No need to retire - just rewire. I'm looking forward to rewirement. Rewirement may or may not involve working for compensation.
No need to retire - just rewire. I'm looking forward to rewirement. Rewirement may or may not involve working for compensation.
Are you now, or have you ever been a member of the Doodie Project?
Non LE, but work a career Fire job. I've had bosses who gave their entire life to the job and stay much longer than they should have and unfortunately passed away 4 months after he retired.
It sounds like you've got your ducks lined up, finances in order and a successful career in LE completed. As others have said you'll know when it feels right to go and it appears that now is that time. Best of luck and health!
Look! Just because we're bereaved, that doesn't make us saps!
Between active duty military and Federal LE, I've missed damn near everything important at one time or another - birthdays, anniversaries, "moving up" ceremonies, concerts, plays, track meets, I could go on and on. The time you have with your family is so much more precious than ANYTHING that any job can give you. It sounds like you're in the enviable position that your financial situation isn't going to cause you to worry about how to make ends meet after retirement - that is just another reason, IMHO, to punch.
I get the duty commitment. I'm a duty-hound myself, and always end up shorting my family because of it. Just got asked to work a protective mission on Father's Day, which will be the day after I return from a week at FLETC - and, because I'm an idiot, I'm feeling guilty for not immediately saying "yes." There will ALWAYS be something duty-related that will anchor you to the job if you let it.
IMHO, riding out the summer, getting a month of paid leave, and then punching in the fall sounds like a great plan.
Rex, you noticing a pattern here?
You already knew this...and now you've got folks you trust here to reaffirm what you already knew.
I'm hoping you have 40 or 50 good years to enjoy the fruits of your decision.
Last edited by blues; 06-06-2017 at 11:22 AM.
There's nothing civil about this war.
I retired at the earliest opportunity (age 50) with 28 years of service and have been out almost 12 years now. Never regretted leaving and haven't missed it. When it becomes unfun to go to work, it is time to go. Only you will know when that time has arrived. Another thing to consider is how much you are at risk vs what your pension percentage is. If you can retire at say 80%, is it worth it to stick around for that additional 20%? I can not understand why someone that has maxed out their pension is still hanging around other than maybe they need the medical coverage.
The first indication a bad guy should have that I'm dangerous is when his
disembodied soul is looking down at his own corpse wondering what happened.
I left at age 46 with 25 years in. Work in construction management now, working more hours then before so not much of a retirement!
Now the stress is only money stress as opposed to life or death. Feeling much healthier overall just getting away from it.
Wouldn't trade those years for anything though, it was a hell of a ride. Miss my people a ton, the job not a bit.
I've got 25 in....planning on staying another 4. Took a promotional test solely for the option of leaving early (and thankfully did well enough that I'll get the job). I am unfortunately in the "not fun to go to worK" space, due to the changing nature of the job at my place, but can't leave yet.
Ran into a retired former co-worker a couple of months ago. Always a mellow, unflappable guy even on the job. Always fit and healthy. Now, he looks even fitter and healthier. He's busy....doing what he wants to do. He told me, "Pal, never underestimate the health benefits of being able to tell some total asshole to go fuck themselves...and just walk away." Wisdom.
Possible. In my pension system you could retire younger but if you opted for pension insurance, your co-pay was higher if you were under 55. They got guys to hang on, but the word is that there will no longer be pension provided health care after next year. My point being that you stick it out for a perceived benefit, then they screw you anyway.Originally Posted by LtDave
"Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA
Beware of my temper, and the dog that I've found...
I took the Lieutenant's test with the primary goal of increasing my pension benefit. I knew the Lieutenant job sucked, but had no idea how much worse it was than being a Sergeant. A wise Captain once told me the only benefit to being a Lieutenant was to be eligible to take the Captain's test.
The first indication a bad guy should have that I'm dangerous is when his
disembodied soul is looking down at his own corpse wondering what happened.
For me, the benefit of taking the Lieutenants exam was reaching my max Sergeants pension sooner. One of my old Lts asked me why I never took the test just before he retired. He was one of the best bosses and best men I ever worked with. I told him, "Because, present company excepted, most commissioned officers in our agency are venal, immoral, self-interested souls with no actual concern for public safety or the safety of their subordinates, and I don't want to work with them as my peers." He just shook his head and said, "Sadly....I have to agree with everything you just said."
Granted, things aren't this bad elsewhere. Some cops are still allowed to do police work. My agency is transforming away from Law Enforcement to what I have termed Law Encouragement. Really all of California LE is headed this way, as we engage in the great experiment..."What happens when we reduce or eliminate the penalties for crime? We'll get less crime! We hope!" When an agency deliberately crafts policy that is more restrictive than Supreme Court Case Law, or State Law (and even contradicts those), includes legally indefinable terms like "minimal force" or "proportional force" in policy, and the only new "training" that you're giving your cops is "Implicit Bias" and "Procedural Justice" training to convince them that enforcing the law is racist...or something....you get what you get.
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