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Comment by Chinjut | Hacker News Reader

Retirement doesn't mean you can't work. It means you don't have to. It means you can work for yourself on your own interests instead of for some other boss who tells you what to do.

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Why not find a career and job that's enjoyable now without even having to defer all of this for later? Not just in software, but you could be flying planes, be in a travelling circus, learn to be a chef, etc. If the answer is you have too many commitments keeping you tied to your current job, then I'd argue that we should be optimising for that optionality rather than some arbitrary day to end the nightmare 40 years from now

That worked out great for those of us who found software enjoyable...

I don't want to fly planes, be in a traveling circus, or be a chef. There are things I want to do, but the money spigots of our society aren't lining up to pay me to do them. I'm all for obtaining optionality through universal income. But optionality means also the optionality to retire (today, not decades from now).

The point being a pilot or chef pays back enough to e.g. raise kids and pay for all your debt getting there is years out. You may need to FIRE first to get to do alternative careers.

If you have no dependents then yeah do anything even just travel the world and do but of work here and there to keep going.

Honestly, I can't pick a better job for myself than the one I have now; my bills get paid, I help my community, the day-to-day is interesting and rewarding. But I'd rather have 100% of my time to myself. I can claim my pension from the state at 55, and I fully intend to.

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