Hey Freddy, I am seeing this post later but am so happy for you! Having a red line and being FI helps. I am glad your direct boss was supportive - I am sure she will miss you and will secretly enjoy the fallout/reactions of your departure. :)
I left in a somewhat similar situation - but nowhere near as stark. It was still during the COVID days when we were still working from home after almost a year. I wasn't thrilled with my job but it was fine and I had initially hoped to last a few more years, but a new requirement from my company that I had to learn/manage a new corporate software for my group just put me over the edge - and I was done. I wasn't willing to deal with all the politics and expectations of that project, plus still working remote with little to no 'real' support - encouragement doesn't count. I put in my notice and since it was still COVID times had very little send off - and it was fine. The company was since sold and re-org'd to be unrecognizable from when I worked there - so I probably wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.
Anyway, good luck on your retirement plans. Looking forward to hearing how it's going. My husband and I have also talked about moving but haven't landed on where just yet.
hi allyson. thanks for following along all this time. it has only been 6 weeks gone but i am starting to realize the low level irritation the place was causing from day to day. maybe it was similar in your situation but i did not notice until it was gone. i have to say some of my cynicism has faded. a friend told me she saw me walking my dog about a mile from home on a bitter cold sunny day and it looked like i was smiling and talking to him and i was!
isn’t it funny what the red line is for different people? i also talked to a young lady at my job who started at the same chemical company where i started out in the 90’s. their r+d facility where we both worked years apart is now closed. it’s a shame because it really was a family company where a good employee could work a whole career back in the day. then they sold to private equity and apparently you would not recognize the place/culture any longer. sound a little like what happened at your place. i appreciate the kind words and here’s to both of us rocking retirement!
Congrats man. I'm glad to had the gumption to draw your line in the sand and tell them to F off when it came down to it. As you said, they probably didn't expect you to actually quit, but good on you for following through. So you officially escaped the chemical industry ahead of me! Sounds like you're thinking of moving - where next?
thanks, dude. how long before you think you peace out? those fools earned that kind of exit. imagine your place telling you you had to go back to sitting over a tank full of formaldehyde like in the rookie days? wait 'til you read the upcoming post about how they tried to steal my last eligible paycheck. those antics should come with a hefty fine.
i've been in buffalo for almost 25 years and mrs. smidlap for 40 or more. but we are both from the I-87 corridor north of albany. i kind of like the small city of glens falls or maybe a surrounding village. we'll see what happens when the time comes but tidying this huge house for sale is feeling like a daunting task. i guess we have to do it like eating an elephant: one bite at a time.
That's funny, I literally started my career sitting over a tank of formaldehyde. I'll never forget that smell and can't believe OSHA wasn't called.
I probably have a couple years left, but it's not bad. We had a third kid, and the wife went part-time last year. Things are pretty good, and I could quit if it came down to it, but I figure I'll try to stick around long enough for AI to take my job /s.
Good luck with the house and the potential move. There are plenty choices up there in terms of small cities/villages, similar to what we had in CT. Looking forward to the next post!
Haha, 'f' words and middle fingers, that's the way to go out. So stoked for you my friend, there's only so much fuckery one can take. I too didn't make any fanfare of my retirement but mine was also wrapped up in all the Elon/DOGE madness, so everyone's hair was on fire. Either way you went out your way which is the best way. Enjoy your freedom dude, well earned!
thanks, man. the fuckery finally did me in. a couple of my friends from DC took that doge buyout. it was too good to resist especially as a couple with 2 people getting the benefits. you got about 3-4 months to come do that erie canal ride if you want me to go with you. rock on.
Congratulations! I was expecting some nefarious deeds, or at the very least an incident involving someone being called a "dummy". It was all very civilized and polite. Can't wait to see see what is next!
