Does anybody really miss working?

I understand completely. I was USAF Aircrew for 15 plus years. After 15 plus years of constant "Jet-Lag" I was grounded for medical reasons. Still, there's not a day that my wife doesn't catch me with my head in the clouds.

"Pappy"

Well Pappy, the clouds is a much better place to be rather than some other options I have heard of.  

"NO"

Nah, after 45 years of working for someone else, I now "work for myself and my bride"

and all I do is: 

          PLAY !!

Great  thread and some really great stories. Most here are giving me hope. I hit 62 in 2016 and plan on retiring and  just might consider part time work to fill the void of hours of a long career with 50 hour weeks and commuting. 

My entire after-college career was with Scott Paper Company. I loved my job, worked with fine people, and never dreaded a Monday morning. When Scott was bought by Kimberly Clark (Kleenex, etc.), I was given, with no choice, early retirement. I found that a 55 year-old could have a hard time finding a another good job, so I said "the H with it". My wife had a well paying job, so living expenses were not a problem. My wife has now been retired for 5 years, as well.

I've always had many outside interests, with trains being a very minor one. I would not take a "job" now, no matter how much it paid. To me, my "free time" is priceless.

I am writing this from our beach house in Lewes, Delaware (yes, it is 20 degrees outside, but we like the change of scenery). In a few days we go to Mexico City (a State Dept. posting) for a week to visit my son's family. Next month, a week near Boston to visit a daughter's family. In March, 2 weeks in Ft. Lauderdale with friends, and in April, a river cruise in Europe. After all that, I'll need a "vacation".

Steve:  Give retirement a "full time" chance before you jump into part time work.  You might just find it works out for you.  Bob S.

I have been retired for quite a while.  I still have dreams about my job of 30 years, the people I worked with, my office, the court rooms, the judges, . . .

Once I had a dream that they needed someone to try a case, and I was back, walking through the library looking for my office, and the file!  I was distraught.  How can I try a case without the file?    It was so vivid.  I guess I do miss it a little bit, but it's a natural thing not a belly ache to get back in that game.  Too much going on now!  

I am retired and don't miss work, mainly because I still have plenty of it. I wake up everyday having something to work on, the layout, repairs, maintenance and that is one hobby, I also maintain my race cars, my sons race cars and muscle cars, currently rebuilding a big block for a 69 Nova SS. I love to keep busy and active, and at age 62 can still out work my kids. I started working when I was 10 and I guess it is a hard habit to break, but I do sleep good every night

Art

I'm due to retire in about 3 years and a few months.

I have very mixed emotions about it. Part of me is really looking forward to it (the never ending weekend part), the other part of me not so (will our financial arrangements be sufficient to sustain a comfortable lifestyle?).

Just have to wait and see.  Downside: My Locomotive Engineer's Certification will expire a month or two after I'm due to retire.  Not much way to use it to contract-out "as needed" for a year or two. Doubt the railroad would be willing to spend the $$ it would take to re-certify me for another 3 years for "possible" contract work.

Just have to wait and see.

Life is tough and it doesn't get better. i guess I am the only one who misses working. My bad but after being forced t retire at 65 I tried part time and it sucked. All thy want is cheap labor to work weekends and nights.  Being an industrial salesman in an area tha was losing its industry made things tough, all my former employes are gone, but the intellectual challenges and personal interactions  with good people made it worth  while. Certainly not the money or an "atta boy" from the boss.  I lost my wife two yeas after I retired so we really didn't have much time together and my kids have moved away, everyone else has died or moved. Thank God I have my trains and photography. Keeps me sane. Only advice I will give is to prepare yourself and  don't count on others.

What type of work do you do?

Getting out of the Army was the worst thing i ever done. If i had stayed i would have retired in 1994 and had a pension. I still miss the Army after all these years. Thank you for your service to this country.

I sub (school teacher) now and again. That is enough for me...

No.  More busy now then when I taught Wood Shop.

Dave,

This is a nice thread you started. This is right up there with the Musicians and Trains thread, and Mike Caruso's Most Interesting Man in the Train World! These threads have added another dimension to the many members who have replied. So many diverse folks eager to share thoughts and opinions and some very interesting history about themselves. Even though it's not specifically about trains, it does bring us together on many other aspects of our lives. It gives a commonality to our diversity. Thanks for posting these threads guys.

Don

I was a criminal investigator with the U.S. Treasury Department for 28 years and constantly worked around the dregs of society for the entire time.  Now, thank God, I've been walking in the clover for 17 years and have never looked back; and never will.  For me retirement has been like summer vacation.  Its great to be on my time and not on someone else's and free to enjoy the benefits of good company and all of my hobbies   

Don, it really is about trains, because all of us are about trains.  Bob S.

After 20 years in the Navy I retired, exchanged my uniform for a sportcoat and tie, and went right back to work for the Department of the Navy as an I\instructor at the Naval War College.  Felt that the job wasn't done.  Yet.

But there are days when retirement sounds awfully good...

I'd still need something to really focus on everyday, like building an enormous layout.  

