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Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50
#1

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

I have a recent, unpleasant experience to relate to all of you. While some of you already know of situations like the one I am about to describe, hopefully a number of you will be able to avoid where I am now. Even if you are older, I would recommend that you try to plan on having enough savings so you can live ok if you had no income after 10 years of work, maybe retire after 20 years of work, and definitely retire after 30 years of working.

My current situation is that while I am doing well financially, I am not able to retire and need to work for at least another decade. While that is not bad, the problem is that since I am doing work for the typical company, I was involved in something that I would have never voluntarily agreed to and do not feel too good about my part in the incident.

The situation is that I have been doing work for a customer for a number of years, and things for the most part were going well at that site. The person that I report to was due to retire in a few years, and at that time, it was expected that I might take over that position when he retired or assist in the transition to a new person. I consider the person I reported to a mentor and even though he was my superior, also a friend, which makes what, happened even worse.

Usually, a few times per week, in the morning, I would stop in his office to briefly review was I had been doing and what was going on for the next day or two. A few months ago, when I was going over the work near the start of the day, he remarked to me that, “I think I just got myself fired”. Apparently, a number of people in their HQ are always pestering him to hurry up for information for their reports, even when the results are not ready yet, and he wrote a number of them an email throwing a fit about pestering him. I didn’t see the email he sent and didn’t think it could be that bad. A few days went by, and then a week. Nothing happened so I forgot about it and assumed that everyone had forgotten the whole incident.

Unfortunately, everyone did not forget about it. After several weeks, a person arrived from HQ and wanted to meet with me. They asked all kinds of questions about the work done, who did what and ‘who handles things’, including making a full list of the monthly cycle for preparing reports. (Some of you will recognize the signs of ‘someone is about to be outsourced or fired’.) This was unusual, since they never did anything like that before. At the time, I thought they were looking to consolidate functions across divisions and expected that I could be ‘reduced’ or my contract dropped, but didn’t care that much and planned to take the summer off if it happened, maybe even into the holiday season at the end of the year and go work somewhere else next spring.

Instead, what happened is that they called the top guy at the facility one afternoon the next week, and told him to fire the guy I reported to. The top guy for the facility tried to stop it and had no idea it was even planned. After about an hour of trying to stop the firing, he had to fire the guy. I was so out of it that I didn’t even know it had happened until the top guy asked to speak to me for a few minutes. Just as I was being told of the firing, it was clear that someone had been or was being fired or laid off and I though I was that person. (Shows how aware I am of what is going on. The fired guy had left the building and I still did not know what was going on or what had happened.) Instead I found out it was the person I reported to had been fired. As you can imagine, I was shocked that the answers I gave the week before allowed the company to think that they could go ahead and fire the guy, since they assumed that I could do everything he did without any problems. If I had been told what was planned, I would have never agreed to voluntarily be part of something like this. I feel like ‘there is blood on my hands’, since they used me to do this. I even considered resigning my contract when initially told, but did not since then everyone else in the facility would suffer since there are large parts of important work that could not get done, plus I had some hope that maybe if everyone ‘calmed down’ that maybe I could get the guy back there, or at least with some kind of severance package of several months worth, which plus unemployment would have put him near full retirement age. While not perfect, it was at least something I think everyone would have been able to live with.

Since my superior has been gone, I have been trying to stay on schedule with everything. So far I have been able to do so, but only because I am working nights and weekends, some nights until midnight. The funny things, is that I am being told that ‘maybe’ they will give me the title, have given me no additional money, and all act like we do not need the guy that got fired at all and everything is just fine. In addition, there is all kinds of confusion as to what my role is or what authority I have. On top of that, the only official announcement is that the guy took a leave for medical reasons, even though everyone knows that he must have been fired and talks about it like he was fired; the company just does not say it publicly. This is in spite of my telling them that things are falling apart, I am falling apart plus in the fall there is additional work that I have no way to be able to do since I have no extra time to work on it. This is in addition to the problem that there is a lot of information and programs that I was not allowed to look at due to their being sensitive information in them so I also have to spend time trying to figure out how those things work. I have repeatedly emphasized to the company that the company and the guy fired needs to come to some sort of agreement that ‘everyone can live with’ so there is a transition period. I estimate I would need him 2 or 3 days per week for several months. I am being told that he was offered only a few days total of contracting for any transition and has refused to accept it. Of course the problem is that since no one is agreeing to anything, I am stuck trying to hold everything together all by myself with no help. While the company asked about hiring more temps or contractors, I told them it would not do anything good right now since I would have to spend more, of time that I do not have, to train them on what to do, in order for them to be of any use. If we were doing certain work, like say counting cash or adding up invoices, something easy to show someone and easy to do, them temps would help; unfortunately, the work and systems we have in place are not like that at all.

