At what age did you retire from work ..? For me it was at 59

There is no age limit to student loans, you could still go to Uni if you have one close, good luck xx

I retired last summer, 5 months before my 60th, along with DH who is seven months younger than I am (as he never ceases to remind me - toy boy!)
We both took our occupational pensions and had been saving furiously into AVCs to help bridge the gap to SP at 67.
There has not been a single morning where I have got up and wished I was going to work. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job, but it was time for me to go.
I now have one day a week childminding my youngest grandchild and keep pretty busy!

I am 67 this year and am technically still working, I do one day a week working for my daughters in their cafe doing the books.

I will never be able to retire for financial reasons. When and if ill health occurs I don’t know what I will do.

Penelopebee I had the same problem in local government bullying appears to be rife in that work environment . I am 68 and retired on New Year’s Eve , have really struggled but now starting to accept it and now DH is suggesting I work part time , I really don’t want to as I Feel I have lost my confidence ?

I officially retired at 63 but due to covid returned to work part time as lm a community nurse.this year now just doing 2 mornings a week now 65 actually really enjoy it keeps me sane as hubby now retired ha !!

I was working full and part time for years then dropped the well paid full time job at age 55 as I wanted to walk away, and thought I could afford to. Kept going with the part time, much lower paid but more useful, job till 68 then took voluntary redundancy which gave me a year’s money. So far, brilliant!

43 on health grounds.

48. I just got fed up where I was working and left. Best thing I ever did. I intended to spend more time with my mum but she died suddenly a few months later. I then started my own business rather than work for someone else and did that for the next eight years. I didn't really think of it as work as I enjoyed it so much. When DH retired so did I so we could enjoy more time together.

50 years, 3 months from full time work. Took a year off and then worked 2 days/week part time and voluntary for another 13 years, then later another 1 year voluntary about 1 day a week. Now fully retired (I think) at 75. I planned to retire from full time work at 50 when I was in my twenties but missed the target by three months.

65 and still working. Planning to retire next year and then do interim jobs if I want money for a specific thing - fancy holiday, home improvements, "new" car, whatever.

I retired at 49 due to a serious road traffic accident I was hit by a speeding car while cycling to work. I used to cycle 30 miles a day to keep fit. I was sent home from the A&E department diagnosed with bruising and a sprain; bit in reality I had four broken vertebrae (losing 4 inches in height) and a serious head injury that left me brain damaged.

I really wanted to get back to work after spending years training to teach health and social care (two degree's, a post grad' teaching certificate and registered general nurse). I'd finally found the job I wanted teaching nurses/ physio's etc at an adult education centre. Two weeks into the job I was hit by the car (driven by my daughters ballet teacher).

Thankfully I survived (obviously) and was able to see my children grow as well as discover new hobbies (astronomy, computing, gaming and reading) as my previous hobbies (rock climbing, motorcycling, cycling, skiing and hiking) were not possible due to my back injuries and the fact that I've been on fentanyl and oxycodone (often called the poor mans heroin) since shortly after my accident.

p.s. I miss the company and meeting new people.

whiterabbit1956

Much respect.

What is retirement really? Its only ceasing to earn a living. I haven’t earned money since I was 50, but am still working. Its just that now work at what I WANT to. I consider myself very blessed!

67 and left to start a small business in which I can indulge my passions of painting and jewellery making.

I never had paid work after 1949 when expecting my son. With a husband who had been traumatised after being wounded in France after the Dday. Landings I did all the decorating, gardening, growing all our etc. Made all of my own and children’s clothes as well as for friends. Was on WI committees friend of local hospital etc.
Didn’t have time to go out to work.

At age 60. I had been working 4 days a week for 3 years prior to this, as my husband was suffering from cancer and already retired.

I left full time employment at 53. Then did consultancy contracts til I was 63. DH not in the best of health so it was the right decision. Now 72 Am studying with the OU to keep grey cells working!

68 but still keep busy with volunteering, committee work and other stuff. Just an unpaid extension to work really

I worked full time till I was 63 then worked part time until I was 68. By that time I had 3 grandchildren and helped with a fourth until they were all at school. Now I have 2 West Highland Terriers (terrors.) At 81 I still knit, Cook and Bake. I have a built in need to keep myself busy.

Like a few others here I retired at 55. I was in a university admin job and was exhausted from doing the work of four people whilst the managenent dithered about when to replace the people who had gone.
Absolutely no regrets, though I didn't have much occupational pension as I'd not been there many years.
Fortunately my state pension was delayed for less than two years, we cashed in our house and were fine financially. We've now downsized to a lovely flat with a balcony by the river and are both very happy.
I'm sad to hear that some here are missing work, so many people suffer ill health later so you need to make the most of the life you have now.

67.
I worked on past my contracted retirement age (65) to defer and build up my state pension.
I cut my hours/days until I was being paid what I would take home with my state and work pension so I could adjust to what I would be getting.
I really enjoyed my job (as a CAD technician with a local authority) but at the end there were so many financial constraints any civil engineering was cut back to essential repairs so there was no interesting projects to work on.
I did dream that I was still working for the first year or so but not any more.

52, 18 years ago. DH and I both worked for large corporations and were offered enhanced redundancy packages at the same time. We'd been throwing the maximum amount into my company pension for a few years, so were able to live off that and DH's pension until SP started. Best decision ever.

In 2.5 months time, age almost 60. At the beginning of the pandemic, I told DH that by the time I have to return to the office, it will be time for me to retire and that turned out to be true.
DH is much older than me and I feel the time is right for me to retire. I am so thankful that I no longer have to do the daily long commute anymore especially in the winter months.
We have an online website selling collectibles, we are trying to sell our remaining stock, which will keep me busy during retirement.