So close, and then consulting

[Aerides]

I cannot be certain how it would settle with me to leave and see my work crumble behind me.

It will. Now or next year, or whenever. You might not be ready to retire, if you think you'll spend your time looking to see the outcome and caring that much.

Or you might be, and just not realize what many of us do, which is that in the weeks and months after you retire, you care less and less about what you left behind. I trained my replacement, spent months lining things up with my team. As soon as I left, so too did a couple of the strongest project members. And the replacement I trained was laid off within a year. I was given this news by friends, and by the time I heard I was more amused than anything else.

You can provide for the softest of landings on the longest of offramps, and it can all still crumble. Or at very least, go a different direction.

 

[Amethyst]

After 20-30-plus years in a line of work, you get to see so many things crumble away, be updated beyond recognition, or even get condemned as We Never Should Have Done That Anyway, What Were Those People Thinking? that you are already used to being philosophical about it.

.... in the weeks and months after you retire, you care less and less about what you left behind. I trained my replacement, spent months lining things up with my team. As soon as I left, so too did a couple of the strongest project members. And the replacement I trained was laid off within a year. I was given this news by friends, and by the time I heard I was more amused than anything else.

You can provide for the softest of landings on the longest of offramps, and it can all still crumble. Or at very least, go a different direction.

 

[Koolau]

Thank you, everyone, for the variety of experiences and perspectives to think through. I do wish I could feel comfortable with a “not my circus, not my monkeys” mentality on this, but I feel an odd responsibility to help —

This was what I sensed in your original entry. You still feel some responsibility toward your empl*yer. I think that makes you "human" and maybe even a "good person." While I consider that a good thing, in general, you need to look out for YOUR interests above the company interests.

Just a very mild suggestion: You might offer to take on a fairly short consulting gig to TRAIN someone else to be the subject matter expert. Help THEM transition to that duty. W*rk yourself OUT of the j*b rather than keeping the company dependent upon you. Doing it that way would meet the company's need AND relive you of the "responsibility" you currently feel toward them. Just be sure you do it on YOUR terms - end point certain! No more "well, you're doing such a good job" or "we don't think your prote'ge' is quite ready to 'replace' you." Good luck and YMMV.

 

[KrisQuit]

An Update:

This last month has been tangled in some fairly complex negotiations to explore whether this consulting arrangement could work for me in retirement in a way that seems worth my time and not disruptive of evolving retirement plans. Here’s the deal: I will have a four month (retirement) break prior to the contract’s period of performance, and then w*rk two days, each month, for eight months (essentially 16 days total). Additionally, I have set a high consulting fee for any w*rk outside of the set schedule, suitable to discourage additional tasks and to guarantee I am not w*rking for free. At the end of the eight months, the funding for this contract will expire, and I will hand off the tasks to others.

The extra year of income will get me to 34 years in the Social Security game and allow one more Roth IRA contribution for both me and DH.

The true benefit is that this is invigorating me to reengage with the neuroscience research that I have built my career/reputation on – even considering getting myself to a conference this fall to build new insight in the field. This intellectual opportunity combined with the freedoms of retirement truly make me feel like I am living on purpose again, and fully completing this career – my way.

 

[Koolau]

This gig seems altogether appropriate as a "retirement activity." You will do something you are willing to do for your specified period of time - and you will be paid well for your time. AND you will fortify your retirement nest egg. Good on you!

 

[mystang52]

For your situation this sounds like an absolutely perfect deal. Congrats.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I'd do it!

 

[38Chevy454]

I have posted it many times, the best part of retirement is you can work if you want to; not because you have to. Sounds like OP has a great deal that fits into retirement.

 

[Dtail]

Good point W2R. At some point, we become unemployable. No offer of $$ beats time.

There you go.

 

[Aerides]

can you do it without a formal contract? One that gives you an earlier out?

Had it been me, at the end of that 4 month break I'd be dreading starting back up...

 

[albireo13]

I retired last year and then took on a part-time consulting gig.
No pressure, a nice gig actually. The problem is I have no motivation for doing this anymore and regret it. I struggle to work on it.

I will quit it soon.

Time > money !!

 

[Exchme]

Congrats to OP. While this is an early retirement forum, sometimes you're just not ready mentally to hang it up. If this gives piece of mind that his life's work will be of value to humanity, that sounds like a fair trade.

 

[KrisQuit]

Update:

My semi-retirement days are coming to an end, and by mid-September I will have completed my responsibilities according to my contract: four more days of w*rk, and a few hours compiling a post mortem/recommendation report. To comments in the thread, I did become less and less enthusiastic about w*rking as the year passed (and often this was challenging for me), but the income allowed me to avoid drawing on my retirement savings and building a cushion for another year or so.

I also managed to complete the contract entirely via Zoom, my absolute preference as Covid numbers fluctuated in our area.

I do not believe there will be an effort to renew my contract for an additional year, and even if there is — I will decline. It has been a good experience overall, but I am done.

Now I can turn my attention fully to planning our next section hikes of the Appalachian Trail, improving my Spanish, planning some trips abroad, and cooking through Julia Child’s and Marcella Hazan’s cookbooks.

Life is good.

 

[Surewhitey]

I did remote work from Mexico for a couple of years, maybe 8 hours a week. It was second nature kind of analysis work, no interaction with people really.

Company sold & they cut it off as I was not necessary if people just did a good job. I told them that 2 years prior...

Congrats on your future.