I am not an old retiree, so memories of what I did during my working years are still kind of vivid. That includes relationships with colleagues and major accomplishments. These are in the past, though I do want to maintain relationships with some ex colleagues as I treat them as friends now.
Specifically, I am going to talk about accomplishments. Over my 25 years of career life, I had a number of moments where I felt I did something that really impressed myself and others. I clearly remember these. They bring back good feelings, reminding myself how my hardwork and determination and little smarts paid off. These are things which I am proud of, even if they may not always directly or indirectly lead to promotions or more money like bonuses. In fact, it was the compliments and praises from respected colleagues that gave me the best feeling.
Let me state a few key ones:
1. I took on a very hard task to design and execute a very risky and complex migration. I literally did it all by myself in terms of the design, testing and planning the execution, and of course the actual migration required the rest of my team mates to chip in. But I knew I was the lead, I was the one who made it possible. The migration was a success. Engineers around me were amazed by what I did. I didn't get any praises from higher management since its just a migration, but god knows how wrong it could had gone, or how adverse an impact it would had should we decide not to do it and wait. Apparently this achievement was noted by even people I didn't expect to know. Years after I left the said company where this migration took place, I met some ex colleagues who were based in India. One of them reminded me about that project and how I was the famous engineer who did this amazing migration which subsequently allowed the system to continue to scale to its current state. Apparently, my name was mentioned in some presentation on how the system had evolved over time! Well, I wouldn't had know it since I already left. But thanks to this chance encounter with this ex colleague, I now know and will forever remember that what I thought was really good work is really good work. That felt really good.
2. When I first joined one of my last companies as a senior engineer, I was totally a stranger to the team, except for the director who referred me to the job. I worked my ass off for 3-4 months to establish myself as a credible engineer who can add value. After about 3-4 months, we had an off site where I was tasked to present some topics. It was my first presentation to such a large group and I was nervous. But fortunately they were all kind to me and I think I did well. But what really stood out for me until today, was what happened during one of the tea breaks. The said director walked to me to say hi, ask me about my long flight, and then he said " I am so glad you are here with us. You made a difference". OMG, those words I remember for life. My hard work in last 3-4 months got noticed. That really gave me the confidence to continue in my role which I did and did very well.
Now that I am retired, these things will become loving memories and perhaps stories I can share if anyone wants to listen. But mostly, they are a reminder of what I did before, what I contributed, how I guided and trained other engineers that made a difference. Alas, these stories are set in stone, they are in the past, and they will definitely get old.
I wonder if I will still think about them in 10 years time from now. hehehe
Still, I must remember, these are in the past, I have plenty of new accomplishments ahead, not in the career or field I was in before, but in other aspects of my life. Things like a healthy and strong body to age into, loving relationships with my wife and kids, and sincere friendships with people I love. And others that I may not have imagine yet.
Do I miss my old work? yes I do, I can't lie. But I think that's expected as this early stage of retirement. And naturally it will fade over time, unless I intentionally cling on to it. I should not.
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