I also explained to a number of people, that the guy does not need the company, but the company does need to guy. While I can hold things together for a few months, I am starting to ‘fall apart’ plus in the fall there is additional work that I will not be able to do without assistance from the fired person or else have to recreate that whole system from scratch. The company seems to think they can offer the guy little to nothing, even after I explained to them that I believe the guy can just take early retirement and not ever work again, since he has company stock and 401K savings plus social security. If he does take social security early, he will not get as much each month as if he had waited until full retirement age, he can just adjust his lifestyle and not take as many trips. His house is paid off, his car is paid off, and for health insurance he can go on his wife’s plan at her job. They can even do with one car in the family since he could drop her off at work and pike her up each day if they wanted to. Instead, the company acts like, ‘ooohhhh, we’re going to teach him a lesson and show everyone what happens why you step out of line!’ Until of course, I can’t complete one of the monthly reporting cycles and they can’t prepare any consolidated reports.

One of the more humorous aspects of the situation, is that I am sure there are parts of the process that are completely messed up and the reporting wrong. The only person that would be able to tell is the guy they fired, who of course has no reason to look at anything, so everyone pretends that everything is ok even though they know it can’t possibly be.
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#2

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Sorry to hear about that; sounds like a lot of stress. Today I believe men don't feel the sense of security that they did generations ago where manufacturing and craftsmanship were primary industries as opposed to service jobs. (Though I'm not a Marxist, his points about division of labor were spot on). I think this adds quite a bit to job stress and insecurity, since it causes men to feel they're dependent on their "boss" for their financial security as opposed to their own skill or trade. Men today don't see the results of their work that the forged with their own hands like a craftsman would, or the individuals benefiting from it - they end up feeling like a grunt who's career boils down to 'taking orders' from some stuffy boss, and letting it get them down.

My personal "retirement plan" is to worry less about the typical "corporate career" and find a trade which I can do well into my old age, to the point that I never have to retire but merely die doing something I love.

Hence I'm focusing primarily on online writing and freelance work which one can do from home, such as the internet marketing industries which other members have mentioned. (A family member of mine who's fluent in Japanese makes a living simply translating documents at home on his computer).

Online jobs may actually be the economy of the future, considering the fact that the internet provides a virtually unlimited market; even during tough economic times in a bad town, there will still be people somewhere around the world in need of a service.

At this point I'm less interested in the typical white collar career, or in making a huge income just for the sake of it (while I've heard success stories of online marketers and entrepreneurs making 6 figures or high 5 figures, so long as I make as much as I need to support myself, basic needs, any future family, and a little recreation, I'd be willing to do without all of the finest things in life)

I'm far more interested in the independence and versatility that the online industries have to offer, and the sense of masculine energy it offers; much like a blacksmith or potter of days long gone by, I strongly value the feeling of control over one's work that this type of career offers.

Regardless though I hope you don't let it get you down; I'd definitely recommend reading some self-help literature or books on evolutionary psychology; these books opened my mind to a lot of the ways in which the modern industrial economy has distorted our nature and contributes to much of the stress in modern men's lives, and gave me coping ideas.
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#3

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

So what's the point of telling us all of your office drama?

TL;DR - Everyone is replaceable and being a "company man" in a corporate ant farm means nothing?

