My first role in the computing industry was being a Computer Operator at the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate.I loved being in a machine room with a mainframe that had 8MB of real memory !! I spent the day mounting tapes and changing paper on the printers - it was the perfect way to start a career in computing as you got to see the real side of a machine room.Every time something went wrong the Systems Programmer turned up, looked in his magic little book and pressed a few buttons on the console before turning it off and on again. He was the Knight In Shining Armour that had the respect of everyone - and everyone was terrified of him and he gave them all the contempt they deserved. He was my hero and I owe him everything as he needed an assistant and chose me. So "Thanks" Geoff - choosing me changed my life.In 1989 I joined IBM in the Software Support Centre.After 7 years of fixing customer problems where I learnt my core skills of problem diagnosis, sharing knowledge rather keeping it to oneself, and ultimately teamwork (thanks Ron, Nick, Chris and Susan) I joined Java development and worked on the first mainframe (Z/OS) JVM that was shipped. I led various Java development teams, wrote a number of patents, led a team looking into how to solve Java problems and finally became Java Current Release Technical Lead. Then all this Cloud stuff beckoned and I left Java and became the Vulnerability Advisor Technical Lead where we checked the state of your container that was running in the cloud.Then, after 32 years at IBM, I decided it was time to retire and start to live *MY* life rather than spend it lining other people's pockets. People always ask how I'll spend the time and how did I cope with the change but I can honestly say that the time it took to adjust to not going to work was 1-day. On day 2 I got up and thought "I'm happy with this new part of my life and feel completely adjusted and at ease with it".My tip: A couple of years before you retire go part time, say 4 days a week, then in the last year only do 3 days a week. That way you are well practiced in the art.