Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Anyone who has retired young from a high-paid high-pressure senior job…

34 replies

cathyj77 · 07/12/2025 17:21

… what did you do next?

I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I should be able to leave my very busy highly paid job in a few years from now (early 50s) if all goes well.

But I would still want to do something and I can’t figure out what. I do some volunteering already (related to my area of work) but couldn’t make this full time.

Don’t want to do ‘consulting’, would happily do a less well paid part-time job but don’t want to be bored.

any and all ideas welcomed!

OP posts:
GOODCAT · 07/12/2025 18:15

Not me, but ideas:

Workwise lay magistrate, local politics, a specific history, community or environmental project.

Anything you can turn into a project

Exercise regime from get fit to big challenges

Healthy cooking, growing your own food, gardening

Something social, cultural

MidnightPatrol · 07/12/2025 18:18

In my world a lot of people go on to become non-execs / chairmen at a variety of different types of companies.

Hard to get started - but paid, can be a day a month or a week etc.

Parker231 · 07/12/2025 18:19

Retired in my early 50’s as a Corporate Finance Director. DH retired as a doctor at the same time. We’ve both done odd days of consulting but no plans for that to be the norm going forward. No intention or interest in taking any other job.
We’re currently spending time travelling to see friends and family with no particular timescale or fixed plans. Life is good!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Jobs
RoaRiRi · 07/12/2025 18:23

Become a trustee of a local charity or arts centre

Pleasegiveadvicetome · 07/12/2025 18:28
  • trustee/ school governor.
  • Non-exec (if you manage to get one).
  • local council, politics, enterprise organisations.
  • charity jobs of your choice of cause. Perhaps they need someone part-time with your skillset.
  • Church work / volunteering - if you are religious.
  • writing
  • painting
  • other crafts
  • sports
  • getting a degree in an interesting subject, just for fun.
  • bargain hunting at the auctions
  • learning language / musical instrument
  • working as an extra on film sets
ElizabethsTailor · 07/12/2025 18:30

I’m on the 5 year countdown to early retirement. Will still need to do some work, and will want to stay challenged and also give back.

Current thinking is focus on exercise and health for the first year, plus NED positions (starting to line these up now) - looking for about 6 days a month including travel.

Then (alongside NED-ship) possibly fund and run a community centre /arts centre/ gallery - partly as a vanity project and partly as a community resource.

summitfever · 07/12/2025 18:35

What do you love? Time to chase your vocation I’d say. I’d be a landscape photographer because it’s my passion. First find what you live, then figure out how to fill your life with it and be happy

JamesClyman · 07/12/2025 18:55

I considered two options.

One was secretary to the governors of a local special needs school (which I saw advertised in the local paper). The other was trustee of a small educational charity that I had some connection with.

I took the latter.

SeaAndStars · 07/12/2025 19:26

At 48 I retrained and worked for myself as a gardener which had always been my passion. The pay was much less but the satisfaction and joy was huge. I only worked when I wanted and for people I wanted to work for. It was wonderful.

I've retired properly now and I volunteer for environmental charities, trade in vintage goods for pocket money, grow my own veg, keep hens, walk in the hills and swim in the sea every day.

Exciting times for you OP.

SusanOldknow · 07/12/2025 19:29

Having several items or roles on the go as you may find one goes slow or has a pause, it's good not to be dependent on just one thing.

PodMom · 07/12/2025 19:34

a relative of mine did in his 30s. Went to work as a TA instead.

CMOTDibbler · 07/12/2025 19:39

Depends on your commitments at home, but I've now met a lot of serial event volunteers who are part/fully retired. Things like the Commonwealth Games/ Olympics/ European Athletics all have a lot of volunteers and so people use them as anchors to travel the world by themselves. I had a long stay in Paris last year for the Olympics and Paralympics and it was brilliant. But if you like motorsport for instance, Silverstone have a volunteer programme so you can go to loads of events.
There's also the option of having a portfolio of things you do. Early retirees I've met through cycling do things like a bit of lecturing, some cycling teaching/ advocacy, some volunteering in various amounts. Another guy I know does interim CFO work for a few months at a time. Only places he likes the look of, and only at the time of year that suits him

IDontHateRainbows · 07/12/2025 19:41

Ive known as few senior people in my field do consultancy/ interim, work a festival months of the year on a fat day rate and have the rest of the time off. Or NEDing.

tartyflette · 07/12/2025 19:55

I was lucky enough to be able to retire with an immediate occupational pension at 50 (the rules have since changed and you now need to be 55 i think) -- I was burnt out, old and cynical and had had more than enough of my job (senior journalist) .
DH worked for about another 10 years, although he actually had another pension in payment while he was working. He had changed careers, took voluntary redundo and the pension was from his time in banking.
I was quite organised, I re-started French classes to keep my knowledge of the language up and I also went to art classes. My late DM was also struggling with Alzheimers and I free to be able to help her too.
I enjoyed it all very much, especially being able to have a leisurely breakfast after years of having to get into the City at sparrow fart.

FastTurtle · 07/12/2025 20:05

My DH retired at 55 from a stressful, high paying job. Now he … plays golf.

