At 55, one school bus driver is weighing a tough decision that many people approaching retirement can relate to: Should she stick with a job she enjoys, or switch to a new one that offers a pension and free health insurance?
She shared her dilemma in a Reddit forum, explaining that the job she’s considering offers something her current employer doesn’t — a pension.
“The pension will take me 7 years to become fully vested,” she wrote, adding that after 10 years, she’d qualify for a higher payout. “That would put me right at 65, and I could retire with the small pension and [Social Security].”
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The catch? Switching jobs means starting over. And while the new job offers a lifetime pension, it also requires a longer commute, working summers, and losing some financial benefits she currently depends on.
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What She Has Now
Right now, she drives a school bus part time. The pay is higher per hour, and the job comes with some perks that aren’t always obvious — like unemployment benefits during school breaks. She also contributes to a 401(k) and relies on her husband’s health insurance.
Importantly, she enjoys her current role and isn’t looking to leave because of dissatisfaction. “I enjoy my job and have nothing against my current employer at all,” she said. “What pulls me toward this other employer is the pension and free health insurance for me, which means the hubby can drop me from his health insurance plan.”
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What the New Job Offers
The new job would still involve driving a bus, but with a few key changes. She’d go from guaranteed four-hour days to six-hour days. Even though the hourly pay is lower, the increased hours could mean a slightly higher paycheck overall.
The real draw is the pension and free health coverage. Pensions can be hard to come by these days, especially ones that offer a fixed monthly payment for life. But to earn that benefit, she’d need to stay for at least seven years. To maximize it, 10 years. That would mean working full time, through summers and breaks, until she’s 65.
What Others Are Saying
Comments on her post were mixed. Some encouraged her to take the pension while she still has time to vest, pointing out that “pensions are incredibly scarce these days, especially ones that have a lifetime payout.” Others urged caution. “If it were me… I think I’d stay at the job I love and just try to max my 401(k) contributions.”
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One user raised a practical concern: pensions may not always be as secure as they seem. “They depend on the stability of your company and their competency level to keep your, and others, contributions safe,” they said.
No Easy Answer
This isn’t a straightforward financial decision — it’s a personal one. It involves weighing long-term security against current comfort, and guaranteed income against the flexibility of a 401(k). While a pension sounds appealing, she’s also aware that switching jobs at this stage of life comes with trade-offs.
For now, it seems that she’s leaning toward staying where she is and increasing her retirement contributions. But as she put it, “I have time to think it over… but not forever.”
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