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I would think that the "obsession" your peer group has with retiring early comes more from the realization that they can retire early (they have the ability to

I would think that the "obsession" your peer group has with retiring early comes more from the realization that they can retire early (they have the ability to if they want) more than anything else. Your observations of your peer group may have some selection bias present. Cast a wider net and you may come to the opposite conclusion. I agree that many people do not find much meaning in their work, but most people also do not make as much money as software engineers do. Most people cannot fathom retiring early. It simply is impossible. A lot of software engineers are going to realize that, hey, if I save up and invest money aggressively for roughly 10 to 15 years, I will have enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life without having to do work that I do not like. However, most professions do not make nearly enough money to achieve the goal of retiring early, so they really have no reason to discuss or even ponder early retirement. It's never gonna come up.

varjag 3y ago
Aye, this whole concept is a zero sum game hedging on you earning substantially more than median. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to live off your saved amount as the services rendered by other people would price you out. The returns on investments would have been very modest too with people extracting more value for their work.
spaceman_2020 3y ago
True, but the people I’m talking about are at the top of their fields and can afford to retire anytime. You find this pretty much everywhere with high accomplished people - they don’t want to quit, even when they can afford to. Skilled doctors who keep working, professors who keep teaching, artists who never stop creating - well into their 70s and 80s.
JSavageOne 3y ago
I think it's less about ability to retire early, more about realization that being forced to sell one's life and freedom to an employer is not only miserable, but completely unnecessary for society to function (eg. with a UBI society would carry on just fine, and likely accelerate automation). The older generation didn't grow up with technology so perhaps it's not as obvious to them.

varjag 3y ago

Aye, this whole concept is a zero sum game hedging on you earning substantially more than median. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to live off your saved amount as the services rendered by other people would price you out. The returns on investments would have been very modest too with people extracting more value for their work.

spaceman_2020 3y ago

True, but the people I’m talking about are at the top of their fields and can afford to retire anytime. You find this pretty much everywhere with high accomplished people - they don’t want to quit, even when they can afford to. Skilled doctors who keep working, professors who keep teaching, artists who never stop creating - well into their 70s and 80s.

JSavageOne 3y ago

I think it's less about ability to retire early, more about realization that being forced to sell one's life and freedom to an employer is not only miserable, but completely unnecessary for society to function (eg. with a UBI society would carry on just fine, and likely accelerate automation). The older generation didn't grow up with technology so perhaps it's not as obvious to them.