Considering career change after 24 years

[1stindoor]

Quick update. I finished the year out. Am vested in my pension and can now collect at 50 vs the 55 if I left early. Gave my two weeks notice yesterday and am walking away from law enforcement. I already found a sales job selling post frame building components to various businesses with active accounts plus I can still sell buildings too. It feels like what I need to be doing now. Thanks again for all the advice to stick it out. I am at peace moving on.

Aaron

Congratulations! That one year will pay dividends and be a good extra income stream you can count on for the rest of your life.

[Kingfish3000]

I am pretty much a long time lurker to this site but I have noticed there seems to be some pretty good advice given out. I figure why not ask on what I have been kicking around. I am thinking about getting out of my 24 year law enforcement career to do something else. I am getting burned out to be honest. My wife wants me out.

Attorneys that I know that are prosecutors and defense attorneys tell me about conversations that occur when everyone is sitting around waiting for the judge, the arrival of prisoners, during lunch breaks, etc. Officers are burned out and jaded everywhere and they have been less circumspect talking about it and expressing their desire to get out.

Good luck to you.

[Leon]

I retired from law enforcement after 36 years. I have been retired since 2006 and now can fish every week day, if I chose to. The environment, in Nashville,Tn.,has changed dramatically over the years. I was fortunate enough to have served my time when people respected the law and the people that enforced it. I’m glad I left when I did, now is not the time to be a human target, 24/7. The liberal Democrats that run the city care more for the drug heads and the protesters that March anytime someone gets arrested.
The sentiment toward law enforcement has definitely changed and not for the better, in my humble opinion. Good luck in your new found field. Definitely a smart move.

[jtlucas]

Congratulations and thank you for keeping Iowa safe for so many years. I honestly don't know how you LEO's and teachers deal with the BS anymore.

[CaymasCobaltKen]

Congratulations! I have been retired 5 years after 33 years in law enforcement. The world has changed, but I was fortunate to work in a city that supported their cops and firemen. My most positive memories are the kids who stopped playing to wave at the police car and the old ladies who dropped off cookies to show their appreciation.

[Firecop188]

Congrats man! Best of luck to you, thanks for your service.

[MI bassassassin]

You said you like sales and sell pole barns for a construction company. You easily take that experience to a lumber company and do sales there either as an inside or outside sales person. Doing outside sales you would concentrate on contractors and it can be fairly lucrative career. I did for 16 years up until the crash in 2007 when I transitioned to IT. The places I worked provided insurance and matching 401k opportunities. With your background you’ll have multiple options available, send out lots of resumes and interview them as much as they they interview you. There’s a worker shortage and that gives you a lot of negotiating power.

[Les Young]

Talk it though with the wife & try to stay one more year so you can collect at 50. It would be nice to have a retirement check coming in so young & have a regular 8 hour a day job to live on. You could really put back some money for a few years so that when old enough you & the misses could really enjoy your retired life together.

[Stratosfaction1]

In situations like yours (symptoms of burnout), a lot of people choose to start a business on their own than to be employed by someone else.

If you're not sure about that, look here for the questions to ask yourself and see if you are ready to start a business.

Reading your messages, I'm sure this is what you need. Being employed in the same field for 24 years must be really torturous.

[DaveBrabec]

Got out of construction after 30 years. Housing crash Bought a tackle shop and ran it for 12 years. Sold it when I could collect SS Long hours In the shop.

[Cbump]

Damn Iowa sucks. 20 years here, with 2 to 1 match by the city, and you can retire with a pay check for life.

[Okie Poke]

Firstly, thank you for your service in a very demanding and tough career. I know I couldn’t do it for any amount of cash. You’ve got to figure out how to attend your children’s college sports, at all cost. Sometimes it’s best to just break free and figure it out as you go. You may need several jobs to supplement that income, but it sounds like you can easily do it. To have a job in law enforcement for 24 years, I can guarantee you can adapt to anything. More power to you and I’m sending God’s blessings. You got this!

[RockOn]

That cab be really intense

[RockOn]

That can be really intense