Retirement after 44 years as an IT specialist

[bobby.knight]

I contacted management November 9th at 12:00 cancel my id.
44 years is enough.
Cobol, RPG, Assembler programmer
Programmer/Analyst CICS
I developed a piece of software to convert Macro CICS to
Command Level CICS about 90% clean.
Project Leader
Database Administrator IMS
Database Administrator DB2
Independent Consultant Disaster Recovery Specialist/System
Programmer
Database Administrator with Remote Database Experts.

This $hit sounds impressive
I was only promoted once in 44 years, from management trainee to computer programmer.

It's time to go, can't take the 1am problems.

Actually I hate to quit but all things come to an end.

[SAR01]

congrats.. you earned it.. now rest a bit, and decide your next chapter....bet it is helping others with their pc troubles!

[SAR01]

forgot to add, that is very impressive.. sounds a lot like Dan's Resume..


he started with the cobol and RPG, and then after a bunch of things , visual basic, and IDMS(?) might have the letters wrong. lol


he went into and was the go to man for AS400.

[MGT]

Congratulations! I retired two years ago and have not looked back!

[bw]

That's when I started. ADPAC at Georgia-Pacific, and then various DB. Heavy assembler, could make COBOL walk and talk. Big iron, disks the size of washing machines. Good career.

I'm retired but still coding. Python 3d graphics, PHP, SQL, stuff that was never even imagined when I started with 8-bit assembler.

[Bardou]

Retirement is great! It will take a few weeks to adjust to your new found freedom, but you may say "why didn't I do this sooner!" Your resume is impressive!

[TerryK]

Congrats on your retirement.
Adjusting to retirement is hard for some people, others not so much.
If you've been Type A all your life, expect some adjustment problems in your retirement.

Enjoy yourself. It's time to do what you want for a change. For many people, that takes some getting use to.

Retiring from the military, and finally retiring from my civilian job as an IT Director, was the strangest feeling that first day after I woke up and finally realized that I didn't have to do a damn thing anymore, if I didn't want to. Total freedom.

[JF&P]

Congratulations bobby.night

You will get used to retirement and its freedom....May God Bless and Protect You and Yours.

[rlm1966]

I am jealous of your retirement from IT. I have about another 10 years before I am able to make the same claim myself or at least that is the plan. Have fun, travel, go fishing and enjoy your freedom.

[Seeker22]

That is a long impressive resume. I retired several years ago. I now have more time to devote to the dogs. My farm is my job now. The view from the front porch is lovely, and there is no commute. Hobbies I put off are now getting done. You will find your daily rythms in retirement, just as in the workday world. Enjoy- you earned it.

[twobarkingdogs]

Hopefully its Congrats.

I just left the world of employment this past spring after 35 years of Cobol, CICS, DB2 and all other things related to IBM mainframes. In my case I had asked to go to part time but my former employer didn't think that would work in the new world of the Cloud, PM's, UX'ers and the staff developer roles that the company was shifting toward. So we came to an agreement and I left taking my skill set and functional knowledge with me. Sold my intown house and moved up to my BOL and now I just need to survive 8 years until I am eligible for medicare and SS. Garden will be getting bigger next year. Bee hives are getting built. Same with the chicken coop. The dogs are fitting into the new lifestyle and I am thinking of adding another to the pack.

Point is you've entered a new world. Just like how things changed from school to college. And college to employment. This is another change. Hopefully you've given some thought to what you will do at this phase and have the financial means to make it happen.

Good luck to you.

tbd

[Jeff B.]

First off, congratulations on a well earned retirement after 44 years... that's a solid career and resume.

Second, you've had a very unique opportunity to watch the development and growth of IT as its own field.

Lastly, I'm 5 - 7 years from being able to hang it up, and just accepted a move from a Field Leadership Role to a Leadership Role at our Corporate Office. Very similar job, only working with an "Inside" team that's a lot younger and less experienced than my former crew. I won't travel near as much, which is becoming appealing and there are some significant opportunities with taking on this group (it's a mess frankly) before I do decide to hang it up.

Jeff B.

[Turret Buster]

44 years.......dayum.
You deserve a break.

[Groucho]

Welcome to retirement. I hung it up after 42 years. I just walked in one day and thought, "It's done. Time to change." I liked my job and all, but just got tired of somebody else's schedule. Gave the boss six month's notice and left in 2012. When I woke up at "regular" time the next day, I just smiled and poured a leisurely cup of coffee and watched the sunrise. For the first time in many, many years I wasn't rushing around, gulping down breakfast and dashing out the door.

Now I garden, go to the range, Mrs. G. and I head up to the shores of Lake Erie and walk along the beach at Fairport or Mentor, and take short road trips together. I was made for this.

You've done the right thing. I can tell you, the nicest part is when you find your own rhythm and discover what you really like doing vs. what you're supposed to do.

[Jackpine Savage]

Congrats on your retirement.

I started in 1980 and did many of the things on your resume. I couldn't take it nearly as long though!

It is fun to think back on how far technology has changed. I'm sure you started out with punch cards too.

Being on call 24x7 was the worst. A phone call in the middle of the night could end up being a 24 hour day. The operators were always amazed though when I would answer the phone after the first ring and be coherent. Now though I don't feel obligated to answer the phone every time, if it's important they will leave a message

I hope you enjoy your retirement.

[Ravekid]

Congrats. After taking my first programming/comp sci class last Spring, I have much more respect for what folks like you can do. I tried to want to enjoy the field, but it just isn't for me. I'm way more getting out and about, hands-on, and what I'd be doing as an entry level programmer was just not something I could mentally handle. Lots of family and friends in the field, and they have been lucky to all find good jobs, jobs that pay very well especially consider the better cost-of-living in our area. You worked for a long time, so I hope you enjoy your freedom to do whatever you want now.

