A Baby Boomer’s Journey To Retirement
By Charlotte Demontigny
They say hindsight is 20/20, and although I
probably would have changed one or two things in
my career, I have no regrets.

Unlike most baby boomers, I retired early. Nine
months ago, I made the decision to retire. While
my resume may be quite impressive to most people,
to me it reflects my life's work and the paths I
took to arrive at my final destination.

I entered the Department of Education at the age
of 40, received my college degree at the age of
45 (a prequisite for a school secretary license
was 30 college credits), and continued on for 17
years. In July of 2006, I made an appointment to
see a specialist who works solely with
staff members of the Department of Education.

Knowing full well that my early would
cause a severe reduction in my pension, my mind
was made up. I have come to learn, over the
course of my career, that nothing is worth one's
health, especially not this particular position.
I have also said many times: School secretaries
who work for the Department of Education are
overworked and underpaid, and while the job is
easy - the people who run the system are inept
when it comes to the needs of its staff. The
number of secretaries, teachers, and other staff
members who have left due to life threatening
illnesses are too numerous to count. Many
colleagues of mine died either on the job or soon
after retirement.

This would not be my epitaph.

After meeting with the professional,
the news was bleak. But then I knew it would be.
However, I had more skills than most and my one
desire was to go back to the one thing I loved
most in the world - writing.

On September 1, 2006, I joined the ranks of the
retirees. On November 30, 2006, I received my
first pension check and, while not completely
surprised, was a bit taken back. However,
secretaries' salaries are far below what teachers
earn, and I roughly figured that I would have to
work well past 80 (if I live that long) to accrue
the type of benefits a teacher would make at a
retirement age of 62.

I was not distressed. In fact, I was elated. The
weight of the problems associated with the
Department of Education and its continual
reorganization was lifted from my shoulders. I
could now pursue that which I've always dreamed
of as a second career.

I immediately discovered a window of opportunity
into the writing field. By November, I was
writing article content; and by January I was
fully engaged. Today, I am extremely happy
because not only do I have my health, but I have
the wherewithal to continue to write articulate
pieces of work

Article continued below...