Can I Retire Now?

[bjarvis]

A quote fragment from an NPR program about college tuition: "A baby bust in the early 1990s means the number of high school seniors is about to decline."

Um, the 1990s were, like, yesterday, weren't they? How on earth can people born in 1990 be old enough for for college? They're barely done potty training!

Oy, I suddenly feel very, very old. Hmmm... "Hey, you kids! Keep off my lawn!" Yeah, that felt sadly normal: I must be old now. *sigh*

Comments

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's about right. My niece Rachael is almost 15 (or is it 16?) and she was born in 1992 I think.

This will probably make you really feel old but my only nephew will hit 30 this coming July and I was in Jr High when he was born.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

It's very FUTURE SHOCK.

I mean I had already been through puberty several years before YOU were born!

Since I work on a university campus, it's a bit odd to see all these children born in 1990 filter through the orientation programs for freshmen...but I get used to it.

Sigh.

[canseefour.livejournal.com]

I was getting quite used to working with people who are younger than our kids (born in 1970 and 1973), but once again felt old when I realized that two our our premiers were born in 1972 (Nova Scotia) and 1974 (Prince Edward Island)!!

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

one does indeed get used to it -- I've been dealing with fresh-faced firstyears since 1981. Tim, who lectures the course I teach the labs for, was born in 1971 -- the year *I* started University.

As one of my colleagues (a biology instructor) pointed out one September I was wailing about the then-latest crop of infant undergrads, "the trouble is, they stay the same age - it's just YOU that gets older".

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

um, no dear, the early 1990s is/are fifteen or so years ago now.

as to your titular question about retiring now, well, you could retire if you wanted to (once your benefits at your employer vest, that is); but the usual slogan is "freedom 55" or so, not "freedom 40".

I got my pension benefit statement from the university just before christmas, as per usual. I could take early retirement from this august institution 2009 07 01. That's less than 18months from now. Given the size of the resultant pension, I doubt that I will, but a scary thought nonetheless.

good luck keeping the kids off your lawn.

[billeyler.livejournal.com]

That is SO true...and of course, coworkers in their 60s here (there aren't that many) think of ME as a kid at 53! ;-)