Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: ↑Thu Aug 24, 2023 9:22 pm
I go to work for the money, no other reason, as soon as I can afford to I'm retiring.
Pretty much my view as well. As far as I was concerned as soon as I stepped out of the doors of my work place, that was it - work was over until I walked back in and it was my time. I never gave work a second thought until I was back in work premises. To me it was really important to make that mental demarcation and to absolutely not start defining yourself by your work.
I started in IT in 1974 and it was all pretty Wild West initially - anything went and consequently it was quite enjoyable. As the years rolled by the bureaucracy and paperwork increased (I still remember hearing the words 'Change Control' for the first time) and I was spending less and less time doing the actual job and more and more time jumping through hoops.
It got to the point that pretty much all the enjoyment had been squeezed out of the job and I was absolutely only doing it for the money when two things happened - I attended a pension seminar and realised I could actually retire and be financially comfortable and then Covid hit. In July 2020 I'd passed the 20 year mark of employment, taken all the benefits that went with that landmark and promptly fucked off into retirement. My leaving do was a Zoom call.
The first retirement project was to restore my 350LC to a decent state, and since then I can honestly say I've never been bored or at a loss for something to do. I really haven't given work a second thought and I have no remorse about letting my (particularly arcane) skill set atrophy and die. It belonged to a different era when Previous Me was alive. Present Me and Future Me have absolutely no use for it. The one skill I retain and use is basic project management skills; when planning a project I can figure out all the timeline/critical path/resources bollocks and get the job done. I really don't miss work one jot - some of the people, yes but not the actual work.
Don't look back, look forward.
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.