Category: Early Retirement (Page 6 of 6)

It was the winter of 2003, just before Christmas, and the decorations were out in full force along the Magnificent Mile.  All of the stores displayed the top gift items of the season in their impressively decorated front windows.  Street musicians and carollers filled the air with festive tunes. I was still a young man, fresh out of college, only 18 months into my career.  Each weekday I exited the subway and walked down the iconic Michigan Avenue to my cubicle on the 19th floor of the John Hancock building, where I had gotten a job working for the 3rd largest insurance brokerage in the city.  And I was about to be laid off.

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I have a hard time remembering exactly what my answer to this question was when I was a kid.  I’m sure a frequently repeated answer was professional basketball player. When I was young, my dad was a high school basketball coach so we watched and played A LOT of basketball.  Unfortunately, my growth spurt stopped at 5’11”, my jump shot never quite developed as much as I’d hoped, and since I’m not quite as quick as Isiah Thomas, the NBA ceased to be an option.

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