To work, or not to work

Hello Jack :

I would do the following .If you can  - Make sure your retirement money and income is taken care of first and foremost ! I did and enjoyed early retirement to a place I loved and still love  .Now that said  .Make sure you have an account that will keep you going in case the stock market bombs .I sorry to say I didn't .Well , lesson learned late .

  That's okay though .I was able to fall back on commission model building to supplement my social security and all is well . Things are tighter , but even with travel restricted , I live a full and interesting life .I volunteer at the local train museum and am now on it's board . I also am the liason to the museum for LEGO events . This keeps me busy too . There's nothing like children's smiles when Dad or Mom sits down and builds something with the kids .

  This is very satisfying .Now if you are into sports then try biking or hiking to keep the health in shape as well as the mind and body .If you are disposed to it , Now's the time to hit all those museums you thought you might like to visit and our national places of interest to you .Here in TEXAS we've got , near me , the ALAMO and the NIMITZ museums and other fine venues .Plus , do you like to fish , or party ? you can do a lot of that in this state too . Just a few suggestions . Good luck ! DOC

Karl, thanks for that vote of confidence.  

If I was born a hundred years ago, it would have been a lot easier to make a living at it, but the digital age has changed a lot of things.   No doubt, I'll always be creating something with my hands for as long as I'm able to.

regards,

Jack

Cripes, if you can draw like that, you can find a job that you would love in Art somewhere. Go for it, live he dream,. AIn't nothing like doing what you love for a living; to that I can attest.

Rob, Really generous separation arrangement. I'm very happy for you. You have some time to decide what you want to do next. You're still a young man. I hope you don't limit yourself just because you can. There likely will be plenty of time for sitting later. Now, the whole world is out there and you can actually take your pick of how you want to make another contribution. I say, live out your potential.

jgeratic

Guys, thanks for all the input, much appreciated.  

For some reason, a bit of a strange sensation of guilt comes and goes, but not sure why.  Looking it up on the net, seems to be a normal response when taking early retirement.

I think time will tell what I plan to do.  Definitely taking the summer off.  Was working steady nights for the past eight years, so this will give me a chance to get back to a regular sleep pattern.  Biking and some weight training is something I also want to get back into - tennis would be nice too, but need to find a partner for that.

Eventually would like to get back into sketching and portrait painting, something I've ignored pretty much ever since working full time.   Here's a self-portrait from my college days...

regards,

Jack

Yes, take some time to find yourself and enjoy life. But keep an eye out for employment opportunities that may appeal to you. You said you have almost a year's worth of salary, but since you will have free time (as opposed to being at work) you may end up spending more money just doing things you otherwise wouldn't have the time to do.

I did a some home improvement projects, some landscaping around the house, saw some local attractions I always meant to see, leveled a few characters on World of Warcraft, built some models, but eventually had to quell that same guilty sensation that I wasn't gainfully employed and making money while I was young enough to do so.

I'm 45 and after bouncing around after the military I went back to school for my airframe/powerplant licence, best move I've made don't see myself really ever "retiring" BUT everyone is different and like others have said take some time , find something your passionate about and if you have the means make it happen do it. A body in motion stays in motion thats a law.

If you have enough to live on and keep out of debt for a bit take some time off and relax. See how you feel in a few weeks or months and then decide whether it's retirement time or whether you need to work. Some folks just need to do something to keep themselves from going stir-crazy.

Guys, thanks for all the input, much appreciated.  

For some reason, a bit of a strange sensation of guilt comes and goes, but not sure why.  Looking it up on the net, seems to be a normal response when taking early retirement.

I think time will tell what I plan to do.  Definitely taking the summer off.  Was working steady nights for the past eight years, so this will give me a chance to get back to a regular sleep pattern.  Biking and some weight training is something I also want to get back into - tennis would be nice too, but need to find a partner for that.

Eventually would like to get back into sketching and portrait painting, something I've ignored pretty much ever since working full time.   Here's a self-portrait from my college days...

regards,

Jack

My father in law was forced to retire due to an injury and settlement at about that age. Or maybe he chose not to do anything else. That was about the time met him. From what my wife describes, the man he became afterwards was not the man he'd been before. And not in a good way.

I retired at 60, (in a get rid of dinosaurs offer) just about 4 years ago. I don't miss work at all, but I have this hobby, and cycling in decent weather to fill my days as well as books and household chores. That with volunteering at a human services agency I dealt with and with the Red Cross at blood drives, I don't have a lot of down time. 

If you think you can keep your mind alert and busy, take the retirement option. However, at 48, you might be facing a hard time of it. As mentioned, if you can get consulting gigs with your work skills, that would be a good place to go. If you do go looking for work, it's not too good to have too long a gap between jobs.

