Event Coverage It found me (Retirement)

Larry,
10 years ago I was debating retirement (Teaching Autoshop). I knew I would miss it. The math teacher put it to me like this: "How much will you make if you work next year? How much will you get in retirement? To make up the difference you would need to sub 1 day a week. Now, do you want to work 5 days a week, or 1 for the same income?"
I told the guy that replaced me that I wouldn't sub for him the first year as the carry over students would always consider me 'their real teacher'. I had more sub jobs than I wanted and gradually weaned myself off the school tit. Didn't sub even 1 day this year.
Congratulations!

Bruce

 

I would imagine everyday from here on out will be more enjoyable than the last. I would like to congratulate you for your accomplishments. I would gamble that over the past few decades you helped sculpt many careers and met quite a few characters. That's an accomplishment most cant speak for. Now if I may, I have two questions. Material, process, and position. Favorite and least favorite? Hope the snow is melting and the inspection goes as planned. Thanks Ty

 

Congrats on the retirement!

I always told people I was going to retire at 55, but aside from putting money away I never put a specific plan together. When I hit 55 I started telling people two more years. That's what I've been telling people ever since. Now I'm 57... but my wife and I did start putting a plan together so the number is actually winding down. The big change came when I told my wife for the umpteenth time that we could do this. I was floored when her reply was "I know, we could both retire tomorrow if we wanted to" instead of some excuse why we couldn't.

Anyway, a few weeks before all this madness started she quit her job. She SAID she was going to look for another but I had my doubts. She's finally admitted to herself that she's likely semi-retired (she still has one part time job).

I've been working from home for a while now, but I'm only employed every other week. The off weeks I've been on forced vacation or now furloughed. In my mind, this is just a dry run for retirement and I have to say I think I'll be pretty good at it. We have been on a couple online get togethers with friends, and someone asked what people will do when this is all over. There were comments about hugging grandchildren and that sort of thing, plus going out and doing this or that. basically people were stir crazy. Cabin fever. Anything to get out. When the question got to me I joked the first thing I was going to do when I got called back in was to retire so I could keep doing what I'm doing now. People thought I was kidding but I wasn't. I don't get how people can be bored at home - for cripe sakes I have all the time there is right now and I still got overwhelmed when I went down to my shop this afternoon with all the "stuff" I have to work on.

Don't tell anyone I work with, but one of the big reasons I haven't left already is I have to wonder if permanent layoffs won't be coming soon, and I just might get an offer to retire early? The ship is taking on water and I could easily swim to shore... but if they're going to offer me a spot on a lifeboat...

Rumors are we will be working full time but for a reduced salary in the near future. I need to figure out at what point it just isn't worth it anymore. The house and cars and are paid for, but the toy fund would take a HUGE hit if I walked away...

 

Thanks Ty,
Favourite process. That’s easy, TIG on any material and any position.
It was always my specialty on pressure vessels and piping on a variety of exotic or no so exotic materials.
Favourite materials for me were things like Monel or Hasteloy, mostly because they can be difficult to weld and require a lot of skill to do so successfully.

Least favourite process. Anything that requires large diameter wire feed such as Metal core or Flux core.

 

Your comments will probably influence the decisions I'll soon be making concerning which welding process to focus my time, energy and money.



Sent from my VS835 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Sounds good, don’t discount the usefulness of a 220 volt mig machine running .023 solid wire and 75-25 shielding gas.

The TIG is great but I also have a Miller 180 auto set Mig that’s very handy.

They both have a place in a hot rodders garage.

You just have to choose wisely which to use for which project.

I used the Mig lot’s for tacking and mockup on the chassis and body and found lots of places for the Tig for finish welding where appearance and quality/structural integrity is crucial.

Another skill that has served me well has been OAW gas torch welding and silver brazing.
Old school hammer and dolly bodywork with the gas torch is fun.

 

Thanks for the input. I find it neat to hear the preferences of someone with a bunch of experience. Stay safe out there so can enjoy your retirement as long as possible

 

Thanks, Larry. Taking note.

Hey guys. Try this while you're stuck at home wondering what else to eat. Super easy, super good. Hot cook-style chocolate pudding poured over vanilla ice cream. You're welcome. LOL

 

Who cares what day it is? I know the feeling. Remember "getting old is not for sissies."

 

You will know when that time comes. You will get up one day and decide "today is the day". Any job you will get will be one to occupy your time. Promotions, job security, etc. are irrelevant. It doesn't matter. You won't care. You will work if you want, when you want, as long as your want, doing what you want and you can walk away anytime you want. Enjoy your retirement.

 

Years ago my father gave me this advice on retirement, "you need to have everything paid off when you retire". It worked for him as he retired when he was 61 and he turns 100 next month. I took his advice and had everything paid off when I retired in December 2009 at 58.

 

Enjoy your new chapter in life! Congratulations.

 

HOW IS THIS ON TOPIC? Have the moderators been asleep? Maybe I'll talk about gardening in retirement and mention using 32 Ford seat springs for bean trellises just to keep it on topic.
"Blue One, post: 13542186, member: 105140"]Well guys I have searched for retirement threads and also read the various ones that have popped up from time to time.

