Hi there fellow IBMer. There seem to be quite a number of us on FR.
==> “Hi there fellow IBMer. There seem to be quite a number of us on FR.” <==
Not really a surprise. I retired on 11/31/05, with almost 31 years, full pension, and medical benefits for my wife and I. The benefits were free for a year or two, but are still better than what IBM provides to current retirees.
I started doing contract work the very next day for one of my IBM clients, and eventually did a lot of work for perhaps 20 such clients over the next 7 years. I was heavily involved with Y2K readiness, and performed numerous hardware and software upgrades for that purpose. I worked in the low-end mainframe boxes and the VSE and VM operating systems, CICS, DB2 database, plus SNA and TCP/IP communications. And I made several times what my IBM salary had been.
I stopped doing IT a few years ago, and taught Managerial Economics for Webster University (Millington campus) MBA program for 5 semesters. And I just completed a year as president of Memphis Mensa. Now I am taking a class on Biblical Archeology of Israel, taught by a IDF reserve infantry major who conducts private tours over there, and I am doing this instead of my homework!