I got laid-off in December 2007 just before our biotech company essentially sold itself off and then went belly up. I had planned to work another 2-4 years before an early retirement, so this development right at the beginning of the recession really screwed up putting an additional chunk of money into our nest egg. I wasn't willing to relocate so I resurrected my consulting business, but with the recession and the downturn in the pharma sector, there just hasn't been any business opportunities of note. So, when I turned 61 in February, I just threw in the towel and gave up (of course being in ones 60's, having 35 years in industry ... translating to a fairly big salary ... pretty much dooms you to being considered a high-priced piece of deadwood, especially with the job market being so flooded with available, younger, and "cheaper" candidates).
Anyway, I changed career directions and have decided to become a "professional" Jeeper, hiker, camper, fisherman, auto mechanic, and home repairman. The pay is decidedly lousy, but the hours are quite good and there's no office politics to deal with.
