<p>When H retires we plan to move to a more liberal, warmer climate with colleges offering diverse academic classes (if I took another foreign language I would want more than the standard French/Spansish/German) plus activities and a good library. He could live in a high rise condo, I need a garden, preferably with sunshine and no deer. Travel time would be nice, too. We are lucky we have middle class housing wants and a better income.</p>
<p>We are going to join the Peace Corp when we retire.</p>
<p>Retirement is quite a ways away for me, but I have been looking into either working for or starting a house-sitting business. Would love to do it both here and in Europe, but I don’t know the labor limitations of other countries just yet…I know it is big in the UK where holidays are quite long and people want pets to stay home as well…</p>
<p>AMom2–I’d love to do that (Peace Corps)! Like Lillian Carter! </p>
<p>Of course, husband…not so inclined!</p>
<p>“As for me: In retirement, I’d like to go on a three-month silent retreat.”</p>
<p>NSM: That is really hard. Wife unit is trying not to speak for 2 hours/day. She has never won.</p>
<p>I am already retired and I substitute. I am loving it. Initially, I was doing high schools and elementries (3-5). I have now dropped high school and added K-3 and I love it. My most favorite grade is K. I love those little kids. Many call me Ms. XX (I am a man). I guess they have never seen a man teacher.</p>
<p>Jolynne, I do feel lucky with my career. </p>
<p>I think I learned about the importance of doing interesting work (and perhaps feeling no need to retire) from my father. He was a theoretical physicist who loved what he did. He had two jobs until age 75 – one was full-time and one was part-time. The part-time employer was supposed to stop paying him at age 70 but chose to keep paying him because his work was still so useful, even though it violated policy. At age 75, they said that had gotten too much internal pressure and had to stop paying him but that he could continue to have his office and secretary and access to the facilities. So, he slowed down to one full-time job until age 79 1/2 when he had a stroke. He died roughly a year later, but in that year, he got former two post-docs to help him finish a book he had largely written. Oxford University Press published it. He had one more book to go, but died before it was ready to go as two other former students didn’t really have the energy for it.</p>
<p>Shawbridge, I envy those people, who like your father, really enjoy their work. My wife has had some really enjoyable jobs. It is probably not a coincidence that her work was also academic. I am in a more regular work world - squarely in the land of Dilbert. I can’t wait to retire and would only consider doing something like teaching. I hope my kids can find jobs that are fullfilling. It is a shame to work for money - the money is never enough and the “work” is always too much.</p>
<p>I took a year “trial retirement” and learned a few things. Menial (Starbucks) jobs that look like they might be fun are not on 55 year old legs. Menial job bosses will think nothing of phoning you at 4 am to see if you can cover an early shift when somebody calls in sick. I won’t try that again–I’d rather be an unpaid consultant on local real estate projects or something.
It is hard to stop spending like you still are making a good income.
Daytime TV has not gotten much better–even with 100+ stations.
On the plus side I learned we picked a pretty good location.</p>
<p>H & I will devote more time to ballroom dancing.
We’ll travel to some interesting places that we haven’t yet visited.<br>
I want to have time for sewing, knitting, crocheting that I haven’t been able to do recently (I have a large crocheted tablecloth that I’ve been working on off and on for 25 years!).<br>
I want to write a textbook I’ve had in my head for years.</p>
<p>edad, I agree with you. People need money to eat. And money provides security, especially in times like these. But people cross some financial threshold, they are looking for some kind of fulfillment in their daily lives and work is the biggest component of most people’s lives. More money will make people a little happier, but if they work for money and don’t get fulfillment from what they do each day, they’re unlikely to be happy. </p>
<p>It is possible to have satisfying work outside of academia. I started my career as an academic and went away from academia to Wall Street and then consulting and enjoy this phase of my career more than I did being an academic. I still work on creating ideas and write but am free to have an impact by advising as well as by writing. </p>
<p>But, my advice to my kids is similar to the advice my father gave to me. Figure out something you really like doing and figure out a way to get paid to do it.</p>
<p>I spent 55 yrs in academia and have chosen to spend my retirement years in nature, reading and resuming my passions of golf and photography. Live in a college town? Been there done that. A gormet meal cannot compare to a Cl III rapid in a kayak. An audited course or symphony cannot compare to a hike into a wilderness area, nor an opera to a solitary hike into an isolate waterfall or cavern. I can prep a gormet meal, TIVO a Met Opera, access my classical /jazz CD/LP collection and go to my public library for independent learning beyond any college catalogue.</p>
<p>Sheep freak, for reasons unknown. Sheep farm- but with a nice cottage for the caretaker who gets up at 3am to help lamb.</p>
<p>We talk about an oceanfront home … buy now, but something we can live in later. My H will continue to coach lacrosse, I will be able to teach pony-baloney again, and maybe I can indulge my dog agility addiction also.</p>
<p>These are all so fascinating! Ballroom dancing…sheep farming…! </p>
<p>So true about finding something you love, shawbridge. That’s what I really hope for both my kids (and finding someone nice & reasonable to marry! lol).</p>
<p>cnp55–my husband has mentioned being a dog breeder in retirement. I think it’s because he likes his favorite dog breed so much, though…don’t know if the nuts & bolts (& dirt & barking) of the profession would have such an appeal. :-)</p>
<p>As most of you know, I own a pet store. I do not sell puppies. IMHO … being a “professional dog breeder” meaning that you actually make a living breeding and selling dogs is hard to do well. </p>
<p>OTOH, having a small show kennel with your favorite breed, where you breed a few litters, show the progeny, sell some of the progeny, try to improve the breed and promote the breed – what I call a show quality hobby breeder — THAT could be a lot of fun. Don’t expect to make money. You <em>might</em> pay your expenses!</p>
<p>My undergrad was in deaf education. If I ever do retire (feeling particularly bad about my financial future this morning), I’d like to brush up the sign language and get involved in the deaf community. I wouldn’t go back to education, but the deaf culture is way cool and it would be fun to tiptoe into it again.</p>
<p>cnp55-- That show kennel idea is really interesting–sounds like something husband might enjoy, thanks. Btw, you have my 7 y.o. daughter’s dream job (she’s always distained dolls, loved animals)!</p>
<p>“Menial (Starbucks) jobs that look like they might be fun are not on 55 year old legs.”</p>
<p>Exactly. In addition, you are tied by a ‘schedule’. I did not want to do anything - either paid or un-paid that had a schedule.</p>
<p>You are right about the scheduling. I knew a guy when I was in my 20s who had an entry level corporate HR job. He wanted to supplement his income to pay off student loans, so he got an evening job as a clerk at a nearby hotel. The hotel was always calling him at his “real job” at maybe 2 pm - “Can you come in early today?” The second job didn’t last long.</p>
<p>Originaloog–we’re on the same page as you. My kayaking does not involve white water (well, most of the time) but I also feel that there is something about being out in nature that is vital for me. That and reading and writing, which I can do anywhere. Where we are going to settle does have a nice little arts community and wonderful, though overpriced, restaurants nearby, but it’s the ocean, bay, beaches, backwaters, and rural countryside that I’m looking forward to spending all my time in.</p>