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In my final career (I've had three) I was a professor in a law school. I retired from that in 2009.
I miss some things about that job, particularly the interaction with the students and fellow faculty members, MOST of whom I really liked.
But there are many things about working that I wouldn't want to do again, including having to get up early every morning, and having to grade exams and papers. The latter is sheer drudgery.
In my final career (I've had three) I was a professor in a law school. I retired from that in 2009.
I miss some things about that job, particularly the interaction with the students and fellow faculty members, MOST of whom I really liked.
But there are many things about working that I wouldn't want to do again, including having to get up early every morning, and having to grade exams and papers. The latter is sheer drudgery.
While I wasn't at a law school, I do miss the students who worked at the university. They were a terrific bunch!
I'm 68, and my plan is to continue working full-time in IT at least until I start collecting social security at 70, maybe a year longer. In the meanwhile, I'm working on building up a part-time web design practice and a part-time coaching/counseling practice (I'm a licensed mental health professional as well as a computer guy).
My grandfathers retired at the "normal" retirement age, and puttered around until they died. My mother retired and spent the rest of her life yelling at the TV and smoking cigarettes. My ex-wife's parents owned a winter home in Florida, and the place reminded me of El Boca Grande on Seinfeld. None of these seem like healthy options for me to pursue, so my hope is to continue doing meaningful work as long as I can.
I'm 68, and my plan is to continue working full-time in IT at least until I start collecting social security at 70, maybe a year longer. In the meanwhile, I'm working on building up a part-time web design practice and a part-time coaching/counseling practice (I'm a licensed mental healthprofessional as well as a computer guy).
My grandfathers retired at the "normal" retirement age, and puttered around until they died. My mother retired and spent the rest of her life yelling at the TV and smoking cigarettes. My ex-wife's parents owned a winter home in Florida, and the place reminded me of El Boca Grande on Seinfeld. None of these seem like healthy options for me to pursue, so my hope is to continue doing meaningful work as long as I can.
Perhaps you could set up a counseling practice for City-Data posters whose mental health is a bit shaky. There would be no shortage of potential clients!
Do I miss work? no, not really. I have an eclectic work history from being a tour guide in Rome to commercial gilnetting in S E Alaska to pipe insulator in an oil refinery. Why so varied? I have emotional issues from an abusive childhood and am probably in the realm of high functioning autism. I know I have ADD plus I am fortunate to be gifted with the creative gene (photography, illustration, etc.). I usually got bored after a few years if I stayed that long. Mostly I left because the work environment was too political or dangerous. I had one job that i would have loved to have stayed in until the day I could retire and that was as a media production technician: great for creativity, a one person job and I could focus on one thing at a time. Sadly, it was only fro less than a year.
The importance of finding a job where you are not marking time is important. Make yourself productive and help others. Find your niche where you can best utilize your assets and education. That is a better reward than any based on monetary value. Ask someone who financed their college education by packing paper products on shift work. Boring. Thoreau's saying: "the mass of men lead a life of quiet desperation" was never truer.
For a looong time, I missed the 'habit' of work and the people and job satisfaction. Finally, after about 10-minutes of that, I stopped missing work and started enjoying retirement. I'm still doing that!
The only way I could retire (almost 3 years ago) was to sell my business, which I did - but I never formally 'retired'. The new owners, young fellows who are sons of my former employees, bought it with a little cash, a big loan, and having me hold a good deal of "paper" to make it all happen. But these young guys are a great investment in the future, and the business is still doing well. I am still a part-owner of it, derive income from it, have voting rights, and am a 'perpetual' employee for life, which gives me lifelong private medical and life insurance for self and spouse. Not a month goes by that I don't get a call for advice on some matter or other. But to answer your question, no, I don't really miss it.
In fact, I have a condition known as 'business in my blood', and I am still seeking new business opportunities and investments. Have a few things in the hopper right now.
I really enjoyed my work. I retired after 30 years with the same company. The first few years after retirement, I had this strange desire to go to work. I have now been retired from my main job for 14 years. Worked a few years for the federal government and that was boring. Been fully retired now for 6 years and I don't miss it at all. One of the smartest decisions I ever made was to retire.
BTW, there is a big difference between liking your job and missing it afterwards. I had considerable satisfaction with my job and career. I did not miss the job when I retired. I moved on and was too busy doing other things to look back.
I really can't get to the OP question as we are enjoying retirement to much. Would I want to give any of it up? Nada! Thus no I don't miss working not because of work but because of retirement.
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