Hey Freddy, I am seeing this post later but am so happy for you! Having a red line and being FI helps. I am glad your direct boss was supportive - I am sure she will miss you and will secretly enjoy the fallout/reactions of your departure. :)
I left in a somewhat similar situation - but nowhere near as stark. It was still during the COVID days when we were still working from home after almost a year. I wasn't thrilled with my job but it was fine and I had initially hoped to last a few more years, but a new requirement from my company that I had to learn/manage a new corporate software for my group just put me over the edge - and I was done. I wasn't willing to deal with all the politics and expectations of that project, plus still working remote with little to no 'real' support - encouragement doesn't count. I put in my notice and since it was still COVID times had very little send off - and it was fine. The company was since sold and re-org'd to be unrecognizable from when I worked there - so I probably wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway.
Anyway, good luck on your retirement plans. Looking forward to hearing how it's going. My husband and I have also talked about moving but haven't landed on where just yet.
hi allyson. thanks for following along all this time. it has only been 6 weeks gone but i am starting to realize the low level irritation the place was causing from day to day. maybe it was similar in your situation but i did not notice until it was gone. i have to say some of my cynicism has faded. a friend told me she saw me walking my dog about a mile from home on a bitter cold sunny day and it looked like i was smiling and talking to him and i was!
isn’t it funny what the red line is for different people? i also talked to a young lady at my job who started at the same chemical company where i started out in the 90’s. their r+d facility where we both worked years apart is now closed. it’s a shame because it really was a family company where a good employee could work a whole career back in the day. then they sold to private equity and apparently you would not recognize the place/culture any longer. sound a little like what happened at your place. i appreciate the kind words and here’s to both of us rocking retirement!
Congrats man. I'm glad to had the gumption to draw your line in the sand and tell them to F off when it came down to it. As you said, they probably didn't expect you to actually quit, but good on you for following through. So you officially escaped the chemical industry ahead of me! Sounds like you're thinking of moving - where next?
thanks, dude. how long before you think you peace out? those fools earned that kind of exit. imagine your place telling you you had to go back to sitting over a tank full of formaldehyde like in the rookie days? wait 'til you read the upcoming post about how they tried to steal my last eligible paycheck. those antics should come with a hefty fine.
i've been in buffalo for almost 25 years and mrs. smidlap for 40 or more. but we are both from the I-87 corridor north of albany. i kind of like the small city of glens falls or maybe a surrounding village. we'll see what happens when the time comes but tidying this huge house for sale is feeling like a daunting task. i guess we have to do it like eating an elephant: one bite at a time.
That's funny, I literally started my career sitting over a tank of formaldehyde. I'll never forget that smell and can't believe OSHA wasn't called.
I probably have a couple years left, but it's not bad. We had a third kid, and the wife went part-time last year. Things are pretty good, and I could quit if it came down to it, but I figure I'll try to stick around long enough for AI to take my job /s.
Good luck with the house and the potential move. There are plenty choices up there in terms of small cities/villages, similar to what we had in CT. Looking forward to the next post!
Haha, 'f' words and middle fingers, that's the way to go out. So stoked for you my friend, there's only so much fuckery one can take. I too didn't make any fanfare of my retirement but mine was also wrapped up in all the Elon/DOGE madness, so everyone's hair was on fire. Either way you went out your way which is the best way. Enjoy your freedom dude, well earned!
thanks, man. the fuckery finally did me in. a couple of my friends from DC took that doge buyout. it was too good to resist especially as a couple with 2 people getting the benefits. you got about 3-4 months to come do that erie canal ride if you want me to go with you. rock on.
Congratulations! I was expecting some nefarious deeds, or at the very least an incident involving someone being called a "dummy". It was all very civilized and polite. Can't wait to see see what is next!
thanks, maggie! there was plenty of “dummy” thrown around but mostly among friends. looking forward to going back to the 518.
All good or bad things come to an end. The superpower of FI lets you decide what to do.
Congrats on pulling the cord. Have read stuff for many years and expect you to have a great time with the Missus and boxer.
i appreciate you reading all this time and for the comments. rock on.