Have a backup plan. Know that no matter how useful you think you are to company X, they can always find someone else to do it. Your previous supervisor may have made a hell of an impression on you, but no one is immune to the axe. Even CEO's can get fired by owners and board members. If you want to have a solid "retire by 40" plan then join the military.
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#4

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Quote: (06-08-2016 05:52 PM)EvanWilson Wrote:  

My current situation is that while I am doing well financially, I am not able to retire and need to work for at least another decade.

I notice that further down the article, you say this:

Quote:Quote:

At the time, I thought they were looking to consolidate functions across divisions and expected that I could be ‘reduced’ or my contract dropped, but didn’t care that much and planned to take the summer off if it happened, maybe even into the holiday season at the end of the year and go work somewhere else next spring.

Which is it? Are you tied to this job or not?

Quote:Quote:

A few months ago, when I was going over the work near the start of the day, he remarked to me that, “I think I just got myself fired”.

Obviously he was right.

Quote:Quote:

I even considered resigning my contract when initially told, but did not since then everyone else in the facility would suffer since there are large parts of important work that could not get done, plus I had some hope that maybe if everyone ‘calmed down’ that maybe I could get the guy back there, or at least with some kind of severance package of several months worth, which plus unemployment would have put him near full retirement age. While not perfect, it was at least something I think everyone would have been able to live with.

Why are you considering yourself responsible for a guy who, by definition, is a grown man and may or may not have backup plans of his own that he didn't tell you about. If he's that close to retirement anyway what difference would it necessarily make to him?

Quote:Quote:

Since my superior has been gone, I have been trying to stay on schedule with everything. So far I have been able to do so, but only because I am working nights and weekends, some nights until midnight. The funny things, is that I am being told that ‘maybe’ they will give me the title, have given me no additional money, and all act like we do not need the guy that got fired at all and everything is just fine. In addition, there is all kinds of confusion as to what my role is or what authority I have.

So basically a corporate bureaucracy being a corporate bureaucracy. What else is new?

Quote:Quote:

This is in spite of my telling them that things are falling apart, I am falling apart plus in the fall there is additional work that I have no way to be able to do since I have no extra time to work on it. This is in addition to the problem that there is a lot of information and programs that I was not allowed to look at due to their being sensitive information in them so I also have to spend time trying to figure out how those things work.

Why are you still with this company?

Quote:Quote:

I have repeatedly emphasized to the company that the company and the guy fired needs to come to some sort of agreement that ‘everyone can live with’ so there is a transition period. I estimate I would need him 2 or 3 days per week for several months. I am being told that he was offered only a few days total of contracting for any transition and has refused to accept it. Of course the problem is that since no one is agreeing to anything, I am stuck trying to hold everything together all by myself with no help. While the company asked about hiring more temps or contractors, I told them it would not do anything good right now since I would have to spend more, of time that I do not have, to train them on what to do, in order for them to be of any use. If we were doing certain work, like say counting cash or adding up invoices, something easy to show someone and easy to do, them temps would help; unfortunately, the work and systems we have in place are not like that at all.

I also explained to a number of people, that the guy does not need the company, but the company does need to guy. While I can hold things together for a few months, I am starting to ‘fall apart’ plus in the fall there is additional work that I will not be able to do without assistance from the fired person or else have to recreate that whole system from scratch.

Why are you still with this company?

Quote:Quote:

The company seems to think they can offer the guy little to nothing, even after I explained to them that I believe the guy can just take early retirement and not ever work again, since he has company stock and 401K savings plus social security. If he does take social security early, he will not get as much each month as if he had waited until full retirement age, he can just adjust his lifestyle and not take as many trips. His house is paid off, his car is paid off, and for health insurance he can go on his wife’s plan at her job. They can even do with one car in the family since he could drop her off at work and pike her up each day if they wanted to.

Then it sounds to me, all due respect, that you're being a fucking idiot by white knighting for him. He is set. He has a plan. His finances are covered. You are being screwed by the company because they are running you into the ground. His position is utterly irrelevant to yours. Stop being sorry for the fact Yoda got killed by the Dark Side, go and get your shit together, and leave. No job is worth your health, especially if you're post-40 as you seem to be.

