If you got bored in retirement, would you work as a fast food worker?

[audreyh1]

Been following this thread and hesitated to post, but I seem to be the outlier.

I retired June 2016 and stayed 100% retired until March 2017, at which time I took a part time job at the elementary school up the street (100 yards) as a dishwasher. I'm still there 25 months later.

It's not a bad gig - it's only 3 hours a day, I get a free lunch, and I don't have to be in until 10:30. More importantly, I don't have to work nights/weekends/holidays and I have the whole summer off. No commute and the school's closed whenever there's any snow.

It pays about $15 an hour BTW. It's not hard work (compared to a fast food restaurant) but it gets busy at times so sometimes you have to hustle.

Why did I do this?? I definitely wasn't bored in retirement.

A couple of reasons -
1. I was uncomfortable with the new regime in Washington DC (he who shall not be named). Was the sky going to fall in?
2. The state of ACA (attempts to weaken/repeal it). I do have the option of healthcare with my former employer, but it's non-subsided so it's pricey.
3. Short term market volatility made me question things, like my withdrawal rate (should I stick with 4%, 3.5%, 3%, etc.)
4. Having a paycheck again made me feel better. I started playing mental games with myself - hey I made enough money this week to pay for the landscaping stones from Lowes, and I earned enough this year to pay for most of the planned re-roof job coming soon.
5. If I had earned income, I could contribute to my Roth IRA, which is never a bad thing.
6. I swore to myself I'd never get another job in IT after 33 years. Despite the good pay, I'm done with the deadlines/commute/stress/competition/learning curves of new technologies.

Fast forward 2 years, the sky hasn't fallen in. The ACA is still alive, and we have more $ in our retirement accounts than when I retired in 2016 (by about 20%).

Sometimes I do question my own sanity - I do wonder how many multi-millionaires would work as a dishwasher (probably not many).

The bad thing is that 2 years have gone by, so I've lost 1,140 hours of quality retirement time I'll never get back.

Be gentle, like I said I do question my own sanity.

Wow!

I do understand the anxiety and fear that might make a new retiree take a temporary job. It’s very scary to early retire, dependent on your investments, trying not to draw down the nest egg too fast, health insurance uncertain.

It gets easier as you make it through a market gyration or two, even with health insurance uncertainty hanging like the sword of Damocles.......

 

[YoungSaver]

Yes

 

[Sue J]

Been following this thread and hesitated to post, but I seem to be the outlier.

I retired June 2016 and stayed 100% retired until March 2017, at which time I took a part time job at the elementary school up the street (100 yards) as a dishwasher. I'm still there 25 months later.

It's not a bad gig - it's only 3 hours a day, I get a free lunch, and I don't have to be in until 10:30. More importantly, I don't have to work nights/weekends/holidays and I have the whole summer off. No commute and the school's closed whenever there's any snow.

It pays about $15 an hour BTW. It's not hard work (compared to a fast food restaurant) but it gets busy at times so sometimes you have to hustle.

Why did I do this?? I definitely wasn't bored in retirement.

A couple of reasons -
1. I was uncomfortable with the new regime in Washington DC (he who shall not be named). Was the sky going to fall in?
2. The state of ACA (attempts to weaken/repeal it). I do have the option of healthcare with my former employer, but it's non-subsided so it's pricey.
3. Short term market volatility made me question things, like my withdrawal rate (should I stick with 4%, 3.5%, 3%, etc.)
4. Having a paycheck again made me feel better. I started playing mental games with myself - hey I made enough money this week to pay for the landscaping stones from Lowes, and I earned enough this year to pay for most of the planned re-roof job coming soon.
5. If I had earned income, I could contribute to my Roth IRA, which is never a bad thing.
6. I swore to myself I'd never get another job in IT after 33 years. Despite the good pay, I'm done with the deadlines/commute/stress/competition/learning curves of new technologies.

Fast forward 2 years, the sky hasn't fallen in. The ACA is still alive, and we have more $ in our retirement accounts than when I retired in 2016 (by about 20%).

Sometimes I do question my own sanity - I do wonder how many multi-millionaires would work as a dishwasher (probably not many).

The bad thing is that 2 years have gone by, so I've lost 1,140 hours of quality retirement time I'll never get back.

Be gentle, like I said I do question my own sanity.

I GET IT!

That's similar to how I feel about my School Crossing Guard job. I had been a SAHM for 22 years. I started in 2006 because I needed 7 more credits to complete my 40 credits for Social Security. I finished that in the first 2 years but continue because I JUST ENJOY IT.

I didn't have any of your fears about the economy/politics. My job is two hours a day, one in the AM, one in the PM and my commute is 3/4 mile each way. Being on a school schedule means lots of days off (I'm off today for a 4 day weekend related to Easter).