Best of luck either way.

Interesting Rob. I spent 19 years at GE in the IT department. Left in 1999 and am retiring from JCPS August 1st this year. At 62, it is time. If you can go earlier, do it. If you are debt free (not), made good investments (not) and such, it is time to do what  you want to do, either in another career or something for fun. Some agency always needs volunteers.

In July 2011, I retired after 24 years in the Army at the age of 47. That year, I spent my time off going to all my kids' school events that I had missed. At the time, I had three children still in school (12th, 9th, & 3rd grade). By December, I was thoroughly bored and decided to start looking for a part time job to keep my sanity.

My retirement pays me 60% of active duty lieutenant colonel pay, not a small amount of money, so an additional income was not necessary. I'll get that money for the rest of my life.

In March of 2012, the day I decided to look for a job in the Sunday paper, GE was hiring. I filled out an online application, got contacted by them in early May and started working there the first week of August. Easy money and the plant shuts down about one week a month. I think I average about 8 weeks off a year so I still have free time to do stuff with the family. We always seem to have Derby Week off (last week of April/first week of May) and the weeks between Christmas and New Years. Other weeks rotate between the different plants so folks that need to work can volunteer to work in another building.

Bottom line, the time off in the beginning was fun, for a while, but eventually I had too much time on my hands and had to go back to work.

IMO, 48 is way too early to retire. I will be 59 in a few months, retired at 51 from my 30 year job. Have a decent pension and enjoy my time off but at times, I wish I was still working. Unfortunately, my back issues have grown in the last couple of years and my activities are limited.  I would like to avoid back surgery but it seems to get worse as time passes. I find model building an escape and takes up most of my time. If I was you, I would take a few weeks off and then get on the saddle again. Once you get to a certain age, it's harder to secure a job as employers rather hire younger folks. I know, I have tried applying at positions that I'm well qualified for yet I'm passed up. Just my

Jack

I'm the same age as you and I have to say doing "nothing" for anything more than a couple of months would drive me insane!

I'd be tempted to take some time to yourself and look to head in a different area in life by taking a few courses to keep your mind going. If I was in your place I'd take some courses in CAD looking to use that with 3D printers etc. and set up a nice side line there as I think that's going to be the "next big" thing. Its just an idea as I say but I'd bet there will be a lot of people looking for contractors or part time people with that skill

Phil

Many folks dont prepare for retirement and dont have an interest outside of work to fill the void. We model builders dont have that problem. If your profession is something you could contract part time that might be ideal, especially if you can choose your hours and location. Or take classes in something interesting. Something has to fill the work void.

for me i worked from home for 13 years. Went to the office once or twice a week BY CHOICE but didnt have to. Never had a work focus issue like some. Still have more of a hobby focus issue since i read, do jigsaw puzzles, play wargames, do digital art, bike, and build models. I find taking my go box and a kit out of the house to a workshop with friends focuses me.

Worked from '59 to '98 with the same company. Got offered a fantastic "Golden Parachute". I was 58. It was the best day of my life. Six months later, the company was sold and all the people that were left either went with their projects (where ever that was) or got canned. As I said, it was the best day of my life. Never regretted leaving for a minute.

Jim 

I say, retire if  you can, and start taking early social security payments and pension as soon as you can.  I did this when I was 57 and got canned.  My wife continued working in a job she loved, so we could keep health insurance going.  When she reached 65 and we were both eligible for Medicare, she retired also and we moved to another state to be with our kids and grandson.

Meanwhile, I got a part time job in retail, just for something to do, and really enjoyed it!

Well there are other things to earn besides money, and therefore lots of interesting things to do if you don't need an income.

I would say your primary goal would be to spend time doing something that satisfies you and makes the world a better place.

Quite a few of my retired friends have become teachers in various ways and really like it.

Well without knowing your temperament and how you deal with extended idle time, this is hard to say. If I was in your shoes, I would take a little time off to enjoy, but within a few weeks look for something at  least part time. Just enough for a little play money and to get you out of the house. The longest that I have been idle as an adult was for six weeks between coming home from overseas and returning to my regular job. Even with this hobby and my family, I had to get out of the house and back to work.

I have never been in that position, but I would not mind. If I didn't have to work, I would simply take the time off and see how it goes. If at some point you want to get a little job just to get out of the house you can.

I'm self employed and decided to take some time off at the start of march and am loving it. Unfortunately I have to go back at some point because I don't want to blow all my savings, and my army pension isn;'t enough o live on, but if I didn't have to, I wouldn't.