In 2017, I was laid off of my job (of almost 27 years). I immediately started looking for work. Since the company I worked for, was a marquee-name company, I assumed that it wouldn't be hard.
Boy, was I in for a shock.
I almost immediately learned that no one in tech, is interested in hiring a 55-year-old, regardless of their pedigree. I could have gotten a job, but those companies made it clear that I would be treated quite badly.
So I made the decision to just throw in the towel and retire. I had the means, but I would have liked to have at least another ten years of salary. I have never had any intentions of stopping working, though. I love developing software. It's a hobby and a personal passion; not just a job.
I was really pissed off at the treatment. I suffered great butthurt.
But in the long run, it's the best thing that ever happened to me. I never realized how much stress I was under, while working. I sincerely believe that, if I had kept working, it would have killed me. I have no intentions of returning to the rodent rally; even though I'm quite good at what I do, thanks to all the learning that I've done, in the last eight years.
I now work every day (my GH Activity Graph is quite green), and do a fairly good job on my chosen projects, but I no longer feel that awful weight on my soul.
Sometimes, the only way that we learn how much pain we are in, is to stop suffering it for a while.