I retired at the end of June and still think about my company and some of the people I liked there. Today is Sunday and I had the same feeling I always had on Sundays, tomorrow is a work day. Just wondering how long it takes before your brain disengages with your last job and you no longer think about it at all?
@Vinny Waccio In my case, during the Reagan Recession I was laid off from the highest-paying job of my life. Devastation described my wife's, and my outlook. We fought back by becoming self-sufficient in the woods of Northern Arizona. My brain seethed like the proverbial toad's. Soon, I accepted our lot. Enjoyed it. Savored it. No boss. No commitment. No company involvement. But, also, no income, no dough. A year of self-sufficiency convinced me more was needed. Income, however small. We secured it via a 2nd. mortgage we carried for the buyer of our house. Making the best of a bad situation, we were doing that............then, my employer called me back to work. Easy decision, needed income, retrospect, never again 100 times over. Frank
In a couple of months, it will be 11 years since I worked and retired. I still think about my last job and supervisor/director. For one thing, it was the highest paying job I'd ever had and I really, really liked my job. Thing was, I was only gone for a couple of years before the department end up closing. Had no idea that was going to happen when I quit to move.
Like some of you it was a cash cow for me. I got a 6 figure salary plus 25% of the net profits. I saved up for retirement in just the last 6 years. The owner of the company is also a friend since we have been together for 25 years. She has taken care of me and given me almost everything I asked for, even working from home. What is interesting is that I run into a lot of people who hated their jobs. I loved my job, but just got burnt out because I loved it so much that it became my life. My job was my hobby since I was 14 and to be paid for it was fantastic. However, each night as I laid down to sleep my mind was filled with work stuff and I could not sleep. Now when I lay my head on my pillow there is silence. Nothing to worry about, to plan or to review to make sure I did it right. I will say that a few people made it a point to tell me to keep in touch and yet they do not respond to my emails or return my calls. I know how that goes though. They do not want to be reminded that they have to work for a few more decades.
I had a friend who went through the same thing and he too discovered that you cannot live off the land and start a photography business. So he is back to working full time and burnt through most of his savings which was to last him for the rest of his life.
I retired 25 years ago although it never crosses my mind very often but in my sleep I am back at work doing different things. There must be a lot of unfinished business going on in my head. My children keep asking me about my work and that also brings back memories but nothing negative mainly all the pranks we play while working.
Jobs that I have held for a few years or more I remember, and am often still doing these jobs in my dreams.
Since I am still working full time, guess I shouldn't post in this thread. But...We ( wife and I ) decided that November 30th is my last day at work, and I get to FINALLY retire fully. ( not just one , but a couple more .) So I figure I'll dig this thread up around December 1st to give my take on this subject. Yea, that'll probably be too soon. ( and yes, I AM counting the days! )
@Tim Burr I've always said the best thing I ever did was to retire! It took 3 tries, each more rewarding than the previous one! Frank
How Long Did It Take You Before You Forgot About Your Old Job? An hour maybe? Cleared out my office in the evening when no one was there, and never set foot in the building again. That was 16 years ago. Never looked back. Ended up with a manipulative boss who tried to pit employees against each other for her own personal benefit. I guess what bothered me most was it was a nonprofit group working for the state. By the time I retired there was no mission, just a group of people looking out only for their backsides. Maintained friendship with one person from work, but neither of us talked about work after retirement, except occasionally, as a sad joke. Groucho Marx once said, "To (.be able to) forget things ... is one of the most important contributions to your own existence." .. I interpret that perhaps a little differently than he meant it.
I still think of my old job. I think of most of the jobs I have been fortunate enough to land. Working at some of them is where I shined the brightest, wheere I acheived recognition for my contributions, or where my efforts were rewarded with either cash payments or a trip with spoused to a resort area, expenses paid.. But mostly, I enjoyed the work I did and look back fondly at some of those companies, and some of the people I worked with. Not only do I think of them occasionally, but i often dream of those companies and those people, fondly. They were good times and they still produce good memories after all these years.