Hey All, New to the discourse...

[tinybro]

Very pleased to be here & look forward to the dialog...I would certainly love to help in any way that I can!

55 years old, 2 kids one gone, the other leaving the nest soon. Decent amount of dough saved. Wife that still loves me (most days).

Less interested in FT retirement, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I have grown weary of the office life (30 years as a commercial insurance professional).

We saved hard & lived below our means. My first query:

--Assuming I can find something "zen" for myself to do (that's my first challenge), will employers hire "veteran" workers? I'm not expecting to make the same type of wage that I've made throughout my career (and I don't need to), but I am very interested in continuing to work (not for profits/community service/etc.). Stay young, relevant all that stuff...

I live in the Albany, NY area where employment is pretty strong, so that works to my advantage. I have solid skills to offer, I just wonder whether potential employers find it too easy to say no....

I understand the question is kinda open ended and the answer is "could be". Wondering if anyone has any first hand experience, how they went about it, timeframes, etc.

Is there a way to network amongst us sage, wise, (wizened??) old folks to increase the chances of success?

Any insights are welcomed and appreciated.

Thanks for listening....

[rodi]

Welcome to the board!

No advice on the employment opportunities... No experience there... when I retired I was done working.

I'm sure there will be some of the folks who've done consulting, or changed careers, who can offer advice on that topic.

[marko]

Welcome!

A few insights:

I RE'd at 53, not so much by choice but by circumstance. Had the wherewithal however.

1: "I wouldn't know what to do with myself" is often a fear by many but I've seldom see it being a real problem. As so many retirees have said "I don't know how I found the time to work"

2: My personal experience hiring a 'veteran worker' didn't work for me. I had an absolutely stellar, elite level resume and name in the industry but here is what I ran into:
a) Nobody believed me when I said I just wanted a lower level, lower stress job; they all thought I was just trying to get any job until a big job surfaced
b) People believed that I was "Just a rich guy who wanted to play golf with clients for the next 10 years" and do little else.
c) I was over qualified, code for "too old"
d) The recession hitting around the same time didn't help. Not relevant now, but.

I was able to do some consulting here and there but I found I spent more time looking for consulting work than doing the work.

Some ER friends have gone into stuff that's easy to walk away from: consulting, bartending, Home Depot.

As noted, I was more than financially sound and really didn't mind not working and in way looked forward to having my own time.

Hope this helps and hope that in your situation you can find what you're looking for.

[Katiek]

Welcome! No real recommendations on the job front, but looking forward to hearing more about your experience of being FI. I do know someone who went from a job as a professional at a megacorp to leading member programs at her church, but she had been active in committee work and management in her church for years, so they knew first hand how her professional skills translated to their needs.

[VFK57]

Welcome to the Forum. I also had hard time to adapt (retired at 55) but now found my routines. If you have a few hobbies it is going to be much easier. In regard to part time job, it depends on what you are doing, how easy you get training in comparison with younger and recently graduated co-workers and HR / owners philosophy on experience vs. age, ability to deliver a project(s) timely and adaptability. Important thing is that you do not need to work anymore. Congratulation.

[Nodak]

Welcome aboard.

[lem1955]

I left my big job at a privately held manufacturing company in 2011 at age 56 and started to look for part-time work in the non-profit sector. Within two months I found a high-level job (paying about 1/3 my previous wage) at a community development financial institution. I had a leg up in that I had served on the board of the non-profit from 1994 - 2000. It helps when the new boss already knows you and your skills! I've loved working part-time for an organization doing good work in the world. And the pay allowed me to let my 401(k) recover from the Great Recession. I'll be leaving my job in December to RE for good, knowing I can take good advantage of 7 free days a week since I've been practicing with 4 free days and find it not enough.

[tinybro]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome & insights.

I'm very new to this, so if my etiquette is in the crapper, have patience please.

Yeah, my business is changing rapidly (not a bad thing, just a fact). Analytics (think the computer Watson) is making insurance and the "art of the deal" passe...Great for shareholders (a topic for another day), not so much for tinybro...

No whoa is me or lamentations...I've had a great career and much, much to be thankful for. I believe that finding this site & changes in my industry are postioning me for the next big thing....I gotta figure that out!

Near term, I think I'll post if y'all don't mind...a bit of chicken soup for the soul and I'm really not quite ready to bail....

It is most appreciated to share/leverage experiences, anecdotes from you folks that have preceeded me. I pormise once I get there, I'll share too!

It's a great world that we live in, with smart, willing people to chat it up with.

Very cool, very pleased with the feedback...

Be in touch...

[Walt34]

Welcome to the forum!

Experiences with employment after retirement are all over the map. Some do part time work, some swear to never, ever, work for a paycheck again, and a few take on another full time job after retirement. I did the last one for a while but it was very low stress and when things went downhill I had the freedom to walk away from it.

When you have your KMA* hat and know it, that makes a huge difference.

*Kiss My A**

[pb4uski]

Welcome tinybro. DD went to Siena and lived near Madison and Lark in Albany for many years.

I downshifted to part-time about 8 years before I retired working 80% and 50% at different times. Is that a possibility with your employer?

Many people who know me well thought I would be climbing the walls within a year or two if retiring but that has not been the case at all. I recall my Dad saying that he was so busy in retirement that he didn't know how he ever found time to work and my thinking that was the lamest thing I had ever heard... but I now understand.

If there are things that you might be interested in doing in semi-retirement perhaps you could have some discussion with potential employers to see what opportunities are out there. Nothing wrong with having a part-time job lined up before you resign from your full-time job.