Quitting my job at 50!

[author57]

Have you moved yet? Your post is very inspiring to me, since I too am planning to relocate at the age of 57 to a whole new city, quit my current job (which doesn't pay much), and completely start over from scratch as if I was just fresh out of college at age 22. I was my mother's care taker for about 14 years after my father passed away. She passed away three years ago this past week and I too felt like I wanted to start over, but did not at the time because I was so grief stricken and wanted to heal. I took a full time job in the school system as an assistant, because I was already employed there as a substitute teacher, and felt I could get through an interview with no problems since I wasn't mentally not there at the time. But now, I'm getting very, very antsy to move on. I have a Bachelor's Degree and will have to find a job and a place to live. I own a third of our family home which I am trying to sell out to my sister. After she buys me out I am leaving!

[jane_sm1th73]

Originally Posted by Putty

I am just wondering if others would take this kind of risk, relocating alone and starting over where u don't know a soul......No job, no place to stay just yet, because I am having problems finding anyone to rent to me w/o a job. I don't want to buy yet, because that doesn't make sense to me in a new area.........

I think I just want to know I am not alone and gain confidence in my abilities that I can do this............!! Old lady or not!

Plan for the best and prepare for the worst, IMHO. The geographic cure worked for me twice, but I needed to be strategic about it because of my own persnickety tendencies.

What made it work for me is that 1) I was VERY focused about my criteria for 'move-to' places: I went from areas having higher unemployment to areas having lower unemployment. It's amazing - even a 1% difference translates into a vastly easier job search! In the first move, I lined up a job before I moved (using the tactics mentioned here on C-D: local address, local phone number). In the second move, I went in cold, but still to an area having 2% lower unemployment. Worked out better than I expected, but I was loaded for bear. In both cases, I moved away from highly-taxed, imploding New England - a place from which good jobs are fleeing to anyplace else.

In both cases, I didn't care where I moved as long as I found a decent job. It was more important to me to have a decent income than to have a scenic destination, amenities or a social life. Have always been hyper-vigilant about that third leg of the retirement stool, SS. I figured that when I hung it up would be the time to explore the scenic destinations.

In sum, it can be done, I have done it, you can do it too, but my methods and priorities were driven by a low tolerance for financial insecurity. That being said, it wasn't e-z. After this last move seven years ago, I STILL haven't made any friends in the area, and frankly don't have time for a social life anyway, lol! I know that's sad, but it was a career change as well.

How it all worked out: I've got a good income, can help the kids as needed with life start-up costs. Since I'm viewed as still being 'in the game', my kids more or less respect my advice. I always did figure that any 'words of wisdom' would be viewed as being more credible if I were still out there slogging away, in contrast to being viewed as having hung it up.

Very best wishes to you! What you are doing takes a lot of guts!