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How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

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Clariman
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How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331868

Postby Clariman » August 9th, 2020, 10:29 am

People are often defined by what they "do" (i.e. job) rather than who they are. I have tried to avoid this during my life because my work has never been my main thing. Since stopping full time work a few years back, I have struggled to know what to do with my LinkedIn profile ... because the platform is very job/career oriented. I've always been interested in lots of different things, but never absolutely dedicated myself to one thing to become brilliant at it.

For example, my degree was in an arts subject, my main job was in IT (technical then business/commercial). I have continued my arts subject as a life-long hobby throughout and into retirement. Since retiring I've done a postgraduate degree in a subject that was nothing to do with my undergraduate degree or my professional life. I run an Investment Discussion Forum (this) and a small holiday let business. All of them have absolutely nothing to do with the other, apart from some transferable skills. Maybe I should just put "retired" on LinkedIn and leave it at that. :lol:

How do you describe yourself? Was your working life your top thing or do you have a similar problem with fingers in many pies? Are you defined by your job (past or present)?

C

Itsallaguess
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331870

Postby Itsallaguess » August 9th, 2020, 10:35 am

Clariman wrote:
Are you defined by your job (past or present)?


I'm not defined at all...

What's LinkedIn?

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

Clariman
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331876

Postby Clariman » August 9th, 2020, 11:04 am

ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Delete LinkedIn profile. Problem solved.

RVF

My point was a more general one thank LinledIn specifically. I thought it would be interesting to have a discussion about how people define themselves or present themselves to others, when they are involved in lots of different things.

Perhaps I should have put the question a different way. For example, if you're at a social function and someone asks "what do you do?" how would you respond. That is just another example but you can discuss your own.

UncleEbenezer
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331880

Postby UncleEbenezer » August 9th, 2020, 11:12 am

In retirement - must surely imply am of pensionable age, and/or have sufficient resources to keep me until pensionable age. If I earn anything, that's a bonus.

Semi-retirement: the above, but would like something more and will work for it when the opportunity presents itself.

Portfolio career: do not have sufficient resources, and will take whatever I can get to feed myself.

I prefer to avoid defining myself, and have done for as long as I can remember (I don't think I got asked the question in those terms back when the answer would've been "student"). If pressed, I have several answers - all truthful but none of them the 'whole truth' - whose purpose is to satisfy curiosity as the occasion demands, but without going on at too much length.

Dod101
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331882

Postby Dod101 » August 9th, 2020, 11:15 am

I respond to that sort of question as 'Long since retired' and leave it at that.

Dod

Itsallaguess
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331886

Postby Itsallaguess » August 9th, 2020, 11:26 am

UncleEbenezer wrote:
If pressed, I have several answers - all truthful but none of them the 'whole truth' - whose purpose is to satisfy curiosity as the occasion demands, but without going on at too much length.


I think this is a key thing for me too, when it comes to personal face-to-face stuff - I will tailor any answer to fit the person who's asking it and the particular circumstances of the conversation, and tell them no more than they really need to know...

With these various (and popular..) online profile sites, you don't get chance to make that decision, so there's no opportunity to pitch things 'appropriately' for each specific viewing of that profile, and a decision must be made as to where that 'open pitch' is going to lie, which I think is getting to the heart of the question Clariman might be asking, perhaps?

That probably explains my own lack of participation in all the popular online social-media platforms to be honest, as I dare say having 'Status :- What's it got to do with you?' isn't going to seem all that endearing to the modern-day internet audience...

With that said - it's an issue that I have no problem living with....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

swill453
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331889

Postby swill453 » August 9th, 2020, 11:49 am

ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Delete LinkedIn profile. Problem solved.

I kept my profile but changed my status to "Not working, not looking". Of course I still get contacted by recruitment agents but not enough that it irritates too much.

Scott.

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331892

Postby jackdaww » August 9th, 2020, 11:59 am

Clariman wrote:
ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Delete LinkedIn profile. Problem solved.

RVF

My point was a more general one thank LinledIn specifically. I thought it would be interesting to have a discussion about how people define themselves or present themselves to others, when they are involved in lots of different things.

Perhaps I should have put the question a different way. For example, if you're at a social function and someone asks "what do you do?" how would you respond. That is just another example but you can discuss your own.


=====================

whats a social function?

:)

GoSeigen
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331897

Postby GoSeigen » August 9th, 2020, 12:11 pm

Clariman wrote:People are often defined by what they "do" (i.e. job) rather than who they are. I have tried to avoid this during my life because my work has never been my main thing. Since stopping full time work a few years back, I have struggled to know what to do with my LinkedIn profile ... because the platform is very job/career oriented. I've always been interested in lots of different things, but never absolutely dedicated myself to one thing to become brilliant at it.
How do you describe yourself? Was your working life your top thing or do you have a similar problem with fingers in many pies? Are you defined by your job (past or present)?


