# Retirees: do you identify as "a (whatever)" or as a "retired (whatever)"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2024, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789 "2024-04-26T12:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/21 "2024-04-26T18:53:33Z")
My understanding is that a significant number of “retired” people have part-time jobs (partly because they need the money, partly for something to do). No one here in that category? If so do you identity yourself as this job (Uber driver…), your former profession, or “retired”? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2024, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/22 "2024-04-26T19:15:02Z")
I only say I’m a retired IC designer if it’s relevant, and that’s too broad a category in any case. I still review papers and have a column where I can pontificate about IC design issues, but I’m seven years behind the times so I laugh at LinkedIn queries. At our conference a year ago I asked a question, and you are supposed to identify yourself and your affiliation. I said blissfully retired. Someone said, “don’t rub it in” so the next time I said “can’t be laid off.” ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/23 "2024-04-26T19:31:40Z")
I’m a retired software engineer. I have no problems saying it: I haven’t done any professional programming in eight years. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/24 "2024-04-26T19:55:19Z")
I say I am a “retired (whatever)”. I guess I’m still an RN, though, as I am keeping my license active. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2024, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/25 "2024-04-26T20:26:17Z")
I’m “On My Own Recognizance” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/26 "2024-04-27T01:21:59Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > I suspect that depends on exactly what the profession is - “physicist” doesn’t just refer to a degree , does it? My daughter’s HS physics teacher had a doctorate, but I’ve never heard a HS teacher referred to as a physicist or mathematician or historian , regardless of what degree they have. I still identify as a physicist, despite my job being teaching high school math. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/27 "2024-04-27T01:41:24Z")
As a “retired Y.” But only when I want to annoy my co-workers. Yep, co-workers (doing X). ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/28 "2024-04-27T05:47:19Z")
I identify as someone who quit working at age 55 and my former employer pays me monthly not to return. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/29 "2024-04-27T05:58:05Z")
Depending on context, “I’m a retired X” or “I worked as an X.” One of my professions has a legally restricted title, so I can’t say, “I’m an X” since giving up my license. Usually I say, “I’m a writer” since my current activity is what’s relevant to the conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/30 "2024-04-27T12:19:18Z")
I have a little souvenir that endorses the “retired (whatever)” choice. It’s a coffee mug that says “THIS IS WHAT AWESOME RETIRED PHYSICISTS LOOKS LIKE”. However, the fact that this simple sentiment is written with a grammatical error might tarnish that endorsement. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/31 "2024-04-27T13:05:21Z")
Got asked this at a BBQ yesterday. Just told them I’m a retired programmer. Usually people just nod and change the subject (as happened yesterday). Sadly, they won’t hear my thrilling stories of using a binary shift-right to cleverly bury data in an array index, and how I saved a few nanoseconds of processing time. “No wait! Come back! Let me tell you how I coded a circular buffer using only one line in C!” Fools have no idea what they’re missing. > [@Chefguy](#): > > I have trouble nailing down something specific when someone inevitably asks “What did you do before retiring?” Ditto. I guess I could say I’m retired from General Dynamics, Boeing, Sperry, Halliburton, McD, Honeywell, UPS, Lockheed, Brown & Root, ITT/Continental, [city] EMS, [city] Water Works, and [city] Airport, having worked full-time for all of them at some point. 🙂 Sometimes I pick one of them just for fun, to make conversation interesting. But the last thing I did was programming, so I usually use that one along with the last company I worked for. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/32 "2024-04-27T13:26:14Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > My understanding is that a significant number of “retired” people have part-time jobs A friend retired at 51. His dad taught him to save for retirement, and he took it to the extreme. His financial advisor suggested retirement at 50, he worked an additional year. Now he has 4 fun part time jobs (one is bartending at a brewery). He works more hours each week now than he did as a grade school principal. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/33 "2024-04-27T13:46:09Z")
I retired from working as an actuary, and i made an attempt to get a job as a teacher. (Then i got really busy with vacation planning. I’ll be away more than I’ll be home this summer. Oops.) But if i succeed in getting a party time teaching job, I’ll call myself a teacher. Until then, i guess retired actuary will do. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/34 "2024-04-27T13:51:30Z")
Once a copy editor, always a copy editor. [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A13usaonutL._CLa%7C2140%2C2000%7C51W6KAR8AKL.png%7C0%2C0%2C2140%2C2000%2B0.0%2C0.0%2C2140.0%2C2000.0_AC_SX679_.png) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/A13usaonutL._CLa%7C2140%2C2000%7C51W6KAR8AKL.png%7C0%2C0%2C2140%2C2000%2B0.0%2C0.0%2C2140.0%2C2000.0_AC_SX679_.png) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/35 "2024-04-27T14:10:38Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Sometimes I pick one of them just for fun, to make conversation interesting. I sometimes throw in working for the Dept. of State just for fun, as almost everyone assumes that means CIA. I have been known to lead people on by saying “I did a lot of wet work. . .” - pregnant pause - “. . .all those leaky pipes, you know.” ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/36 "2024-04-27T15:03:42Z")
For many years I lived near the NSA headquarters in Maryland, so whenever I met someone who simply said, “I work for the government,” I’d reply, “So, NSA, then?” They’d often be surprised I’d figured out their clever ruse. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/37 "2024-04-27T15:56:54Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Got asked this at a BBQ yesterday. Just told them I’m a retired programmer. Usually people just nod and change the subject (as happened yesterday). Oh yes. Sometimes a change of subject, or a fellow traveler that is interested. I was in GIS before it was called GIS. Most people know what GIS is now. I used to say I make maps on computers. Which gave them a sort of confused understanding. side note/ GIS used to be called AM/FM. **A** utomated **M** apping / **F** acilities **M** anagement. That was REALLY confusing, and perhaps the worst acronym ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/38 "2024-04-27T16:11:58Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > For many years I lived near the NSA headquarters in Maryland, so whenever I met someone who simply said, “I work for the government,” I’d reply, “So, NSA, then?” They’d often be surprised I’d figured out their clever ruse. A favorite pastime at embassies is playing “spot the spook”. There are declared agents and there are agents posing as Foreign Service Officers. It’s usually not that difficult to spot them, as they are clueless about certain aspects of the DOS. You don’t want to get caught trying to spot them, as it could have serious consequences, nor was it a good idea to discuss it with others, so it was more of an idle pastime between spouses. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/39 "2024-04-27T16:13:34Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Dunno what I’d say as we retire. Seems to me like a doctor or lawyer or some other recognized, somewhat discrete profession is where you’d say “I’m a retired judge Depending on where you live, the professional orders/accreditation organizations will mandate who can call themselves by a given title, including after retirement. I cannot call myself an “engineer” without being a member of the provincial order, even if I have an engineering degree and do work in such a field (in my case, I work in a field with federal oversight, making provincial membership kind of pointless). A retired engineer who is listed as “retired” with the order cannot hold themselves out or have it be understood that they are an active member. I’m assuming other orders require the same thing (doctor, nurse, etc). For non-regulates professions, though, it’s all a lot more casual. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2024, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789/40 "2024-04-27T16:40:30Z")
Yeah, i can still call myself an actuary 1. there are no legal requirements to do so I’m the US, so you can call yourself an actuary, too, if you are so inclined. 2. as of today, I’m still qualified to practice, according to my professional society’s rules But I’m not doing a lot of actuarial work. And I’m doing a lot of retired stuff. So “retired actuary” seems more descriptive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retirees-do-you-identify-as-a-whatever-or-as-a-retired-whatever/1000789.md?page=3)