I must be out of my mind
I'm 53. I have a good public-sector job on the staff of a large community college. Great retirement plan. Nice, if hardly princely, salary. Good benefits.
I'm not working in the field in which I spent most of my career prior to a layoff several years ago. But I'm using the same kinds of skills, just in different ways.
By all accounts, I have set myself up for a nice, low-stress glidepath to retirement in another 12 to 15 years.
But you see where this is going, don't you?
I'm bored. And I'm quitting.
We're uprooting the family so I can take a job in another city to work at a small company.
The downside: The new job offers less than the kind of raise I'd really need to compensate for a higher cost of living there. The benefits will be so-so. The retirement plan sucks (at least compared to those in the public sector). We're upside down on our house, so getting out of our mortgage is going to be ugly. (I'm praying the bank allows a short sale because I don't want to be a landlord.)
The upside: We'll be in a city my wife wants to live in (she grew up there and has family there) and I'll be back in my chosen field. And I won't be bored.
This is all pretty insane. Financially, it makes no sense. But I really feel like I need to do this thing.
Wish me luck.
= new reply since forum marked as read
My best decisions in life have been the ones that made no sense at the time. Follow your heart and good luck.
There are scenarios in which this could be a fantastic move and I would look like a genius. There's also a chance that this will be a crash-and-burn situation. Either way, I won't be bored. 
This may be your last hurrah in the working world...make it count!
And good luck, though I don't think you need it.