Remissas, discite, vivet.
God save us from people who mean well. -storm
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#5

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Quote: (06-08-2016 06:14 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

So what's the point of telling us all of your office drama?

TL;DR - Everyone is replaceable and being a "company man" in a corporate ant farm means nothing?

Have a backup plan. Know that no matter how useful you think you are to company X, they can always find someone else to do it. Your previous supervisor may have made a hell of an impression on you, but no one is immune to the axe. Even CEO's can get fired by owners and board members. If you want to have a solid "retire by 40" plan then join the military.

Part of the point that I was looking to make, is that, today, even when things seem like they are going 'ok', corporations have no problem acting irrational and just getting rid of someone, when they should just 'forgive and forget', instead of trying to 'get back' at people and even seem glad to 'stuff it' to someone. I do not think this kind of stuff went on for the most part 20 or 30 years ago or at least not as bad as it is now. This kind of vicious behavior seems, to me, to be something new and to a new level. And it is coming from people that are getting paid in the range of mid to high 6 digit salaries, when I would normally expect them to tell the employee to just get back to work. If I was getting $500K or more per year, my employees could yell at me for all I would care. Instead, it is like people at that level are 'sensitive' and get rid of people for the slightest reason, then they wonder why no one wants to work for them.

Part of the problem today is that demand in the economy is not what it use to be, partly because of all the QE programs and other things that keep inflating asset prices and have reduced demand for labor; so anyone who loses their job is in trouble with replacing the lost income. (Of course, having all kinds of fixed expenses, like a large house and fancy car, makes it worse.)

I know of some stories in a plant nearby that closed with people making into the low 6 digits figures in semiconductor manufacturing. Some of the people stayed to the end of the closing because of the large severance packages, like 6 to 12 months in some cases; plus they could collect unemployment for another 6 months of something like $800 per week. While that is not a lot of money. by my standards, it is certainly enough to be out of work all year, as long as you do not have all kinds of expenses. (You can't go outside of the United States on vacation anymore because most states have a tie in with boarder control so they know when you are out of the country and not eligible for unemployment. In the 1980s it was great, you could be on vacation for a month or two overseas and still be collecting and no one cared.) The people who stayed to the end thought and expected they would be able to find another job within a matter of months. One of my friends almost took that risk but I advised him against it since there was no way to be sure, and since prior I already knew people who had trouble getting anything other than contract work from time to time when they got laid off. I am now hearing stories of a few people from that plant who, after 18 to 24 months have run through everything, plus retirement savings trying to maintain their lifestyle with no prospect of another job still.

If this was the late 1990s, or early 1980s, getting fired from a job would be no problem, you could just find somewhere else to work in a few weeks, or a few months if you wanted to take some time off. I had this happen to me a few times. The first time it happened, where I got sick of the company I was working for and told them off, I went on vacation for two weeks, was out for another eight weeks and then went back to work. I could have started work earlier but I wanted to go to a friend's graduation and then drive down to Key West, so I delayed starting a new job by a week weeks. ( As a side example to show much better demand was in the late 1980s, the new job I started called my parents house on a SUNDAY looking around [I had no answering machines or cell phone, it was 1989] for me and asking if I could start work the next day. I told them I had to wait another week since I already had things scheduled for other people that they needed me to do. When was the last time any company called around on a weekend looking for a candidate for a job to hire them the next day?)

One funny thing about that period of unemployment, is that at the end of the year, I thought and felt like I had been out of work for months. Part of the reason I started looking for another job again was that I was getting bored without having to go to work during the week. At the end of the year, when I got the 1099 for my unemployment benefits, I realized that I only collected for 8 weeks, plus another two weeks that I was on vacation, for a total of ten weeks but to me it had seemed like months.

Today, many places will not hire someone unless they are already working somewhere, plus, from what I can see, many companies are acting more irrational than in the past. Even when someone within the organization is telling them 'don't do this', they still go ahead, do 'this', and top it off with acting like everything is just fine. It did not use to be like that. It is almost like companies are slowly going insane, and no amount of reason or logic will change what they are doing.

