(Musings of an Army Officer who decided to quit prematurely)

Disclaimer : The views are strictly personal. You may partly or wholly disagree. You don’t have to quit because I did.

 To be or not to be.   And one fine day you are not at all happy where is life is going and you want to push the ‘undo’ button and start afresh. But then one is scared of losing all the comforts and security of a well paying job. The decision is not easy at all when you are on the 50s side of 45 and have two school going children to support. The decision becomes even more difficult when you are still in the race for the next rank. There are pressures from family and friends, seniors and juniors and even strangers who try their level best to dissuade you. But something inside you tells you ‘enough is enough’ and its now or never.

AD decides to quit at 48.. Yes yours truly  was a selection grade Colonel, doing reasonably well and he faced all the above mentioned pressures but held his ground and decided to quit the Army in his promotion year. 24 years and 10 months to be exact, but decision was taken exactly at the end of 24 years. The decision was also difficult because I was as GD (General Duty.. Jack of very few trades and master of none).

Why Quit ? Reason has to be internal to each one who is planning to quit. You get absolute freedom but then it’s a tough bargain. I went for freedom and peace of mind and am now geared up to do whatever I want to do. A word of advice for all those who want to leave to earn more money.. DON’T. There is no better pay master than the Govt. Another golden piece of advice is EARN YOUR PENSION FIRST. Common saying is that if you leave after 25 years of Service, then the government earns for you. How true is it… I am yet to find out.   Don’t quit because you have been overlooked in a promotion Board or that you don’t get along well with your boss. The organisation is one of the finest in the world and I have no cribs at all.  Given below are the calculations that you must do before finally deciding to hang your boots.

Mathematical Modelling.    The calculations may not be correct to the last penny but a mathematical model of your earnings and expenses will help you decide logically. I have  listed my own .  Presently,I am staying in a rented house in a city other than my hometown owing to the education of the children (son is in class 12^th and preparing for Law Entrance) while the daughter is in class 6^th. The following table gives you the average monthly expenses :-

This has to be met with your pension and interest on your savings. If you qualify for disability pension (like me) {or a gallantry awardee (tax benefit only)}, then your pension alone will meet the above mentioned expenses ( 1.3L tax free) for a period of at least three years, but if you are medically fit when you retire, then you have to eat into your savings/ interest till the time you settle down in the new job. What do you get on retirement is not very difficult to calculate. My own calculation including one time deductions is given in the following table :-

What to do with this money?  Keep 10 L as your safety cum running expense for next 3 to 6 months and invest the rest. For a five year window, on an investment of 50L (10% returns), you can earn upto 40k monthly. Thus, you need to earn in excess of 50k per month to stay afloat in the lifestyle that you are used to. If you have your own house plus wise investments in the kitty, you are in a much happier state. What you lose is the chance to get OROP too, but all these are not major factors.

What to do after I leave the army? If you are looking for answers like  “don’t do anything”, “relax”… then again you will be wrong. Its important to plan for the next innings and you may have to forego the security and the privileges like free house, travel, LTC,no toll tax, a buddy and so many other mentionable and unmentionable things. Do your resettlement course, especially if you are less than 45 years of age. It gives you six months of paid break to think and re-calibrate yourself. Before you quit, decide on the few basic issues. WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO AND WHERE DO YOU PLAN TO SETTLE DOWN?  If not decided, then plan to settle down not too far away from a cantonment. This way you will be able to enjoy most of the benefits like gym, club, swimming pool, library, theatre, sports complex and golf, which you have always wished for but never had the time. Plan your next innings well and more than your qualifications, your networking skills will help you get a decent job. Online courses, your professionally made CV and your systematic approach will be of immense help. If you want go in for a start up, then the story is different. But deliberate planning is required for both. Stay mentally and physically active and have an open mind.

Take a break.   After spending 20 plus years in a high pressure job, you deserve a break. I enjoyed for the past seven months and this blog post marks the beginning of my second life (blogging is part of my new profile), go on a holiday, go abroad, read, drive, swim, play, meet up friends and relatives and do all that you have always wanted to do. After recharging yourself, then take the next step. Getting a job, the very next day of your retirement, though desired by most of us, may not be the most appropriate thing.

What did I Do?    We had a family holiday (5 days only though at Dubai..) and I have been on TV (National Channel) and All India Radio as a Defence Expert and am hosting a special Radio Show on local FM. I did appear for a few job interviews but other than two nothing went beyond the second stage. The two that were keen, had conditions which I was not ready to meet. I am all set for my new venture now. You will hear more from me. Lot of seniors and juniors, who are still serving, have been contacting me for advice (which I am not fully qualified to give as on date) and so many people have asked me if I was feeling happy or sad at my decision to quit army… my answer was, is and will always be.. I AM FEELING LIGHT.

cheers …