Government retirement decision

[donheff]

You sound like me (5 years ago) -- good Fed job, good pay, lets of stress. I was planning on staying a couple of years longer but when I hit 56 with 30 years and became eligible the BS/stress factor seemed to suddenly weigh more heavily than before. I gave my notice in September and left at the end of the year. Never regretted that decision.

 

[John1954]

Gave Notice Today

Thanks for the comments. After thinking about this for several months and observing the increasing frequency of stressful events after some organizational changes, I gave notice today and will retire in mid-October. It will be a big change but the decision was made easier after reading about the experiences of other people on this board. Given the circumstances I don't feel any doubt that this was the right decision -- yet.

I'm looking forward to having the time to do the things I really want to do.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Congratulations, John1954!!

 

[Helen]

John1954, way to go! I hope you continue to post here and that you have a long and happy retirement!

 

[donheff]

Good for you John. Don't start second guessing yourself, start living your new life.

 

[freebird5825]

Thanks for the comments. After thinking about this for several months and observing the increasing frequency of stressful events after some organizational changes, I gave notice today and will retire in mid-October. It will be a big change but the decision was made easier after reading about the experiences of other people on this board. Given the circumstances I don't feel any doubt that this was the right decision -- yet.

I'm looking forward to having the time to do the things I really want to do.

Congrats!
You're gonna love your new life.

If I had to point to 1 single event that made my fed career go rapidly downhill, it was a reassignment during one of those "marble shaking" reorganization exercises. Marble shaking means putting people into a "box" like marbles and shaking it around to sort out and/or reblend them, without any regard for the outcome as far as decision validity and w*rker satisfaction. Par for the course...

 

[M Paquette]

If I had to point to 1 single event that made my fed career go rapidly downhill, it was a reassignment during one of those "marble shaking" reorganization exercises. Marble shaking means putting people into a "box" like marbles and shaking it around to sort out and/or reblend them, without any regard for the outcome as far as decision validity and w*rker satisfaction. Par for the course...

Heh. I refer to this as the anthill school of management. Every once in a while management decides to poke the anthill with a stick. The ants surge out and run about madly trying to fix things. The manager observes the increased visible activity, interprets it as increased productivity, and awards himself a bonus.

It's a powerful ER incentive.

 

[Achiever51]

Congratulations!

After thinking about this for several months and observing the increasing frequency of stressful events after some organizational changes, I gave notice today and will retire in mid-October. It will be a big change but the decision was made easier after reading about the experiences of other people on this board. Given the circumstances I don't feel any doubt that this was the right decision -- yet.

I'm looking forward to having the time to do the things I really want to do.

Sometimes we all need to have a sounding board to help sort through a decision, and I got the impression that this thread was yours.

The lure of the golden handcuffs is powerful stuff to a lot of people; as is the "one more year" syndrome, but I do believe that for most people, if they pay attention, something lets you know when the time is right to say Adios!

In my case, I worked 31 years for a major MegaCorp in what many would consider a dream job, but left following a bad management shakeup. Convinced that I wasn't ready to fully retire, I spent the next five years heading up a major non-profit organization -- and had more stress than I thought possible. Finally, at the end of 2006, at the age of 55, I had enough...and I haven't looked back or regretted my decision even one minute!

Welcome to the rest of -- and hopefully, the best of -- your life!

 

[Walt34]

Heh. I refer to this as the anthill school of management. Every once in a while management decides to poke the anthill with a stick. The ants surge out and run about madly trying to fix things. The manager observes the increased visible activity, interprets it as increased productivity, and awards himself a bonus.

It's a powerful ER incentive.

We called it "seagull management". Management flies in, dumps on everybody, then flies out.

 

[Darryl]

Congratulations John!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!