Total Years of Work

[RetireAge50]

A friend of mine just retired after 37 years of work. Between my wife and I we have worked 45 years and are just about there. Thought this might be an interesting topic if you care to share.

 

[arky]

First full time job at 23. Went part time at 55. Retired fully at 57.

 

[stepford]

Kinda depends on definition. I was in grad school for 7 years getting a PhD. University paid me, but my SS wages were zero. Does that count?

 

[NW-Bound]

A total of 67 years of work for both of us until we quit.

However, I worked so much harder than the average Joe in some years, and those should be given a weight of 1.5x or something.

 

[Ronstar]

I have worked 40 years - or 41 if I include the <100 hrs I worked in 2015.

 

[Senator]

I was working almost full time as a junior in HS. Mostly worked at least two jobs my entire career, although some of it was working at my own business (tavern, rentals, lawncare, snowplowing, etc.)

When I was in the service, I was a server at a couple different restaurants. Worked as a bartender through college and after I first started working.

Counting 2016, I will have 41 years on file with Social Security since 1976. I graduated from HS in 1977. I am 56, so that is working since 16 or so. As I recall, I started working right after I turned 16, which was a state law minimum age.

And when someone says they cannot find work, I laugh...

 

[Meadbh]

33 years, not counting summer jobs while in university (3 more years). However, many of my years of full time work had dreadful working hours, which I documented. One year, I worked over 3500 hours. That's equivalent to two full time jobs. So I probably worked full time for about 50 years!

 

[scrabbler1]

I had various part-time and summer jobs while in high school and college. But after I graduated college at age 22, I worked full-time for 16 years (age 38) then part-time for 7 more years (age 45) before retiring 7 years ago at age 45. So that's 23 years working FT or PT after college.

 

[RetireAge50]

Kinda depends on definition. I was in grad school for 7 years getting a PhD. University paid me, but my SS wages were zero. Does that count?

Sounds like work to me!

 

[braumeister]

I enjoyed most of my jobs so much they hardly seemed like w*rk to me. But I was always anxious to get away from living on someone else's schedule so that's what ER was all about.

That said, 33 years of full-time, year-round jobs. I don't count the youthful summer and part-time jobs or the consulting gigs I did later on my own schedule.

DW is more traditional, and spent 42 years in full-time, year-round jobs. She didn't mind the w*rk, and she loved her co-w*rkers and the social aspects of it so ER didn't appeal to her.

 

[Big_Hitter]

Does teaching calculus recitations as an undergraduate, grading exams or tutoring in the engineering department count?


If not, I just had my 29th anniversary in the (same) business last week.

 

[razztazz]

Not counting anything between age 13 and 18.

20 years 9 months

 

[boog]

Started regular work the summer of my 12th year - in the tobacco fields of south Georgia. When summer ended, started regular part-time at a service station for 6 years. Worked regular part-time during college. Have worked for the same company post-college for 35 years. Planning to hang it up in April at 58, so 46 years working. The first job where I made at least minimum wage was upon graduating college. Glad my parents taught me how to work and save. They both died young - neither close to retirement age. Sure hope I buck that trend.

 

[LARS]

15 years, but it felt like 30.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Options]

Since early high school, about 45 years.

 

[big-papa]

Full time - post university employment for mea means this is year 32. Bought a house, got married (wife worked until kid was born). Expect to retire between year 35 and year 39 depending on college costs.....

 

[Gone4Good]

Had a paper route and assorted other work at the age of 12, or so. Quit all paid work at the age of 38, so 26 years.

If we're only talking about full-time employment my first "real" gig started after college at the age of 22, so 16 years of full-time work . . . and so far nearly six years of full-time goofing off.

 

[Texas Proud]

This is interesting.... went to SS stmt to look...

32 years after graduating college with decent pay...

10 years during middle school, HS and college with almost no pay to low pay...

That is all SS shows...

But, add probably 10 years when I was slave labor to my dad and you have 52 years.... and I am only 58!!!

And yes, it was work for my dad... doing work in what ever business he had at the time where either he did not have to do it or pay someone else to do it... some was really hard work and for a number of years working with poisons that have since been banned as too toxic....


Looking at my SS stmt I noticed I never was paid 'in the $50s'.... IOW, there are no salaries that are in the $50K range... one year was $49.9 K and the next $62K.... worked for one company that went under and was bought by another... interviewed for various jobs and got one paying higher...

 

[Theseus]

My SS earnings record say I earned money for doing stuff others wanted done for 43 years - ouch! Trimming away the part-time stuff before I started my first "real" job and some delayed payouts after ER I had 38 years 7 months... and 11 days, but not like I was counting or anything.

 

[Rustic23]

39, however there were three of four years during that time when I was not working. Semi-retired. Also some would consider the first 20 of flying airplanes not working

 

[RetireAge50]

I like it, 37.5% goofing off to work ratio already. I hope I end up well over 100% I am still at 0%.

 

[Cobra9777]

25 years at Megacorp, averaging 50-55 hours per week. Probably around 65-70 hours/week if I factor in commuting, travel, and working email nights/weekends/holidays. So, in terms of wear and tear on the old body, it felt like 40+ years.

Prior to Megacorp, I worked full time during grad school and at least 30 hours per week during high school and undergrad, mostly in restaurants. SS has earnings records on me from 1977 through 2015, which is 39 years. But 2014 and 2015 were just from stock option exercises. I retired in 2013. So the real answer is 37.

 

[Sue J]

I worked 10 years before leaving to raise a family. In April it will be 10 years at my fun part-time job as a School Crossing Guard.

The 10 years before kids was a couple of different jobs. My 10 years as a Crossing Guard is the longest I've ever worked at one job.

DH had 4 years of summer jobs, then 5.5 years at one job and then 21 years at his last job before retiring = 30.5 total.

 

[eytonxav]

40 yrs, but if you throw in jobs while in grade school which were continuous between the ages of 12-18, plus military service it would become 48 yrs.

 

[jim584672]

32 years on my SS statement.