Lexie I started my working life after the military and college in the private sector and fell into government. Loved the politics more for the thrill of the hunt. Now it ended up I served as a city manager and county administrator for many local governments and then consulted. After thirty-five years I still miss the hunt but NOT the stress and stupidity of elected officials. Almost became one myself so I get their drift or lack of it. Also, as you mentioned the paperwork, technology, attitudes and it was not fun anymore. Oh, I worked in two school districts and did not like where are state was going on education and got out.

Got'ta love your style ... that said, in my level of life I know many many many retirees that would not could not do what your grandfather did along with what I read. Go for it as I believe being busy and/or working helps keep us alive and young!

Wanderer wrote: As a follow on people who think they can work forever ... they do not realize what happens to the physical body and mind! My bet is on the fact that when most people reach or get close to retirement they will find they cannot perform at the same level and that employers really don't want old timers around (viewed as to slow, out of touch and too expensive).

Who said anything about an employer? I intend to keep working, but I intend to be working for myself. That way I am the employer, and I can forgive myself for slowing down or hire help if I need it. My grandfather was building and selling garden furniture into his 90's and loving every minute of it, so I might go the same way.

I totally agree Wanderer. That's one of the reasons I retired. The paperwork, the technology, the change in children's attitudes were just becoming too much to keep up with. I do have some colleagues that continue to teach after 35+ years because they love it so much. In some cases that's all they have. I sure am enjoying myself though. No more classrooms.

As a follow on people who think they can work forever ... they do not realize what happens to the physical body and mind! My bet is on the fact that when most people reach or get close to retirement they will find they cannot perform at the same level and that employers really don't want old timers around (viewed as to slow, out of touch and too expensive). Need to serve as a wet blanket on the belief that we can just keep working. As an add, if you have a physically demanding job such as construction or mining I will go so far as to say "get real". My comments are based on the real world and my having retired once and then going back to work in a totally different field of endeavor.

Great success story!!! I love to hear that! It gives people hope.

I am retired and loving every minute. Between my pension and early SS I'm doing just fine. We sold our primary home and moved into our vacation home which has less upkeep and is quite a bit smaller. That means we downsized and are in the process of getting rid of "stuff." When Medicare kicks in this year, I will have to pay for part of my health insurance but it isn't that much. Some of you younger folks out there think you will work forever and if that's what you want to do then go for it. Me? 30 years as a teacher was quite enough.

I definitely want to retire! I just hope I have the savings to be able to!

Leave the door open to retirement. When you start reaching the mid-fifties and beyond you will notice that the body and mind slow down. Sometimes one over the other. Hard to imagine when you are young but trust me it happens to everyone!

I don't think I will retire. I like creating things too much, whether that's a business or a craft, and it makes sense to keep the money coming in as long as possible. One health emergency can take an awful lot of funds, even with insurance.

What IDE do you use for working with Python? I've made the decision to pursue learning Python and probably the AngularJS framework this year and I'm looking at PyCharm.

Hi MikeJ,

I wanted to find a language that was easy to learn. After research, I found that a lot of colleges actually offer Python as the first language of choice. You can begin coding from the first day, but it it still teaches you basic concepts like loops and procedures. You're not bogged down by a static language. There are also so many free resources to learn Python. The first one that I used was Learn Python the Hard Way. But there's helloworld, codecadamy and coursera that offer free courses. I'm actually so glad that I started with Python because I got the best of both worlds.

Hi Midsouthgal,

I'm curious about your learning Python. Did you have experience with other scripting languages (HTML/JavaScript) before committing yourself to learning it? All of my hardcore coder friends always use compiled languages like C++/C# as the "golden standards" but with my HTML background, I've been looking more and more into a high-level scripting language like Python.

MidSouthGal wrote: I think I will always work in some kind of capacity. My mind is always ticking and I'm always trying to learn a new skill. This year I learned Python, and I'm looking to do C++ next year, just for fun. I'm trying to build skills so that I will never be dependent on someone else deciding how much my daily work is worth.

I love the reply about keeping your body in shape. That is so true. If you invest in your health, you will reap the benefits. This is the first year where I have let my exercise and diet regimen slip. I need to pick up on that again.

You've brought up a good point about learning new things that stay consistent with the times. I think my generation is conditioned to think of jobs like Walmart greeter or Home Depot specialist when we think of companies who hire "retired" folks, but it will probably become a lot easier (and more profitable) to continue working 20 years from now if we have skills that are technologically marketable.

I think I will always work in some kind of capacity. My mind is always ticking and I'm always trying to learn a new skill. This year I learned Python, and I'm looking to do C++ next year, just for fun. I'm trying to build skills so that I will never be dependent on someone else deciding how much my daily work is worth.

I love the reply about keeping your body in shape. That is so true. If you invest in your health, you will reap the benefits. This is the first year where I have let my exercise and diet regimen slip. I need to pick up on that again.