[Dennis Olson]

Sigh

I still have 7 years to go. I’ve come to hate IT over the years, but it’s the only thing I know.

Congratulations on getting off the hamster wheel.

[Dobbin]

So what is the "intellectual you" going to do for stimulation now?

Owner is still "transitioning" into retirement like 5 years later. He has his farm, his clientele (he's good with tools and "fixes things") and his friends. And a hobby or two or three or four?

Owner says "everyone should have at least two careers in their life - preferably concurrently."

Dobbin

[WanderLore]

Congratulations! Have a big party!
Then...find one item of service work to do a month. Something where someone counts on you. I promise it will help.

[Kris Gandillon]

Congrats on your retirement!

I am in my 45th year in IT. Hope for 8 more years if they will keep me that long. Still love it and look forward to each day. One advantage of a global company is not having to worry about the late night calls because there is always someone else somewhere in the world to deal with those. Been in just about every role from Programmer to CIO. Software, hardware, networking, database, telecom.

[Bardou]

Hopefully its Congrats.

I just left the world of employment this past spring after 35 years of Cobol, CICS, DB2 and all other things related to IBM mainframes. In my case I had asked to go to part time but my former employer didn't think that would work in the new world of the Cloud, PM's, UX'ers and the staff developer roles that the company was shifting toward. So we came to an agreement and I left taking my skill set and functional knowledge with me. Sold my intown house and moved up to my BOL and now I just need to survive 8 years until I am eligible for medicare and SS. Garden will be getting bigger next year. Bee hives are getting built. Same with the chicken coop. The dogs are fitting into the new lifestyle and I am thinking of adding another to the pack.

Point is you've entered a new world. Just like how things changed from school to college. And college to employment. This is another change. Hopefully you've given some thought to what you will do at this phase and have the financial means to make it happen.

Good luck to you.

tbd

Out of curiosity, if you get another dog, will you change your name to threebarkingdogs? You sound like you have your retirement together. Every month DH gets a newsletter from his company, and in the back are the employees who have passed on that month. He looks at when they retired and when they died. Some made it 30 years beyond their retirement, and some didn't make it a month. One of his coworkers talked about retiring to a lake and living on a house boat. That's all he talked about. He retired and dropped dead the next week. There was a thread here yesterday about retirement, choose what you want to do and do it, it's your life.

[vestige]

I don't see how you lasted 44 years.... you must be tougher than woodpecker lips.

I put in quite a bit less than that and was ready to throw in the towel... and did.

Congratulations on being born again.

Stay healthy.

[Dozdoats]

Enjoy it - you earned it.

[twobarkingdogs]

Out of curiosity, if you get another dog, will you change your name to threebarkingdogs?

Not to derail the congrats on retirement to bobby but since you asked

I have had the internet user id of twobarkingdogs on different web sites since the later 90's.

Story is that when I was trying to come up with a email user name I was sitting in my office bedroom and both of my dogs were standing on the top of the picnic table from where they could see in the bedroom window where I was sitting, Since they were both barking at the time I came up with the name two barking dogs. Both those dogs have since passed and even the following one has passed. All of old age, time really does fly. The present 2 are currently 6 and 7 years old.

The idea for a 3'rd dog has been in the back of my mind since my leaving the work force this past spring. And I don't want to wait until these get old before adding an addition. So I recently started craigslist shopping. And showing that I am weird I am somewhat shopping by color as these 2 both black mouth curs are white, female, and tan, male. I want a different color so that when they are across the pasture I can tell whos who if that makes sense.

Advice to Bobby is that the key to a successful retirement is to have things to do. The power of retirement is to not have to do the things you have to do. If I don't want to work in the garden today I don't have to. I'll do it tomorrow when I feel differently. For most things there is no rush. Most days I start my project around 8, break for breakfast around 9:30, and then continue working until 1 or 2. Then thats it and I relax for the remainder of the day. Some projects are big multi day efforts and some are quick hitters. I mix and match to keep the boredom away. Other then church on sunday I only have 2 other things which are scheduled. Meeting with the beekeeping club which is monthly and soup kitchen cooking which is every other week. All the rest of the time is my own.

Again to bobby and all others, enjoy your retirement

tbd

[hammerhead]

Congrats on your retirement! I started on a CDC 6500 in 1976. What a long strange trip it's been.

[Yogizorch]

Congratulations!! Don't forget to get that prostate checked.

[ReneeT]

Congratulations on your retirement!!

[LeafyForest]

Congratulations on your retirement. Take the time to enjoy every minute of if - you earned it!

[Txkstew]

I really wasn't planing on retiring as soon as I did. I'm still trying to find work in my field which is Instrument/Electrical Design Engineering. The Oil Refining business crapped out around 4 years ago, and my company was good at keeping people on overhead, some for over a year. I stayed billable for the first year, then mostly went on overhead for 20 some hours a week. I always joked that I'd like to work four, six hour days a week, and actually did for almost 6 month before the big layoff. I don't blame my company, as they held the core group as long as they did. 30 of us got cut one day. They gave us two weeks severance pay, and said good luck. I drew unemployment for the allowed six months, then nothing. I was only 60 1/2 years old by then and I burned through most of my savings just to get to 62 years old, and signed up for Social Security. Now I have very little extra cash to do anything but pay the bills and eat. I stay home most of the time. Going to the grocery store is the highlight of my week. I really need to go back to work at least 4 more years, as this sitting around is not good in many ways.