Personally I describe myself as a general layabout as often as not.

Mark Twain remarked that clothes make the man. Why don't you just focus on what you wear, then when people ask what you do ask them in turn "What does it look like I do?"

You might get some useful and amusing replies!


GS

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331909

Postby bungeejumper » August 9th, 2020, 12:27 pm

Professional grandpa, musician, general intellectual beacon, slayer of dragons, lover of beautiful women, fitness guru, in slightly used condition. Available for after dinner speaking, weddings, bar mitzvahs, any odd jobs, reasonable rates. All offers considered. ;)

BJ

Mike4
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331911

Postby Mike4 » August 9th, 2020, 12:33 pm

ReallyVeryFoolish wrote:Delete LinkedIn profile. Problem solved.

RVF

If only that were possible.

bungeejumper
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331912

Postby bungeejumper » August 9th, 2020, 12:35 pm

Incidentally, I couldn't help but notice how the title of this thread has been truncated on the Home page to: "How do you describe yours"?

I clicked on the discussion with some curiosity, not to mention a certain amount of apprehension. ;)

BJ

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331933

Postby gryffron » August 9th, 2020, 1:23 pm

I spent my working life on computers. I NEVER tell new acquaintances that. Or it immediately leads to "Ooh, I have this problem with my PC..."

I definitely think people treat you differently depending on your answer to this question, or at least some people do. "Retired" will immediately get old people written off. I'm still young enough that "I've been retired 10 years" usually raises an eyebrow. "Professional Investor" or even "Consultant" sounds a lot more impressive - to the sort of people who judge others by their perceived status.

Gryff

JohnB
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331937

Postby JohnB » August 9th, 2020, 1:33 pm

Retired. If pushed I say I used to optimise supercomputers, but realised I wan't enjoying it and had enough money to retire early and look after Mum. I don't mention the weather forecasting, as they want to know more, and I'd rather hear about them than talk about me. If they want to know what I do now, I talk about the conservation volunteering, as I can be positive and anyone can understand it.

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331938

Postby johnhemming » August 9th, 2020, 1:37 pm

I am still doing quite a bit of coding now as I have been working on a startup although financially I could simply retire. I still do a mixture of things including music and lay legal advice hence I tend to generally have a discussions when asked. I have a twitter profile of:

"Entrepreneur, investor and Techie, Jazz pianist, campaigner against injustice."

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331940

Postby greenrobbie » August 9th, 2020, 1:48 pm

Musician & layabout ex-librarian immaturing nicely with age

greenrobbie

SalvorHardin
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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331951

Postby SalvorHardin » August 9th, 2020, 2:34 pm

To others I'm an Actuary. That is usually enough to shut people up. Those who enquire further get some boring spiel about mortality and morbidity statistics.

In reality I am retired and have been for 17 years. But retiring at 39 provokes jealously and envy in some people, and I wanted to avoid that. So only a few people know the truth, for the rest there's my fake job (which is deliberately boring).

I think of myself as a low level polymath. Five degrees (maths, physics, law, economics and history), plus several other qualifications. And I used to be a soldier in the British Army, so I'm not a total nerd :-)

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331954

Postby Rhyd6 » August 9th, 2020, 2:47 pm

When asked I usually say "chicken sexer" that usually shuts them up.

R6

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331957

Postby Mike4 » August 9th, 2020, 2:54 pm

SalvorHardin wrote:To others I'm an Actuary. That is usually enough to shut people up. Those who enquire further get some boring spiel about mortality and morbidity statistics.


Lol I too was about to suggest the OP says "Actuary" but you pipped me to it!

Interesting subject and having many, many customers in Reading, I have quite a few actuary customers and really enjoy discussions about mortality, morbidity etc. when fixing their boiler. I guess I get two or three actuaries a year being near the HO of Prudential, but there are others firm here employing actuaries too I gather, and yes most are surprised I know what one is, let alone that it doesn't shut me up!

But getting to the point I once asked someone what they did and they replied "I'm self employed", so said "Oh right, so am I. What field are you in?" to which they answered "Oh a bit of this, a bit of that...". So I took the hint and stopped asking. The OP could try something along those lines....

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Re: How do you describe yourself - in retirement or with a portfolio career?

#331959

Postby nmdhqbc » August 9th, 2020, 3:00 pm

I say I'm taking time off until I run out of money. Technically true, it's just that I don't plan on running out. Saves the questions about how and the reverse snobbery of "all right for some" which I've got some times. At least this way they can conclude for themselves how long it will be before I'm on the job market again.


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