Staying Retired

[Tekward]

One of my personal struggles is staying retired. I see cool j*b postings and think "I can do that!" and have to restrain myself from investigating further.

The good news is that I have gotten much better at this. My New Years resolution was to not apply for any full time j*bs. So far, so good.

In the interest of helping others with this affliction, here are the two questions that bring me back from the brink:

1. Why now? (There is a new grand-kid coming soon and then holidays)

2. Why later? (I don't need the money and real worth is controlling my time)

 

[JoeWras]

Smokers should avoid smoking materials.

Alcoholics should avoid bars, convenience stores, and the like.

Job addicts should avoid job postings.

As to your questions, perhaps the pandemic has you a bit bored. Try some distraction other than looking at job postings.

 

[RetMD21]

Since the portfolio is sufficient sometimes I think about taking post retirement work and resolving to spend all of the after tax portion

 

[Plantman]

I think about going back to work on occasion, however I don't know of any employers that would allow me to work only when the mood strikes me!

 

[target2019]

Starting to disengage from LinkedIn and turning off anything that sends me job notifications.

Once you have nap, don't go back!

 

[aja8888]

To the OP, someday you will get to the point, like me, that no one would consider hiring you, for anything.

 

[REWahoo]

To the OP, someday you will get to the point, like me, that no one would consider hiring you, for anything.

Or for the more discerning retiree, refuse to work for anyone who would even consider hiring you.

 

[Major Tom]

Hahahahaha. aja8888 and REW summed up my feelings exactly.

As far as the world of work* goes, that is one universe I am now happy to no longer be a part of!



*As in, paid formal work. I still bust my butt from time to time, but only on the things I chose to, and generally, mainly when I feel like doing so!

 

[FIREd]

It seems like a terrible affliction.

 

[RobbieB]

If you want to work, get a job.

 

[neihn]

I was in your shoe earlier and resisted applying, however, it just felt in my laps then I took it. Just sit tight, it may happen to you that way

 

[Dtail]

Find some hobbies to keep you busy. Never am bored in retirement after 3 years.

 

[street]

If I may ask, why retire then go back to work?? Must be bored or have no life beyond work?

Why retire from a job you most likely were making more then you ever did at anytime in one's career. Then go out and find a job that may not have the benefits/pay you were getting before just to have a job? Interesting, I would of stayed where I was at till they kicked me out.

 

[neihn]

I retired since my wife wanted to travel, and yes, we traveled a lot during the 2 years that I retired. There are few reasons that I went back

1. Getting bored sitting at home since April this year (due to COVID)
2. The opportunity just felt on my laps (I did not call, nor apply)
3. The urge to work on new stuff, mega-corp has plenty of new stuff (AI, hybrid cloud, quantum computing)
4. This year, I did move from a LCL to a HCOL, so having earn income for a few years may be a good thing.

 

[albireo13]

I am done with Megacorp.
Never again.

 

[rodi]

I don't understand this issue. I have not looked back since I turned in my badge and walked out the door.

My ego/self worth is so disconnected from my former career that there is no allure to working again.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

If I ever have such thoughts all I have to do is envision myself in a COVID workplace with masks, plexiglas, and [-]fellow inmates[/-] coworkers who flaunt the countermeasures.

I was an engineer who worked on buildings. It actually occurred to me today that if the hospital situation becomes severe and MegaCorp was in dire need of help to convert old buildings or build new ones to meet the need, I might actually feel like helping out. I really doubt that will come to pass, though.

 

[street]

I can see doing a seasonal job for a few months or some non skilled labor for social activity or staying connected with people etc..

As far a skilled position with stress, timelines, commitments, scheduling, grinding through problems, meetings and a full time job wouldn't be inviting for me, even if it fell right into my hands.

I say go for it and work, have fun and enjoy your time doing the job. I will stay with all the thing I love to do each day and will never go back to the all the things that go with a skilled jobs position.

Good Luck!

 

[Rustic23]

Trust me, you will grow out of it! I have every skill set for a number of jobs, however, at 77, I can't imagine anyone would hire me. Well, that's what I tell myself

 

[friar1610]

Doing a moderate amount of volunteer work scratches any minor itch I might have to work. It’s also instructive to watch the employee interactions in organizations where I’ve volunteered, knowing I don’t have to play any of the organizational games that some of them do (or think they have to.)

 

[Walt34]

I used to sometimes think about getting a job. Then I'd go lie down until I felt better. That resolved the issue.

 

[Koolau]

If you want to work, get a job.

Okay, I wasn't going to say it quite that "crudely" (sorry RobbieB - we love ya!) What I would say is DO what you want to do with your retirement. IF that means you take a j*B, then, so be it.

Some like to collect stamps, some want to golf, my dad only wanted to w*rk. I'd suggested that he get a charity gig. But he wanted to be paid. He ended up being a night watchman and he loved it! He didn't need the money and it was (to me) a horrible job. He had to watch a group of kids in a semi-lock-down unit. The boys and girls were constantly trying to get out and see each other. SO, he mopped the halls between the two dorms. Everyone loved him and respected him, but he laid down the law and wouldn't let the occasional trouble maker back him down (at age 77+).

So, again, DO what you like to do - paid or not, w*rk or play. YMMV

 

[Retch The Grate]

If you are bored, and your megacorp has cool projects now and would take you back to work remotely on them, give it a shot. Worst case, you can't stand it or hack it or both, and you lose the job and go back to being retired. You really don't need to maintain a professional reputation if you can afford to be done.

 

[mystang52]

I think about going back to work on occasion, however I don't know of any employers that would allow me to work only when the mood strikes me!

I don't think this way anymore, but early on in my ER I'd occasionally have a thought of some "occasional" w*rk. Then I'd realize I'd have to be on some sort of committed schedule, and more significantly the employer would probably expect me to w*rk the entire time I was on the clock. So, the thought of doing any labor would pass (start to finish, the process was probably 3 seconds).

 

[blueskyk]

Sometimes I encounter situations where I can see so much potential for process improvement (systems engineering/IT/Database was my thing and I loved it) that I consider offering an unsolicited proposal to do so.

I’m the little Fargo robot Minsky chirping “I can help”

But as fun as exercising skills and creating order out of chaos was, I quickly recall the very difficult work of “building consensus” and “change agent”. Developing systems to solve problems was easy, solving people was hard, very hard.

And thus, just like that, I’m free of the inclination!