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Old 06-18-2020, 05:06 AM   #61
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38 years. The last 36 with the same company. In addition a few side ventures in RE and building.
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Old 06-18-2020, 06:12 AM   #62
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21 in the military, then 12 in the software industry for a total of 33.
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Old 06-18-2020, 06:43 AM   #63
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35 years from beginning to end, with the last 5 years being about 3/4 time except for a year I had completely off from mid 2016-17. Retired completely May 2, 2019.
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Old 06-18-2020, 06:49 AM   #64
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35.5 years as a software engineer turned management for a single megacorp that still had a pension
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Old 06-18-2020, 08:01 AM   #65
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42 Years Full Time
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Old 06-18-2020, 08:48 AM   #66
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If you don't count high school and college jobs, it'll be 25 for me if all goes as planned. 20 years in, as we speak
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Old 06-18-2020, 09:45 AM   #67
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30 years with the University of California Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 30.9 years for my pension benefits when you add my 9 months of accrued sick leave.
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Old 06-18-2020, 09:58 AM   #68
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Targeting for 25 years at one megacorp if it goes to plan. (Less than 2 years to go though.)
But part time and summer full time jobs during high school, university, and a few years post university.
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Old 06-18-2020, 10:01 AM   #69
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26 years full time.
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Formerly known as "Retire 2014" Due to aggressive saving and a lot of luck managed to get out at end of March 2013, hence, the name change :)
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Old 06-18-2020, 10:49 AM   #70
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22 years full time after college. 6 or so years of part time/summers during high school and college.
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Old 06-18-2020, 11:11 AM   #71
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28 years USN + 6 years CIVLANT = 34
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Old 06-18-2020, 11:42 AM   #72
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32 years as an engineer but getting into that profession took me some time. Spent 4 years working as a lab tech after finishing a science degree and the pay was low. As a female, I was not confident of my math skills but bit the bullet and went back to college in my late 20's to finish the 60 or so credit hours needed for an engineering degree, made decent grades, and it paid off. Also worked part time in high school and college. Bought my first car, a used VW Bug, just before my senior year in high school with waitress job savings. By age 62, I had been working since age 16 and was so happy to retire!
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Old 06-18-2020, 11:57 AM   #73
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Thirty one years full time after college. Worked a little part time while in school.
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Old 06-18-2020, 12:53 PM   #74
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Worked 32 years plus 8 months at my career job and took an early retirement at 53. I started working at 15 years old and worked part-time and full-time jobs before I started working for the Fed Gov at age 20. I worked about 5 years part-time 24 hours per week after I retired to finish getting my social security credits. I have not worked anywhere since 5/15 and I don't ever plan to again. Enjoying retirement.
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Old 06-18-2020, 12:53 PM   #75
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35 years
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Old 06-18-2020, 01:05 PM   #76
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4 yrs of High School part time and full time summers
4 yrs of College part time and full time summers
30 yrs active duty military

4 yrs and counting corporate gig



So, 42 yrs total, 34 yrs full time
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Old 06-18-2020, 01:17 PM   #77
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38 1/2 Years across 10 companies (depending on how you count - one was
a spin-off of another and one was acquired by another). Longest stint was
13 years (or 16 if you count time at the acquired company. Shortest stint was about 7 months.
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Old 06-18-2020, 01:19 PM   #78
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Probably a topic for another thread, but what all these responses are showing me is that, at least as far as ER is concerned, getting an advanced degree can be a mistake.

I started work when I was almost 28. While the PhD helped with salary, friends of mine who'd started work with a BS at 21-22 were already making more than I was - and had substantial savings and their first homes as well. Several of them retired before I did at 55. While many individual factors enter into this, the advantages of starting work early also seem to be reflected in many answers in this thread.
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Old 06-18-2020, 02:00 PM   #79
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stepford View Post
Probably a topic for another thread, but what all these responses are showing me is that, at least as far as ER is concerned, getting an advanced degree can be a mistake.

I started work when I was almost 28. While the PhD helped with salary, friends of mine who'd started work with a BS at 21-22 were already making more than I was - and had substantial savings and their first homes as well. Several of them retired before I did at 55. While many individual factors enter into this, the advantages of starting work early also seem to be reflected in many answers in this thread.
I can very well see that.

I spent my first 8 years after college as a Navy submariner and then engineer at a commercial nuclear generation station. When I was 30, I quit and went to law school full time. I had amassed a fairly good sized nest egg at that point. Because I had substantial assets, I got no financial aid and paid in full, in cash.

So I started over at 33 as a new junior lawyer in a big law firm, with a net worth of approximately zero. I worked for 27 years as a lawyer. It took me six years as a lawyer before my nominal salary was more than my final salary as an engineer. I once created a spreadsheet to determine that, taking into account the cost of tuition, the lost income while I was in school and the salary differential, it was 12 years after law school before I finally broke even. And I assumed for that calculation that I never would have been promoted or gotten a raise as an engineer. I also ignored the lost opportunity cost of being unable to invest my nest egg in the roaring 90's bull market. So the true break even point was undoubtedly longer.

I probably could have retired earlier if I had stayed put at the power plant. But I did enjoy law school and being a lawyer.
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Old 06-18-2020, 02:06 PM   #80
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stepford View Post
Probably a topic for another thread, but what all these responses are showing me is that, at least as far as ER is concerned, getting an advanced degree can be a mistake.

I started work when I was almost 28. While the PhD helped with salary, friends of mine who'd started work with a BS at 21-22 were already making more than I was - and had substantial savings and their first homes as well. Several of them retired before I did at 55. While many individual factors enter into this, the advantages of starting work early also seem to be reflected in many answers in this thread.
I agree with the caveat that completing an MBA while working is very beneficial. At least it was for me.
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