June 8, 2026 at 12:00 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Would You Retire Rather Than ...
June 8, 2026 at 6:57 pm
Comments from Would You Rather Retire Than ...
June 9, 2026 at 7:54 am
For me, AI isn't the problem; it's the straw that breaks the donkey's back. The amount and size of change that has happened in the past few years is phenomenal, both professionally and personally.
COVID and the switch to working from home were big changes. Changing jobs, restructuring in the company I work for, and changes in strategic direction.
Within the past decade, I've gone from having 15 uncles and aunts down to 3. I've also lost close friends of my age. The people who were my heroes are gone. My children are adults, and I'm an empty nester. I'm in a phase of life where there is a lot of personal reflection and re-evaluation of what is important. My brother-in-law says, "Adventure before Dementia".
There is a thing called healthy life expectancy. In the UK, the average age for men is 60.7 years, 7 years before the official retirement age. It's the number of healthy years you can expect in your life span. Beyond that, health issues start to limit what you can do.
I recall technology change throughout my career as being incremental, with rare big leaps in limited areas. I've always felt it was like rock climbing. You have 3 points of contact and reach for the next. The thrill of the new was always there, but there was a sense of being grounded.
AI feels like a massive jump into the unknown, and I'm feeling not just ungrounded but unmoored in stormy waters. There is a huge amount to learn at the same time as my workload is increasing exponentially. That is a circle that I am struggling to square.
I've seen AI do some incredible and positive things, but I worry that decision makers' belief in what it can do will impact us all before reality bites back. We've gone from Observe, Orientate, Decide, then Act to Obsact.
I am glad that Anthropic is asking for a pause on research for ethical reasons, and the other AI companies are thinking about how their brainchild can be abused (lowering the bar for acquiring biological and chemical weapons). The power of AI is such that ethics and morality have to be more prevalent.
I'm not ready to retire, but I think AI will thrust it upon me rather than it being my choice.
June 9, 2026 at 11:00 am
I've finally started looking seriously at what it's going to take for me to have an enjoyable retirement and finding that between some work-politics things and the push-push-push to AI all of the things, I really want to move the date of retirement up.
I'm right at that age where if I look to switch jobs, my age WILL play a factor (you can leave it off a resume, but it comes out eventually,) and I know that the grass won't be greener on the other side, it'll just be different grass with different weeds to deal with.
I don't mind staying relatively on-top of new tech, but I've definitely reached a point where a lot of the thrill is gone.
I do still enjoy my work, that's not likely to change, I've just reached a point where, if I won the lottery tonight, I'd be hard pressed to decide between "keep working, secure in the knowledge that I can walk away at any point" and "go in to work tomorrow and put in my retirement papers."
June 9, 2026 at 1:49 pm
For me, AI isn't the problem; it's the straw that breaks the donkey's back.
...
AI feels like a massive jump into the unknown, and I'm feeling not just ungrounded but unmoored in stormy waters. There is a huge amount to learn at the same time as my workload is increasing exponentially. That is a circle that I am struggling to square. I've seen AI do some incredible and positive things, but I worry that decision makers' belief in what it can do will impact us all before reality bites back.
...
It's a massive jump and it isn't. The more I see it and use it, the more I see plenty of people holding back or avoiding the act then observe phenomenom. The world is so large, and AI can be both costly in terms of money and rework. I think it's amazing, but also horrific and it's going to change the world, but at a very uneven rate. I think lots of opportunity and use for many people, including you and I, for at least the next decade. After that, I likely retire and it's someone else's problem
June 9, 2026 at 1:50 pm
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, I've just reached a point where, if I won the lottery tonight, I'd be hard pressed to decide between "keep working, secure in the knowledge that I can walk away at any point" and "go in to work tomorrow and put in my retirement papers."
A good place to be. You enjoy work enough that it's a question. I don't think I'd quit if I won the lottery, but who knows. Sometimes you need to walk in the shoes to understand how they fit.
June 9, 2026 at 2:26 pm
jasona.work wrote:... , I've just reached a point where, if I won the lottery tonight, I'd be hard pressed to decide between "keep working, secure in the knowledge that I can walk away at any point" and "go in to work tomorrow and put in my retirement papers."
A good place to be. You enjoy work enough that it's a question. I don't think I'd quit if I won the lottery, but who knows. Sometimes you need to walk in the shoes to understand how they fit.
Pretty sure I'd go with option 1, mostly because I LIKE the majority of my team and just bailing out would leave them in the lurch. Of course, retiring (when I do) will do the same thing, because we're under a rather tight budget so we're basically 1 person deep in any position AND because of rules and regulations, they can't hire a replacement DBA (or web admin or...) until the current position holder vacates the spot (yeah, dumb.) OK, plus, I know I'd be bored out of my mind for at least the first several months of being retired, hobbies or not...
But knowing I could walk away any time I wanted? The amount of stress that would take off me is incalculable.
June 10, 2026 at 7:13 am
I'm not quite sure I could walk away, mostly because I don't want to have a lifestyle reduction for now. However, I agree. Losing the pressure of needing/wanting a salary (and healthcare in the US) would be nice
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