Twice.

NO

Whether I like to work or miss work doesn't matter.  I sold my business (Mfg's Rep agency) 3 years ago with a long buy out over 10 years.  The new guys screwed up the business so badly that there is literally no money coming in.  So, at nearly 80 years I've had to go back to work, this time for one of my former customers.  I still like to travel, locally, and see their customers, many of whom have become friends, so it isn't so bad.

And, yes, it does take time away from the train projects.

Paul Fischer

I never looked back.

I retired two years ago at age 66 and most of the time it is ok but I miss working. Time to look for a PT job of some sort.

Steve, find a PT job as soon as you can, don't wait like me.

I'm not retired, but I miss doing what I USED to do.  I always thought I could work in technology forever, and that it would always be fascinating.  Sadly those days are gone, and most everything has become commoditized, mass produced crap (my own version of MPC...), and there's little to no real differentiation in the hardware.  It's been great for consumers, but has made the profession somewhat, shall we say, 'tedious'.  

I won't miss it when I'm done at this point; I would retire tomorrow and open a Diner if it weren't for the kids needing support.  

Retired 10/13. It took me a year before I got used to retirement.  During that year I felt like I was doing something wrong.  Now I really enjoy being able to do what I want when I want.  Got so that I hate knowing I HAVE to be somewhere like doctor appointments and such.  Of course,  being able to schedule things in the middle of the day, any day of the week, is a luxury.

What I miss the most from running a train shop is the people. Peggy and I are happy to be retired. We can now do things we couldn't do before. My new hobbies are going fishing every chance I get and attending our local high school basketball games both home and away.

P.S. We still receive a lot of phone calls asking if we could get a certain item for someone. People still call asking where they can get their train repaired. I enjoy these phone calls and am always happy to assist.

retirement is great for some and then some retirement will never be a fit I had a boss when I was living in VA. he was 97 years old but still working he had gotten a bad case of the flu and when he came back his son took his driving away from him per DR.'s request and he just went to the house and that was it basically for him he died at 99 and 10 months 

Me I more or less retired myself having enough time and minimum age requirements met was not a great retirement pay but with my V.A. disability I'm actually making about the same as before. So we are getting by. Do I miss working not really I can goto the V.A. were I use to work and see my fellow workers when I want ( actually done this like 2 times in last 11 months when I had DR. appointment but otherwise probably would go out of my way to go there. 

I'm limited now what I can and can not do as of medical problems but all is good with me thats why I say it depends on the individual some are ready some are not and think they are ready and what they really need is like a break for a few months and then go find something to do part time just to keep busy. My suggestion if you can't find a job and really don't need the money go volunteer some where there lots of places needs help.

Sorry, I am 49 and have another 10 years to go. I love work. I also love the fact that it allows me to enjoy my new hobby to my hearts content!

The reason you love work is because you've never been retired!  Having said that after some 8 years of retirement I am looking for a job.  At least when I was working I had weekends off!    Seriously I have no Idea how I ever got any of my hobby stuff done while I was working.  Now that I am retired I still don't have time!  I now have a wood shop that I play in and when I built it I wrote down about 21 projects that I really wanted to do.  So far 2 down and 20 to go!  Anyhow, retirement is great, I highly reccommend it.    Russ

My ex-wife told me one time, "You would do the same things you are doing now if you retired.  Take the money."

I like engineering enough that I would still do it if I retired.  Why not keep working under these conditions?  If a person retires, and then runs out of funds, he is in deep trouble.  He cannot get back into the job market.  I thank God I like engineering so much that it never gets to be a burden.

I am working tonight repairing a BAFCO 916AXH which measures gain and phase of a servo.  I am having a good time.  In addition to repairing it, I am modifying to improve its noise and accuracy.  I have found two failed components so far:  A comparator in a metal can, and a zener diode.  I am in process of improving its accuracy at high frequency.  High frequency means 100 kHz.  It has a 30% error at 100 kHz and I expect to reduce this error to <5%.  I have replaced the comparator, but I don't have the zener diode and can't get it until Monday.  I have added 47u bypass capacitors to some of the circuit boards which radically improved the noise and accuracy at high frequency.  The boards originally had 0.1u capacitors for bypass capacitors and these are way too small.  The 916 is 33 years old but is still very good at what it does.  

I have an older one, model 911G which I bought used in 1983.  It was built in 1972.  I have extensively modified it and improved its accuracy by a factor on 100.  

I'm not planning on retiring any time soon, although I'll be 65 in a couple of months.  When people ask me I say "when I get too old to crawl up the gangway".  In reality it'll probably be when I fail my 5 year physical review.  I just passed one last week, and hopefully I'll get through the next one 5 years from now.  I like what I do and I get plenty of off time.

Someone mentioned that it "felt odd" the first year, and also mentioned volunteer work to fill some time.

Because my wife does not want to fill her own gas tank, I found myself at the Sunoco "Quick Stop" at least once a week watching people on their way to work. I felt "left out", since I had been pushed into "early retirement". A year later, I looked at those same people, and felt sorry for them.

