Why I Retired At Forty-Five

In my web profile, you will read my self-description that says “I retired at the tender age of 45″. Let me first qualify that what I mean by retiring in such statement is that I stop working as an employee when I was forty-five (45) years old. Also, let me add that I did not suffer any physical nor mental disability when I did that. I was physically and mentally fit to work in my field of competence  at that time.

I was working then as General Manager of a medium-sized company fully-owned by a family, not a public corporation. I held the position for four (4) years and enjoyed the trust and confidence of company’s owner and President. The pay was good and the perks that go with the position were satisfactory. The manufacturing and trading business of the company was doing well so you may ask why I resigned and eventually retired.

The last company I worked with was already established when I took the General Manager’s position from outside; meaning, I did not rise from the ranks in the said organization. I was asked to join the company by its owner who happened to be a co-employee in our younger days.

The offer was good so I took the challenge. In the course of my managing the company, the owner’s sons and daughter were working under me all the while. They also did well in their jobs so when I felt they were ready to run the company, I bade goodbye or else I would be in an awkward position of being sandwiched between the children and their father.

That was why I left a prestigious and well-paying job when I was only 45. But then, I still have not told you why I finally retired or did not get another employment job.

It was 1997 when the story that I told happened and that was the time when the Asian financial crisis started and jobs were hard to find, much more for the position that I had. Let me say also that the General Manager position of a company is normally reserved for people from within the organization so my chance of getting the same job was quite limited.