It finally happened — I retired from Corporate America last Monday. First came a big sigh — “Ahhh…” and then, of course, “WOO HOO!!!”
If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you might’ve expected me to stay in my cubicle until 65. Instead, here I am: a non-W2 person ready for new adventures at the not-so-young age of 50.
After 26 years in the workforce (not counting the year after my layoff when I finished grad school — a little taste of retirement at 30!), walking away from a steady paycheck feels strange. The last few weeks were like being a high school senior: excited for what’s next but a bit nostalgic about the things I’m leaving behind.
Honestly, the job just stopped being fun. Good leaders left, and those who stayed reverted to old command-and-control ways of delivering software. Ugh. I also wasn’t leading a team anymore after my senior leader was forced to resign and our department fell apart. Even when the work is rough, guiding and mentoring people can make it worthwhile.
So I used a good bonus cycle to resign with three months’ notice back in March. I was told the door would be open until my last day, but I never looked back. We’d been saving over half our income and living small for a reason.
Big thanks to my wife for supporting this decision. We talked about it for years — this wasn’t some impulsive idea sprung on her last month. It’s been a nine-year project. She’s slightly younger than me and loves her work as a solo practitioner, so she’ll keep working until she wants to slow down. She doesn’t have to work for us to survive; she’s making a real difference for her patients, and that kind of work is something to be grateful for.
I’m also grateful to Mr. Money Mustache — his blog kept me hopeful during some dark, burnt-out days in 2014 when big-insurance software development wore me down. The FIRE blogging community has been a huge inspiration: Fritz at Retirement Manifesto, Carl at 1500 Days to Freedom, Gwen at Fiery Millennials, Angela at Tread Lightly Retire Early, and Dr. Leif at Physician on Fire. And a shout-out to my friend Uncle Daryl at Jump to Consulting for tolerating my hesitancy about retiring like a champ.
Week 1 summary: retirement doesn’t suck.
I’m learning fast that you can retire from a job, but not from doing meaningful work. With our basement renovation finished, I’ve got a long list of projects around the house. Two rental homes also had lease turnovers the same week, and the maintenance lists are long.
Handyman work will chew up a lot of my summer, along with trips to Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, and California. I’m also studying for my real estate licensing exam — a credential that should open more doors for the rental business, which I’ll write about soon.
I know this blog has been running on fumes lately. Looking back, that promotion I took in late 2019 didn’t just steal my blogging time — it pulled me out of the early-retirement mindset. Now I’ve got more time and fewer excuses. Time to sharpen these rusty writing chops. Buckle up!