I think one of the things that shocked me at what happened is that this is the first time a company went ahead was 'got rid' of someone because I was there. I have been at companies in the past where some people were causing so many problems that I was praying that the problem person would leave or the company would do something, only to end up leaving when I couldn't stand it anymore or provoking a 'showdown' with the other person and getting fired; but I could never get the company to realize that the person was causing all kinds of problems.

Here, I feel like a betrayed a trusted mentor in an act of treachery that I was, like an idiot, not even aware was being planned. Usually, I am the guy getting fired/laid off/whacked; not the person helping to carry out the plan just by being available to do the work.

I think another thing I wish I had done was that I should have taken more time off earlier this year. I was planning on taking at least a few days off every month this summer; since what good is money if I never do anything, and now all of that is off.

I remember when I started my working career that I thought I would always want to be working, since there use to be a lot of prestige to being productive and useful doing productive work. Now it is like you have to avoid being engulfed in some kind of office melodrama and somehow still get the work done in spite of the company getting in your way of one doing productive work.

Smaller companies use to avoid some of the problems of larger companies, but today it seems like even a lot of small companies have someone that, instead of being grateful to be working for themselves and not stuck with the problems of a large organization, instead is nuts themselves and gleefully takes it out on their hapless employees. (The beatings will continue until moral improves.) One of my favorite stories I hear about from time to time is of an insurance agency that makes money but the owner then loses it all on trying to diversify into other businesses and then has to borrow from a line of credit to make payroll most weeks. The owner has been doing this for years, so it is well beyond the point where the guy should realize that 'the insurance agency is what makes him money' and anything else he should just save in a mutual fund.

Another trend I have started to notice, is that people that I thought I would be working with or for, are all taking early retirement as soon as they can (social security 62.5; government work 30 years work plus age 55 or older in most cases) instead of waiting for full retirement at age 65. One customer site had one of the people retire with no warning to anyone. I do not think they even had a chance to do a retirement party for the person, which is the first time I have ever heard of something like that happening. It is almost like the person just 'sneaked out in the middle of the night'. Here in the United States the old 'protocol' usually would be to have some kind of celebration or small party on the person's last day of work. (In England, a lot of times, the old protocol was that the person usually did a regular day of work and goes home afterwards to maybe a small celebration later since 'they wouldn't want to make a fuss over it'.)

Of course, no one holds to the old protocols or old ways anymore; and usually have no idea what I am talking about when I bring one of them up.

One of the 'failures' was the time I tried to invoke one of the old protocols, in that one of my customer's was going to lay off a employee the week of Christmas because he was not 'working out' in a new position. I tried to suggest putting the employee back in his old position but for some reason they would not hear such talk. If the employee didn't last 90 days from placement by the agency, then the company got a refund on the placement fee, as long as the placement fee invoice was paid within 30 days of placement. The company wanted to lay him off before Christmas because the 90 days was almost over. I implored the customer to wait until after New Years to lay the employee off and adhere to the protocol for such matters, since the old protocol was, that unless the company was in dire financial trouble, that one did not fire or lay off anyone during the holiday season (Thanksgiving to New Years Day). Of course, the customer would hear none of such talk and laid the employee off anyways. The funny part is that the customer did not pay the placement agency within the 30 days, plus the HR department made it clear they would never use that company again for new employees to said agency, so the company didn't get a refund. But at least the company was not surprised when that happen because I said, "Look, you didn't meet the terms of getting a refund plus you already made it clear to the agency that you will never use them for business again. What possible, logical, reason would the agency have for refunding the money?" The answer of course was none, but they tried anyways.
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#6

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

I don't think you're whiteknighting, my understanding is that you're trying to get this guy back into your company so you can get back to your regular workload. However, you've said you'd be alright with the outcome of being laid off/downsized and would take a vacation and find a job somewhere else after.

So there aren't hangups there. You need to just leave. Your superior is in an excellent position relative to yours. He has let you down more than you let down him, as he exploded at his superiors and let you pick up the pieces. There's no reason for him to assume you didn't just give reasonable answers and that corporate decided to twist your words into justifying his firing. It's an ugly situation, but you need to do that and leave.