Frenchfrychic · 07/12/2025 20:15

I’m going to do this next year, orginally I thought the same as you, now I’m thinking I don’t want to work ever again, and enjoy my life, lots of short haul holidays, days out in the uk like lunch on the south bank, national trust, nights away at places, lunches out, dinners out, gym, gym classes, gardening, and see how I feel. I guess it depends on finances. But my feeling now is I’m done.

PeonyBulb · 07/12/2025 20:15

apply to become a Magistrate.

They all work on a voluntary basis

Original poster
cathyj77 · 07/12/2025 20:15

Thanks all, some interesting ideas here.

OP posts:
Original poster
cathyj77 · 07/12/2025 20:16

I am not someone who gets bored ever usually, and I believe I could keep myself busy with hobbies, exercise, cooking, socialising etc. But I just don’t know if I’ll feel differently knowing it’s for the rest of my life….

OP posts:
DemonsandMosquitoes · 07/12/2025 20:23

DH retiring in June at 55 and me in December 26 also 55. We plan to continue travelling and spending aplenty with the aim of gradually dwindling down our monies so we have little left by our mid 80’s (if we live that long!) by which time I’m genuinely happy to take my chances. Will also start to drip feed money away regularly to DC. Die with zero!
Will cross the boredom bridge if we come to it.

soocool · 07/12/2025 20:30

Retired at 56, senior Civil Servant, Lady Humphries sort of job ha ha 😊

I did very little for the first year TBH and just enjoyed not having to do anything work wise. Decompressing! Then I went travelling for three or more weeks every three months or so. Europe only, you know those places that are not generally on the tourist trail. Solo mostly which was great and it suited me v. well, to my surprise, having been a people person throughout my former career. Maybe I was just playing a role.

Then I applied to be an external member of interview boards for senior jobs in the wider Public Sector. That was well paid and very interesting for a while, but I got tired of asking the same questions more or less for the same job for multiple candidates. I could decide whether or not to participate, and chose boards for jobs that I knew something about! Got fed up with it after a year and closed that book.

I'm eleven years gone now and haven't done much else since apart from travel and house stuff, yep, all that stuff I put off for years. I enjoy museums and history so go to exhibitions and historical talks and walks. All in all I'm very happy, content and a bit flipping lazy now. But retirement is for enjoyment, not soul searching!

Huckleberries · 07/12/2025 20:57

@cathyj77 reading with interest as I'm in a similar position I think... not sure yet

Everything either seems too work like or rather dull. The only exception is charity trustee. But the difficulty I have there is the financial responsibilities. So I'm not quite sure where I'm headed.

Also, I really enjoy just figuring it out as I go along! And living quietly without the tyranny of the alarm.

Crwysmam · 07/12/2025 20:58

I sold my business at 55 and dropped to 2 days a week. Now I’m 61 and just do 1 day a week. It’s high paid so worth it and I still enjoy it.

Pre covid I had lots of projects and although the pandemic got in the way I completed most of them. Unfortunately o also had breast cancer, which slowed me down.

I have spent the last year enjoying doing nothing. When something comes up it means I’m usually free to get involved. It’s great. I’ve also caught up on loads of tv box sets and books I never had time to watch in the past.

I have a good friend who is up for most things and we frequently just drop everything to go to an antique fair or event if it’s something both of us enjoy. We try to avoid the everyday coffee dates and ladies that lunch stuff, preferring slightly more unusual activities. My DSis has always been good for a day out and since she is retiring fully at Xmas we will be able to enjoy more time together. We tend to do more traditional shopping days although when our DC were younger we loved a theme park so may well do something along those lines. We are also big music fans and along with popular music we love classical and opera. We lost our youngest DSis last year so I tend to make the most of life while we still can and both have senior rail cards ( a standing joke ) and children spread around the country so hopefully will be visiting them over the years. We had two great aunts who used to do the same when we were younger so have promises ourselves to spend our dotage emulating them.

At home, adventures are on hold until my DH has a new knee but hopefully that will be done early next year and we can start walking again. Unfortunately the dog is fading but I can’t imagine our house without one so if we lose her then a replacement is on the cards and I will have the time and energy to train it.

We travelled a lot before having DS and now I really don’t like flying. It’s not the actual flight but all the time wasted at airports. There is so much of the Uk we haven’t seen so when DH is mobile we’ll start exploring.

Checknotmymate · 07/12/2025 21:02

I think the risk of becoming someone who 'potters' is very high. I'd want to be in a role that got me out meeting people and was quite demanding to keep me physically, socially and mentally on the ball.

TheRoomWhereItHappened · 07/12/2025 21:05

Not me but my DF retired from being a big 4 partner. He’d had years of lots of travel at pretty high intensity so took six months to be at home before starting a masters in executive coaching (not my things but he was interested). He now works for himself as a coach and does various different things as part of that, mostly working from home occasionally going into London. He absolutely loves it and is much happier than in accounting. The nice thing about working for himself is he can take time to travel with DM or come see me. So I’d say do a masters in something you’re interested in and see where it leads, but I’d also give yourself some time of not doing something just because of how intense what you were doing was. Who knows what you’ll come up with!