Some of them have been and are entertaining such as the retirement workload thread just to name one.

I had been thinking about what retirement might be like and had done some planning however I was thinking I’d go a little bit longer.

Some of you may be aware that for the last 22 years I have been teaching my trade (Welding) and have really enjoyed the job, helping the students in their apprenticeship careers.

Having summers off and all that was great too.

This year our provincial government decided to cut funding to post secondary education institutions by a lot.

That along with lower student numbers meant that staff would be reduced.

My seniority meant that I was going to be able to stay for as long as I wanted however they offered an attractive severance package so to make a long story shorter, I accepted the offer and today is my first day of retirement.

I’m happy about it, I’ve got lots to keep me busy, finishing my RPU, just upholstery left now and once this virus thing has passed we can spend some time in Texas while it’s cold up here.


My first project is changing my shop lighting over to LEDs.

I’ll be 66 this July so you could say that I made it [/QUOTE]

 

Is your avatar pic from the old Westwood track?

 

i got there last month. 64 1/2. take this job and shove it. early? maybe, mo money is always good, but i may not be breathing long enough to see the benefit. company is struggling now, you can not hire anyone with any skills these days, there were 4 that do my job, now with 3 they want them to work saturdays to keep up! soon there will be less. sad news is, instead of being a happy old guy "making bird houses" i have a lot of work to do around my property as i wish to sell, and get out of the swamp. i'll get over the hump someday, and be able to wake up and say "what should i do today?"

 

Nurburgring. Jim Clark in flight.

 

Larry,

Just found this thread and I want to offer you my heartfelt congratulations! I retired at the end of Christmas break 2017. I missed my students a lot but not the administration and the new ideas (?) from the ministry of education. Did some subbing at my old school of 37 years and the students were always very happy to see me. Some were very serious when they begged me to come back.

I got hired in another district and this year up to spring break there were only two days that I have not been called in though I didn't take them all. I don't like to go in on sunny days but I still love the teaching. I take my minimal pension from my private plan and my wife takes her max from her govt plan. I work four or five days a month and I'm golden. Now to put some money towards my projects I just accept a few more days. Ten days of sub teaching is paying for my engine rebuild!

I think you will miss teaching as it's one of the best jobs in the world if you're built for it.
And don't forget Deuce Days in '22, no excuse now!

 

Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m quite enjoying it so far.

The weather is wet so far this summer here but once the sun starts shining again I’ll be able to enjoy the RPU.

I do think that I’ll miss the classes in the fall once they start up again.

I may have the opportunity to go in from time to time depending on student levels and I like the rest of us will be happy when the virus situation resolves itself.

I really enjoyed the years I spent teaching.

Deuce days sounds good, hope they actually do it.
Larry

 

Such a shame the demise of the Westwood circuit!

 

This is just my reason for retirement and being able to spend the rest of my years building hot rods and motorcycles- I found that (in the UK anyway) the younger section of my workforce (even as a senior tradesman) were not interested in doing the job "correct" -just enough seemed to be their motto(crooked pipework uneven bolt lengths in 60 bolt flanges etc) even to the point when you knew they had fu£k up but saved their asses ,they didn`t appreciate what had been done for them -certificates seemed to be their goal....even a 55% pass was -great I have that now ,I am qualified to step up to the next level......"what,you have stopped me getting there" grievance procedures etc ensued -I gave up stepped out and decided that there is more to life than helping people achieving the goals in life I had-sure I fu£ed up , had my ass kicked and learned a lesson from every time and appreciated the time the guys gave up to make me do stuff right -I go to all their funerals and every single time I think of their wise words and shed a tear .............retirement -fuck I kick my own ass sometimes

 

Congratulations. I'm 75 and consider myself semi retired, I see all these guys around here that quit and some of them don't last very long. I still try to do about one customer chassis a month and sell the T5 kits and the water pump kits like I've been doing for lots of years. Can only watch so much Gunsmoke and Law and Order, don't hunt, fish, camp or play golf so what's left is to travel and I did so much of that while promoting my business it's also lost it's luster. I think I'll just continue life like I have since I moved to town

 

Blue,

I just found something that I'm going to order that you might want to consider, now that you've had a couple of months to "get used to" retirement.

A clock that only has one hand and is divided into 7 equal segments labeled Sunday, Monday, etc. The hand goes around once a week.

Sherry and I seldom know what day of the week it is. We really don't need to know what time it is but occasionally we do need to know what day it is.

 

Second best move I ever made is RETIREMENT!!...( best move I ever made was marrying my SECOND wife!!)

 

Hey that could be my post.
Same story for me.

 

Me three...

 

ughhh.....im so envious . i have probably 10 more years (im 56) ,been dumping a butt ton of money into my 401k for years . i never really thought about retiring , loved my job until a 30 something douche bag tobacco spitting tool became my supervisor .

 

I have been retired since 2016. Worked close to 50 years. Age 16 to 66. When the lines cross between had enough and have enough, retirement is the answer. Now I sometimes wake up in the morning with nothing to do and I only get it half done by bedtime.