Quote Originally Posted by MarkO View Post
The concept of a job for life with one company died with my parents generation, my father in law worked for Rolls Royce his entire working and is now retired with a final salary pension, sweet !
Pretty much my situation, actually, so I must be old enough to be your father.

For most of my working life (33 years) I worked for the National Health Service. As a 'mental health professional' I could retire at 55, assuming that I had thirty years' service. I retired at 57 (I'm now approaching sixty) with an index-linked final salary pension. My wife is in the same situation. But yes, we were in a fortunate generation, and in a few years there will be no more getting that deal.

A single qualification carried me through from start to finish. I actively avoided career development and further study, but most of my job titles included the words 'senior' and 'manager'. The bulk of my career was spent managing acute psychiatric units - not an entirely unsuitable preparation for moderating internet forums.