Question for you retired folks.

[Lawdog Dago Dom]

On 9/26/2019 at 8:01 PM, J-BAR #18287 said:

I started working at age 14 in 1958 as a carry-out in a supermarket.  After burning out in private veterinary practice, I was lucky to get a job at age 58 as a Public Health Veterinarian with the USDA/Food Safety and Inspection Service.  I lasted 12 years until, at age 69 1/2 years, it just seemed to be time.  I was proud of the fact that my efforts helped keep consumers from getting sick, but the Agency philosophy and goals under Mr. Obama were evolving (remember, he directed NASA to be more friendly to Muslims...) so I decided it was time.  I was able to time my retirement in such a way that a good friend would be offered my job, so that was a bonus.

 

I was getting up between 3:00 AM and 5:30 AM, depending on the circuit de jour, driving 200 to 300 miles a day in a government car that was not designed for a 6' 5" driver.  Never regretted saying goodbye.  55 years of combined full and part time jobs was enough.

 

Geez I love sleeping late!  

 

Got a picture of you in that iddy biddy car?

[J-BAR #18287]

8 hours ago, Lawdog Dago Dom said:

 

Got a picture of you in that iddy biddy car?

 

As a matter of fact....

 

 

[Pat Riot]

53 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

 

As a matter of fact....

 

 

Wait...how many people are there really in that car?  

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

In ‘64 I started at UNH as a math major at UNH, wrote my first computer program. After 2yrs 11 mos 10 days in the Army, I returned to UNH. IN a year I was working as a teaching assistant as well as part timer writing programs for people. From there I went on to get MS and PhD in Computer Science. My first job was as a programmer for a research firm doing projects for the Air Force. It didn’t take long to realize that the people who made the real money there were the ones who applied for the grants that everyone else would work on. They didn’t like that I sometimes left a few papers on my desk when I went home.

 

I left and joined Digital Equipment Corporation, working first on newspaper typesetting software. The work spirit was that one did his job and if there was something else that you felt like doing , have fun, do it. Sometimes those little side projects became products or prototypes for projects or productivity tools with the company. I remember some of the great projects that I worked on. I was hired to make their new upgrade computer support 64 terminals, the then limit was 16 and known to be limited to 32 after the computer upgrade.when I was done the limit was 96. Most of the things I did then are obsolete now. Some were obsolete before I did them because the customers couldn’t upgrade their hardware for a few more years. Some times I would work 30 hours at a stretch.

 

one time I had a manager, Jim, who really did look around, and I didn’t toot my horn a lot. My review from him said “meets requirements”. I told him that if that was his opinion I needed to find a new job. Job mobility was encouraged at DEC and sure enough within a few months I was working for a new group, did a few awesome jobs.

 

One day my project was winding down in ‘83 and I was talking to the manager of some database groups. He remembered me as “the guy wearing shorts and hopping between computers solving a network problem in ‘77 when he was on his first day in the company.  Fred said “speak to my people first”. I did.  It was known that I went to work early. His group was in Nashua, I was working in Merrimack. The next morning, Fred’s secretary, Phyllis, came by my office with a letter offering me a job. Now that was a sign that they wanted me. I was hired to do a project that had been estimated to need six months. After I finished it in a week, yes a couple nonstop days, I did a couple of projects that other people requested , and my supervisor came and asked if I had enough work to do. I said yes, but I was open to suggestions, he too gave me a little side project.  I was having fun.

 

it came to pass that the aforementioned Jim came to manage the group. As I was wrapping up something, Jim came to my cubical to talk about something and I asked him if I had a future in the group .  He said yes, he wanted me to stay around.

 

30 years and many projects later I was still with the group. I did some awesome things in those years, but I just couldn’t get excited about such things any longer.

 

it was time to go.

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

1 hour ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

30 years and many projects later I was still with the group. I did some awesome things in those years, but I just couldn’t get excited about such things any longer.

 

it was time to go.

 

I had a lot of friends at DEC.  Many described similar scenarios.  

 

LL

[Pat Riot]

4 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

 

 

30 years and many projects later I was still with the group. I did some awesome things in those years, but I just couldn’t get excited about such things any longer.

 

it was time to go.

 

I worked for Hughes Aircraft for the first few years after leaving the Navy. I was a “Research & Development Assistant”. Fancy electronics tech. I lived my job very much. I worked on several very cool projects and I worked very hard. Then one day Hughes was sold to General Motors. Life at Hughes changed.

Back stabbing money grubbing types that had degrees in engineering but couldn’t do anything technical took over.

My last manager was a hippy in the 70’s protesting the war in Vietnam but had no problem heading up the Trident Missile guidance project for Hughes. I hated that guy. He was an opportunist at the risk of others.

He took over my department and I left a short time later.

I saw my old manager about 15 years ago on the freeway in one of his cherished Triumph Spitfires. We were stuck in traffic. I got to roll along next to him for many minutes and tell him what I really thought of him. 

Thank you God...

[Ozark Huckleberry]

Ain’t it great when karma works out for you?