When I first retired, I worked as a volunteer doing outdoors work at a nearby arboretum 2 morning a week, 12 months a year. After 3 years, I started feeling that IT was getting in the way of my "freedom", so I quit that.

There were a few jobs I miss, very few, some I didn't enjoy, but there is one, though it was dangerous and had too much B.S. political involvement with it, I still would like to do and enjoy the camaraderie of my peers.

Ralph 

Do I miss being on the road by 4:30 am come snow, rain or sunshine?? NO! Do I miss driving say 100 miles one-way to a jobsite in the rain/ snow only to be told that we're shut down for the day but stick around as we may have to unload some trucks that got away?? NO! Do I miss slogging thru 3' of mud that come with the spring thaws?? NO! 

Whaddya mean "miss working"?  I'm working every day...at something...for wife, self, home, church, LHS, etc..

It's that corporate/management job I opted out of 31DE97 after 37.5 years that I don't miss.  Their offer...my wide-eyed acceptance!...The proverbial 'golden handshake' deal.  I recalled the words of a corporate officer when he had retired some 25 years prior...."I'm glad to be getting out.  It's not fun anymore."  I wasn't at his retirement party, but his comment....before the age of facebook, youtube, twitter, and tweet....made the corporate grapevine...top to bottom...within 24 hours.  It resonated with many of us.  And, so, when the offer to me was made in October of 1996, TBE 31DE97, it wasn't fun anymore.  As Alladin's Genie (Robin Williams) famously declared: "I'm outta here!!!"

So, then I remembered Dad.  His career had been in the investment side of a large insurance company based in Washington, D.C..  But his post-retirement dream was to work retail in a hardware store....Strosnider's in Bethesda, MD...his favorite haunt.  "I think it would be a fun place to work!", he'd repeatedly declare.  (It occurred to me as my own retirement approached that what Dad had implied was that his bread-on-the-table job might not have been all that much fun...at least towards the end.)

Ergo, my main goal in 'retirement' was to have FUN doing whatever I chose to do. (We're not including daily/weekly/seasonal chores in this context, mind you.)  Which led me to seek part time work at the LHS...Trains Dept., of course.  And....we're still there....albeit putting in fewer hours weekly.  After all, there IS that bucket list!! 

Fun. 

That's what it should be all about.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....

KD

YES!

I was an engraver at a large sign company in Pittsburgh. I worked on a machine that drilled braille in signs for the blind. I did anything asked and was efficient. Then one day after 14 years 5 months and 29 days they gave my job to someone who they could pay have what I made.

I miss going to work at 6:00 am and being home at 3:30PM I am

amazed how things have changed since my last job hunting time.

I like being home to take my girls to school and activities but that does not pay the bills.  

At 45 I feel old and outdated I need to find something soon!

I agree that this has been a great topic.

I retired in May of 2012, after 43 years in Information Technology for 3 major companies.  I was directly involved in the early days of the PC, laptops, office automation, graphical user interfaces, relational data bases, large scale 3D printing, 3D solids modeling. Learning new technologies and processes was the norm where I worked, well before change exploded worldwide. Opportunities to learn were never ending (and corporate funded). I worked with a super bunch of people and was able to help most of them grow their skills and advance in their career.  When the fun was gone, mostly due to constant pressure to do more with less and move more and more positions overseas in search of lower cost (with usually much less quality), I decided to take an option to walk away that I couldn't resist. 

Along the way, I married my best friend, raised a great family, welcomed 5 grandkids, developed many friendships, got hooked on exercise and being active, developed several hobbies (including O gauge trains), got into restoring a 1967 Shelby GT500 and a 1966 big block Corvette, travelled, began volunteering, and lived a comfortable but not extravagant life. 

So, no, I don't miss how things were near the end of my paid, working career. 

But I do miss the people.  I still get together regularly with many of the people I worked with, and enjoy having them, their family, and grandkids over to run trains. I have never looked back and continue to enjoy all the gifts I have received with family and friends.

I am always busy, and enjoy the flexibility to be able to change plans as things come up.  Enjoy and share your time, talent, and treasures while you can.

I thoroughly missed my sales rep career at Kraft Foods. That ended after 27 years when Kraft and Nabisco decided to split up after being merged for the past 14 years. I ended up with Nabisco as one of their reps, ordering and packing out everyday at my stores. I really enjoy the folks I deal with in my territory and the 2 merchandisers that work with me. We do have a good time but the job is quite physical, probably a good benefit getting a daily workout! Have a decent sales manager as I'm his veteran on the team. It' getting up at 5 am during the week.

I have targeted July 2017 as my retirement date. Will be 59.5 then and eligible for my 401K plus have the pension available now, the company is adding to both.

Just so you know, in the club I am in, I'm one of the few that still works.

Question is? Will I miss working? Probably for about few months and then want to get a part time job to stay busy. It is amazing how many folks on the forum are retired.

P.S. Dave who started this topic is someone I dealt with in his former employer and was his Kraft rep about 15 years ago!

don't know haven't got there yet.

You old lucky farts!!