reason I didn't arrest him for trying to bribe me was I figured I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face on the witness stand. Plus, nobody had ever tried to bribe me before and I wasn't even sure what the elements of the crime were. Finally, I wasn't sure if he was being incredibly brazen or naive. In any event, I couldn't wait to go back inside and tell my co-workers what had happened. They all found it hilarious.