Retirees: During your working life (from just starting to retirement), what became easier and what became harder? (moving, retired)
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I have wondered about this question and would be very interested in hearing retirees' thoughts and wisdom on this matter.
Were there certain aspects of work that became easier the further into your career that you progressed (i.e. your 40s and 50s vs. 20s and 30s)? This could be anything from the work itself to technical competence, or political/cultural issues in the workplace, etc.
On the flip side, were there certain aspects of work that didn't faze you early on that seemed intolerable once you got close to retirement (or at some other point somewhere during your working life)?
And how much of this could be attributable to your own personal situation versus cultural changes in workplaces in general?
I look forward to your responses! And even if you're not retired, but are moving in that direction, I'd be curious to hear from you.
1. My job became very low stress in the last five years (I'm 65). Partly because I do it well and partly because I have the respect of my superiors. They value my skill set and leave me alone. A few years back, I told my boss that part of my job was to make her job easier. O, yea...I wrote the procedure and policy that describes my job. That could be a factor.
2. Stuff I would not do today. Dealing with scary or difficult clients or too big of a workload (Social Services). Sorry, but I am too old for that male cow manure. I got my Medicare card and have the freedom to give two weeks notice. I do hope to work for two more years, but got the OK from Mrs5150 to retire if the current situation at work proves to not be temporary. (I have taken on some stuff to help out due to short staffing and I know it is not sustainable on a long term basis).
It becomes easier as you are increasingly allowed to see and participate in "the big picture", that is as you are give more privileged information and asked for your views on it. For me what became harder was the increased structure, rules, and attitudes that interfered with carrying out my work. As would be natural, younger workers embraced the latter as it was all they had ever known, while the older workers were somewhat frustrated by it.
It becomes easier as you are increasingly allowed to see and participate in "the big picture", that is as you are give more privileged information and asked for your views on it. For me what became harder was the increased structure, rules, and attitudes that interfered with carrying out my work. As would be natural, younger workers embraced the latter as it was all they had ever known, while the older workers were somewhat frustrated by it.
This. When I was first starting out I was willing to take orders and I believed what I was told and went along with it. Later on, after having learned from my own experience, I resented being told what to do, what new rules we would follow, what new fads and policies would be implemented. I already knew what worked and all this nonsense (usually promoted by someone who was trying to score points or add to their resume) interfered with my ability to do my job. Of course the younger workers sucked it up just like I did when I was young.
I'm only two years from retirement, so I'm close enough to have experienced the difference. The biggest difference I've seen over my career is that 35 years ago I went to work, put in my day and went home. Today, with the advent of the internet and cell phones and linked emails, we seem to be "on the job" 24/7. I get messages at all hours, and when I'm on "vacation", and the company has no qualms about contacting me. Of course all this and no extra pay as I'm on salary. Thi is becoming the norm in a lot of jobs for the kids today, and I'm not sure that's a good thing.
My job changed a great deal over my career. As with many others spreadsheets, computers, emails and the internet had a huge effect. In addition my area was at the forefront of robotics and automation. Robotics and automation greatly improved efficiency and reduced labor. The change also favored economies of scale so many businesses consolidated in addition to the huge labor and staff reductions. These changes kept occurring and improving over the decades. Of course, with all of the mergers and consolidations, I lost my job numerous times. I had little difficulty getting new jobs because I was one of those who understood the industry and how to implement improvements. I did need to move my family across the country in the pursuit of new jobs. Toward the end of my career, I had a leadership position in replacing human decision making with computers. I developed and wrote the algorithms for making quality control and production decisions. Ten years later that code is still in place and largely unchanged.
Twenty years into the work world, I developed such a severe allergy to BS that I became virtually unemployable. My last boss and I decided about the same time that I was not cut out to be an employee. So I went out on my own then. Every technical aspect of my work has gotten easier, both through my own experience and technology. The human elements have all gotten easier, too, with the sole constraint that I can't tolerate phonies or BS artists--but I can choose not to do business with those types.
I can certainly understand the dislike of BS artists and phonies. I even have problems relating to honest sales type people. Even worse I suffered dealing with human stupidity and apathy. Maybe that was partly intensified because I worked in a field undergoing downsizing and consolidation. When you work in that sort of environment the majority of employees hate their jobs.
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