Anyone else does not want to retire early?

[CeRaVie]

There are so many posts about burnout, loss of enthusiasm for work, people are desperate to retire early. Personally, while I may have a tough time occasionally, I do not want to retire early. I have not found my true calling but do a decent job and feel valuable. Working keeps me current and mentally active. I am aged 46, paid off mortgage few years back, good marriage, DD is mid twenties and independent, so financially I have more options than many yet being lady of leisure does not appeal. Hating work seems so normal, I have wondered if there are others who get up motivated to work most days?

Me! I'm obsessed with work. I have a really great professional career and love every second. I actually said to DH at dinner that I couldn't imagine ever wanting to retire.

I'm 61, very fit and healthy luckily, quite enjoy my work, and happy to carry on. I feel like I may have a long retirement, my mother is 91 and very healthy. So don't want to quit too soon!

Me! I'm in my late 50s and can't imagine retiring. I can see myself trying to retire, having a brilliant month off then getting a bit twitchy about not having that purpose in life that my job gave me and the lure of work just drawing me back in.

I don't think work is everything, and it's not even the most important thing in my life, but a huge part of who I am is bound up in my job and the skills I can use every day. It gives my life a lot of meaning and purpose and I enjoy what I do very much.

I'm a similar age and feel exactly the same OP! It's not my vocation or passion or anything like that but right now it is intellectually challenging, stimulating and I like my colleagues. I guess it would be nice to enjoy more flexibility to pursue other things, but I don't have a burning desire for that. I also have enough self awareness to recognise that I benefit from the structure and external goal setting of employment to bring out my best work. I would worry that I could spend twenty years on MN if I retire too early!

Im 64. Still working because I really enjoy my job and the mental stimulation it gives me.

Me, no interest in retiring yet. I can't imagine what I'd do all day.

Me ! Primary teacher in Dublin . Love my work so much . Lots of good friends there , we have such a laugh every day !
Nicest principal and deputy you could imagine .
The kids are fabulous and the hours / holidays incredible.
Feel so lucky every day to work there . Dread having to retire .

I want to gradually reduce work 4.5 days, 4 days, down to 2 or 3. I can't see myself stopping- I'd be happy to do lots of volunteering.

Me. I’ll never retire. I don’t know what I’d do. I will cut down as I have to, health wise. But I’ll never retire.

Me! I run my own willwriting company and absolutely love it.

meet lots of people, often visiting them in interesting houses, the work itself is interesting enough not to get too boring (tho I could write wills in my sleep now), money’s decent.

im 62, and although I have hobbies and a very busy social life, I love the balance of work and play, especially as I pick and choose my clients now.

The idea of retirement scares me. I'm 54 and can't imagine retiring, maybe reducing my hours but still doing something if i can.

No interest in retiring super early or dropping to part-time (can’t really do that in my job anyway), but I do want to retire from my career at some point and do different types of work. Would love to become a barre instructor or yoga teacher, something that I could do while travelling.

I think it all depends on whether or not I have a baby. If I stay child-free I can pivot to nomadic yogi by 50, if not, then 65? I don’t know how expensive a child is these days.

As usual, I’d love to know what jobs you’re all doing. I’ve just given up teaching at 52 and could happily never work again - honestly I can spend all day playing games on my phone and browsing FB and MN. I’m volunteering a couple of days a week but that’s because I feel I ought to.

You’re 46 ffs not 56. I was very much into my career at 46 too and so you should be. By 58 ( the age I am now) it’s a very different story and can’t wait to retire.