The things I like about doing this are -
- I like getting up early and being productive.
- I like my 1 hour block of time alone, away from tv, the internet and distractions. I do some of my best thinking alone at my corner.
- This is something that's just mine. I don't mean the money, I mean the activity.
- It's nice to earn a little money. We live on DHs pension so my income goes to savings or an IRA.
- This keeps me in touch with the community. I'm a confirmed introvert. I could easily stay home for days and lose track of what day it is. I tend to stay up too late, sleep late enough to lose most of the morning and just get sloppy.

tmm99,
One of my friends that's still in IT is jealous of my low stress non-thinking job. That's his dream job - come into work, put your brain on the shelf, work your shift without needing to think about anything (no big responsibilities), and then pick up your brain off the shelf on the way out the door.

Yep, my little job is pretty low stress, except for the distracted drivers! I have no co-workers, I see my "boss" once or twice a year. I have no reports/quotas/data tracking. I don't think I've ever had a review. I have no prep for the next shift except for checking the weather and dressing appropriately.

 

[tmm99]

Yeah, us introverts enjoy solitary work. I do translation work on the side and that involves just me and myself and I with a flex schedule. All I've been doing lately is subtitle/translating TV shows, so I get to watch some interesting (and some really bad) shows. Very little money, but it doesn't feel like work, so it's all good.

I can see where Retiredat55.5 is coming from.

 

[Sirka]

No way! Life is short.

 

[Dtail]

I do understand these working part time job posts, but just not for me. I love the non structured environment and truly never get bored even if we are doing nothing.
Right now visiting a friend on the east coast of FLA and typing this post while looking out over a lake.

 

[Nick12]

While vacationing at Walt Disney World, our family met some very nice elderly workers working in the restaurants cleaning and bussing the tables. Their smiles and attitudes were infectious compared to their younger co workers doing the same job when we were dining. Striking up a conversation with one of them, he said to us he chooses to work part time after retirement instead of needing to work. I would consider taking on this role maybe at a later point in my life.

 

[GravitySucks]

Now AARP can help you get that primo MickyDs gig.
https://www.aarp.org/work/job-search/info-2019/mcdonalds-partners-with-aarp.html
Still Hell No

 

[Nick12]

Now AARP can help you get that primo MickyDs gig.
https://www.aarp.org/work/job-search/info-2019/mcdonalds-partners-with-aarp.html
Still Hell No

Thanks. I enjoy treating guests with kindness to make a difference in customer service. Working effectively with grumpy folks that are customers and fellow co workers, that's second nature.

 

[Kabekew]

I ER'd in '09, and in '16 I thought I might buy a bar/tavern/restaurant for a fun adventure (right?). I had no experience, though, so I thought I'd get hired at some bar or restaurant, and start at the bottom to learn the basics.

I looked everywhere, but couldn't get hired. I had gotten my ServSafe food-handling certificate, and went through a two-semester basic culinary program at a community college, ready and legal to be hired, but at the interview stage they all said basically I was overqualified. I think it was from just looking at me. I had only listed high school, left out my college, and in my work experience only said I've been retired, and before that "self employed."

That didn't dissuade them. I think they look mostly at age -- they understand someone in their teens or early 20's needs that entry-level job, or somebody in their 70's might need extra income, but a man in his 40's or 50's without a criminal record could get a better job pretty much anywhere else. Why hire and train someone like that, only to have them quit the next week for something better?

I just couldn't get hired. I'm guessing fast food would be no different.

 

[brucethebroker]

I ER'd in '09, and in '16 I thought I might buy a bar/tavern/restaurant for a fun adventure (right?). I had no experience, though, so I thought I'd get hired at some bar or restaurant, and start at the bottom to learn the basics.

I looked everywhere, but couldn't get hired. I had gotten my ServSafe food-handling certificate, and went through a two-semester basic culinary program at a community college, ready and legal to be hired, but at the interview stage they all said basically I was overqualified. I think it was from just looking at me. I had only listed high school, left out my college, and in my work experience only said I've been retired, and before that "self employed."

That didn't dissuade them. I think they look mostly at age -- they understand someone in their teens or early 20's needs that entry-level job, or somebody in their 70's might need extra income, but a man in his 40's or 50's without a criminal record could get a better job pretty much anywhere else. Why hire and train someone like that, only to have them quit the next week for something better?

I just couldn't get hired. I'm guessing fast food would be no different.

In my observations: some restaurants/chains want to hire older workers, and some do not. (Age bias is alive and well). As an example-I bet McDonalds would have hired you. Even before this recent partnership with AARP, I always saw seniors working at McD's. Apparently, they "get" it. I am not a rabid fan of McD's food, but I do appreciate that they support senior workers.

 

[brucethebroker]

I spent 4 years as a teen working PT at Arbys-no thank you for going back. They were good to me, but, nooooo.

I did go back to teaching (sort of) as a substitute during the early days of the Great Recession (when real estate sales dried up). I wound up at a small local district, in a Middle school (11-13 yr olds). Low pay, but no taking the job home. And I really enjoyed the kids-they are very respectful of seniors (as long as you do your job-and trust me, they KNOW). The staff was supportive and appreciative as well. 3 days a week on ave., don't work on days you don't want to, no weekends/holidays/summers. I always made enough to cover a house payment each month.

Kept it up until the economy turned around. Now am ER'ed. and play with my hobby business (which I started while subbing). But no fast food jobs, thank you.