The other factor is that they are trying to keep you from following him out the door by giving you false promises. They say you'll be given the title. It's time for you to find the person who can make that call and have a frank discussion with a firm timeline. If by the end of the month, they DON'T conclusively either a.) have your former boss back at the company and you're returned to your normal level of responsibility with commensurate compensation, or b.) you inherit his title along with the corresponding pay increase:

You leave. Whenever next time you talk/report to that guy who can promote you or has influence over it, talk to him a little longer and lead into it. You're the loyal employee but this isn't fair and everyone knows it. "I would like a conclusive answer by the end of June." Then let it be, start updating your resume and sending out applications etc.

If you want, leave some documentation for workers so that they can do your job once they've been hired, if you need to in order to not feel guilty. But you aren't obligated to. You are doing the company a favor in not protecting them from the consequences of their decision.

Try and reach out to your former boss and mend your relationship (have you spoken with him? Do you know he thinks you backstabbed him or is that just in your head?) so he can be a future reference. That's about it.
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#7

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Find a better job elsewhere and leave this cesspool of a company to suffer the natural consequences of its actions.

If some retard in a position of power is firing critical staff because of a bruised ego and profit starts suffering as a result, they will get their arse handed to them with a swift kick out the door.

You are actually preventing this by propping up the company at the expense of your own personal health and wellbeing.

I understand you've invested a lot into this company, but you need to look to the future and not get weighed down by the fear of the unknown and the sunk cost fallacy.
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#8

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Why would you retire if you do what you love everyday?

"Money over bitches, nigga stick to the script." - Jay-Z
They gonna love me for my ambition.
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#9

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Quote: (06-08-2016 10:36 PM)TheFinalEpic Wrote:  

Why would you retire if you do what you love everyday?
Those were basically my thoughts, beyond physical informant of course.

Just me personally but I wish every man would put more effort into finding out what it is they really love, and a way to make a living doing it.

Rather than settle for a career they hate just because it's what their parents wanted, or it might pay enough to one day retire on (a might that might never come).
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#10

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Quote: (06-08-2016 10:36 PM)TheFinalEpic Wrote:  

Why would you retire if you do what you love everyday?

The real point of retirement isn't to stop working.

It's the ability to be able to do so.

At some point you will no longer be able or willing to do what you currently do.
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#11

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Quote: (06-09-2016 04:39 AM)262 Wrote:  

Quote: (06-08-2016 10:36 PM)TheFinalEpic Wrote:  

Why would you retire if you do what you love everyday?

The real point of retirement isn't to stop working.

It's the ability to be able to do so.

At some point you will no longer be able or willing to do what you currently do.

I agree with the ability to be able to do so, however if you really love something, it gives you energy to keep hitting it hard and growing. Look how much energy Trump has at almost 70 years of age.

"Money over bitches, nigga stick to the script." - Jay-Z
They gonna love me for my ambition.
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#12

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

I got some good stuff out of this story. As a younger guy I find it really helpful to read about the bigger picture.

I can recall these stories when "something weird starts going on at work." Instead of getting blindsided I might be able to identify what's going on behind the scenes.

I just finished reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Yeah, he's disgustingly leftist but his book outlines his development through a career. It opened my eyes to a lot of the mistakes I made at jobs I've had like getting caught up in the day to day. It seems like the best hustlers and operators have been fucked enough they put in a lot of time learning tricks of the trade and keeping an ear to the ground.

A lot of it seems to come back to building relationships with "linch-pin people", the guys who review your performance or sign off on your projects.

Being prepared for crunch time is what separates the men from the boys in a lot of cases and so far I think it takes a combination of learning the hard way and learning from other people's experiences. You can't really understand other peoples' disaster or success stories if you haven't been screwed over a few times but once you get the message stories like this can be really helpful.

Per Ardua Ad Astra | "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum"

Cobra and I did some awesome podcasts with awesome fellow members.
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#13

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

A company acting irrational by "teaching someone a lesson" is not a company you want to work for. You need to prepare to move and you should start doing it right away. There's no point in holding yourself responsible for the company firing your ex boss. It's their decision and his problem. He bit the hand that was feeding him without understanding its tolerance for such. If he's an experienced guy and made such a miscalculation, then that's his fault.