It's great to hear so many people who are passionate about their jobs, but also really value the other benefits that work brings (social connection, mental stimulation). I agree that in my 40s I felt very differently about work, I felt positive, eager to develop & progress. Now I'm in my early 50s, I'm constantly checking my pension to see what age I can retire! I think it's due to burnout over the last 2 years + perimenopause. I feel I have no tolerance for work politics, and the nonsense that's said in meetings. I can't just sit back like I used to, I have a strong urge to challenge people who talk rubbish whilst others nod along for fear of not agreeing with the management.
I would perhaps feel better if I worked 3 days a week but financially that's not going to happen yet. I also think we were brought up to believe you could retire at 55, maybe 60 at the latest but now that "finish line" keeps disappearing into the distance! My state pension age is 67 - I can't imagine working at that age, based on how I physically feel now. I do think 5 or 10 years down the line can make you have a totally different outlook on things.

My Mum is 71 and still works a 45 hour week as a carer, she won't even hear of reducing her hours. Me on the other hand am nothing like her and would love to retire today (Nursing and have had a guts full after 30 years and am over the bullshit I hear daily).

I'm the same age and feel similar. I don't love work and if I were independently wealthy then I'd run a charitable foundation or study for several degrees and learn new musical instruments. Sigh, as I'm not wealthy then I'm practical about needing to work.

I love to travel and have a good social life and work facilities that so I'm not planning to retire early.

If I were a teacher then I'd definitely feel differently.

My idea of retirement is to work about 20hours a week (in my current job).
Enough to not get bored, but not really work - more a paid hobby.
Plenty of time to do other things while still earning something

Me too. No desperate desire to ‘escape work’. My DM retired in her 60s and it didn’t inspire me to retire early. She found it hard to find interesting voluntary work and seemed a bit lonely. I think she missed being treated like a valued professional person, which you are in your work if things are good! I enjoy work, feeling useful, continuing to learn, earning money, spending time with colleagues. I have one neighbour who doesn’t work at all, her life looks very dull and lonely to me. I am lucky to have multiple jobs that I like.

I do acknowledge it’s going to be different depending on circumstances though… health, social life, type of work you have etc.

Sometimes I think I wish I could but I have made the financial decision to try and set my 2 teenagers up financially as my priority. I have a house and a pension for me but I will be working until I’m 60 (currently 43).
I could have paid my mortgage off now and not helped the teens. I have chosen not to do that and keep working and paying my mortgage. If I hated my job and was unhappy maybe I would have made a different decision.

I would like the opportunity to work part time but again that doesn’t fit in with my financial goals so not going to happen.

My job involves full time shifts so it does have a huge impact on my home life but at the same time once I’m there I am happy enough.

If money was no object I would prefer to be at home.

It would be really interesting to know which jobs we are in to see if that influences our decisions. I work in the NHS and it has got harder as I've got older. I know teaching is the same.

Me! I'm a secondary school teacher and am retiring at the end of this term. I will be 66.
I've been a teaching in state schools for over 40 years and it's been a great career. I'll miss it, the lovely young people and teaching my subject. I have loved it and felt very privileged.
I still feel young and I've got loads of ideas for my retirement.
All the threads with people wanting to retire in their 40s or even 30s I've found depressing.

Me. I’d like to work less (currently doing about 65 hours a week, which isn’t sustainable in the long run), but am 52 and reckoning on carrying on till I hit 70. I don’t think I can go on beyond that- my profession needs a sharp mental edge and I’ve seen too many people carry on after they should have stopped - but I’m hatching plans to do a PhD once I retire. It’ll keep my brain active and if I do start to decline it won’t hurt anyone except myself.

At 46 I certainly felt the same. Less so now at 56, but I changed jobs 2 years ago and have something much more flexible - never thought that would be possible (NHS). Sometimes the flexibility is along the lines of being able to work 3 extra hours a day or only 2, but sometimes it really does allow me to do things like start early and finish early. I think I would be equally stressed if I were volunteering so I might as well be paid. I won't go beyond 67 though that's for sure.

Me, I’m in my mid 50s and I’d be bored without the structure and routine of work.

I’m lucky in that I work part time and do a very non stressful job. A lot of my colleagues are in their 70s. I want to be the same. Working seems to keep them young, fit and active.