Retirement

What is the actual age for retirement? The Malaysian government set it at 55yrs….don’t you all think it is too early to retire? In oversea I understand the age of retirement is 65. For me 55 is too too young to retire….we cant just live on what we have in hand until the day we die…..for we don’t know at what age we will die.

Do people really become useless after retirement?

I retired three years ago but was re-employed based on a yearly contract by the same company performing the same job. Unfortunately, the HR department told me that they are unable to re-new the contract as the company regulation clearly states that a person can only be re-employed for a maximum of 3 years. Thus, this will be my last contract and I have to say goodbye to my trusted friends at my office - for real this time. I will be out of job by end of May (just learned from my boss he has to extend another month of contract, phew, am I relieved or what!). But, I am also starting to get worried. What I am going to live on? I am used to getting a monthly salary to pay for my household bills and now suddenly all this will not be available to me anymore! Yes, for sure I cannot survive on my EPF, it wont last me that long if I am to live till 80 or more….hahaha. (big hope to think I can live until that age!).

For years I have been working for a very good boss who is not only kind in his actions, he's also someone who looks after me like his own family member. He talked to me months ago and advised me to take up something, for he said, if I am not working, I might get old fast and deteriorate, physically & mentally. Isnt he a good boss?

So coupled with my passion in dogs, I decided to take up a dog grooming course. The whole course cost RM8,000 not inclusive of equipment that I need to buy. Gee….that is a lot of money for someone who is retiring soon but there is no way around it. You want to learn, you pay! But months after joining the class, I started to think why I took up this course. I can actually just join some petshops that has a pet grooming service and be a trainee, thus able to learn up the skill. This will enable me to learn the trade as well as earn some money for me to buy groceries. Income and skill - what more can I ask for. But then, come to think of it, who is willing to employ an old lady? Malaysia is not like other countries overseas, where you can find old men and women still employed.

Here in Malaysia, the local view of the employers is always to get rid of any old workers. The reason, the longer you work for a company, the more benefits you are entitled to thus eating up the company's so called profits. Otherwise in overseas, old workers are more cherished as they are like a walking encyclopedia of the company because they have amassed so much experience working. Why cannot Malaysia be more like overseas? Why cannot the government extend the retirement age to 65 and give the option to the workers to take up early retirement at age 55 if they want to. Not everyone who reach 55 will be old and lose their mind, not all who reach 55 will be labeled as invalid. I for one don’t think I look that old and nearly all my friends told me that I look way much younger than my actual age! Not kidding you.

So what am I going to do after retirement? That is my main worry. I cannot just sit at home all the time doing nothing as I will surely go mad. Although some people told me that since I got 6 dogs, I will be very occupied as they are a frisky lot. But that doesn’t sound like much work to me. No doubt it'll be very physical playing and keeping them well groomed, I need something to stimulate my mind. My principal is that if my mind don’t work, I will soon become useless, idle minded and unsociable. I rather be dead than end up like a silly old prune!