Instead, you need to look forward. What was this guy's job title and job description? Do you know, or can you estimate what he made per year? These things will be important when you move to another company. Whether it's official or not, you have been promoted to his old position and it's time to update your CV. When you look for a new job, it should not be lower than the position of your ex boss and preferably a step up. His old salary (or vacation time or perks, etc.) should be the minimum you accept for your new job.

You don't have to be too focused on negotiating with your current company because you shouldn't plan on staying more than six months or until you can secure another job. Be the clever little trained monkey they're looking for in the mean time, but push them for your ex boss' title. It wouldn't hurt to update your LinkedIn with this title and get a professional headshot taken ($100-$150) to put as a profile picture. Unless you have a personal website, your new LinkedIn page should be the first that comes up when you Google your name and title.

When speaking to potential employers, be shameless about showing your skills. You have learned from your ex boss' accomplishments and you should be able to replicate them. The team he managed is now led by you. The team's accomplishments are your accomplishments. In an interview, when they ask, "Tell me about a time you accomplished XYZ..." and you remember how your ex boss did that, tell the story in first person. Finish your explanation by mentioning how you might do it slightly different if you had to do it again. Yes, you're stretching the truth, but you saw how it's done and would be able to replicate it. That's all that matters to your new employer.

Maybe things were different 10, 20, 30 years ago, but today things like this can be brutal. Don't be shy about stepping up and taking what you can get because everyone else is doing it and nobody is going to give you a consolation prize for being the most ethical employee. Maybe you can cut your retirement age down to 45?

Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen.
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#14

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

Brief update on what happened later.

1: My mentor is happily retired and was able to get about half of what he would have gotten if he had stayed until full retirement age. For him, it was a good deal, since he got to get most of what he would have earned and worked only another 20 hours to get it, and is now fully retired. My staying in place helped make that happen.

2: Various people within the organization are now in various stages of panic about meaningless things, which I gleefully feed into at times. (I can't help it.) Part of me is baffled as to why in the world they worked to put themselves into such a situation of where I am the only person within the organization that knows how to do a number of critical tasks, and the other part thinks it is hilarious. It started off with small things like parking in handicap spaces. They are closer to the building and I didn't want to walk across the parking lot; of course, maybe parking in a handicap space is not a good thing but they are usually empty. Over time it has progressed to my sending messages from time to time to the CEO and CFO about things that I know will cause 'screaming and yelling' up and down the chain of command, but are within the realm of a reasonable business purpose so no one can get too upset or do anything about it.

3: I am surprised at how things turned out for me. Normally in order for one to make one selves indispensible in order for an organization to function, I would have expected that one would have had to engage in all kinds of Machiavellian machinations to make that happen, and expected an organization would not allow that. Instead, they just made it happen on their own.

4: I do notice that a number of people within the organization 'are acting like women' all the time with the hysteria about things that are not that important but I do find irritating from time to time. I relive my irritation by feeding into whatever the current hysteria is and enjoy the panic. I know, not professional, but I just can't help it. Part of me wants to see how far it will go or if they will realize they are being played. So far no one has. I am not sure if the hysteria is more than in the past, my tolerance for it is less now than it use to be or this is just some kind of game to pass the time at the customer site.

5: I do get the impression that one of the reasons that people who know (or suspect) I am punking them, put up with it, is because they understand that I will get the best results possible in the time given, where as other people would give them unusable work.
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#15

Plan to retire by 40, do it by 50

In staff jobs, where the pay is fixed but the hours may vary... It is essential not to get sucked into doing a job you are not getting payed for.

If they sack the guy above you, and expect you to do that extra work for nothing, without paying you more... then you have to take action.

Firstly negotiate with your superior, outlining that its not possible to do two jobs at the same time, and that both jobs will suffer.

If they don't assist you, pay you more or hire another, then make sure you just do 50% of each job, go home at your usual time and be all care, no responsibility about it.

They may fire you, they may fix the problem, but at least you don't die of stress and get used like a bitch.
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