At What Point Do You Like to Quit A Career or Retire?

[LlamaMama]

Do your sims prefer to quit as soon as they complete a career? Do they start another career, stick it out until retirement, or do they stay with it to the day they die? Do certain careers have better perks to make it worth staying employed? Do they have different pension plans?

In my case I'm wondering about my CEO business career guy. It's nice to have the easy hours now that his career is maxed, but I'm wondering if it's worth the hassle of keeping track of which days he gets to bed early, or whether he should quit and earn money from hobbies or self-employment.

What influences your decision?

[Pam]

I mostly let my Sim decide about retirement.  A workaholic usually doesn't get a wish to retire, but a normal Sim often gets a retirement wish the moment he/she ages to elderly.  It's cute, too, because they often want to take up fishing right away after retiring. 

[LlamaMama]

I forgot that retirement is just for elders, so I'm expanding my question to include serial careers and/or quitting after level 10.

[Pam]

Just quitting after level 10 cuts off the money.  No pension or anything.  I think they lose the limos, too, unless they retire.  So, it could be tough financially to just quit at level 10 and start a new career.

[malteser60]

To me it also depends on the financial situation. If the money is needed then I let them work until the sim dies. Otherwise I normally quit as soon as they reach elderly stage. Mind you, as Pam said it also depends on the sim, if they are workaholics and it fits in with the story then they carry on working.

[Saltypaws]

Before Ambitions, I use to let my sims reach level 10, become elderly and then retire them, unless they were working on their LTR.  Now, with the new professions, kind of weird seeing elderly firefighters or someone in fashion.  I usually get them to level 10 and elderly and then invite as many people over and have them retire.  I like the little party they have when they retire.  So I guess you could say, I like to have them go for as long as possible before they retire, but always have to reach level 10 in their career or profession.

[cndneh]

If they want it when they hit elder I'll let them retire.  Otherwise as Adults they only reason they leave their job after they reach level ten is if I get bored with it.  But many of the careers are a few hours a week and the rest of the time they can do what ever.  For example, being an astronaut has you working a long shift on Monday and that's it, being chef has you working the weekend.  Lots of time to do other things, especially with Ambitions they can work on Sculpting or Inventing. 

Pam -  they get to keep Limos and Party buses after retirement.  Quitting is a different story.  If they quit and take another job, it starts with the rust bucket they carpool in.  I'm not sure if they quit and stay unemployed, I think they get to keep the limos.  Though usually by that time I've gotten them their own vehicle and we don't carpool at all.  It was awesome having my firefighter go to work on "the Beast". 

[Saltypaws]

I have not had too many that got the wish to retire, but, you're right, that would be a factor too.  I don't like to cut off their money too soon, especially if they want to live confortably, but if the retirement monies for firefighter are accurate, then it means more money in retirement than when they worked, alot more.

[maddyclyde9]

It really depends. On one, my Sim only had 102 dollars in the bank, so no way was I going to retire. He was the only income.
BUT
If your Sim retires than you can take up a home career. You can become quite rich, especially along with Painting, having a pension and home career at the same time. If you have an astronaut, I really don’t see the point of retiring; you only work one day a week. But with only that many hours, and I can't quite remember the pay, it's not really quick rich thing. 
So you have your good and your bad.

[Pam]

I don't like to cut off their money too soon, especially if they want to live confortably, but if the retirement monies for firefighter are accurate, then it means more money in retirement than when they worked, alot more.

I suspect that's a bug that will eventually be fixed.

[cndneh]

 If you have an astronaut, I really don’t see the point of retiring; you only work one day a week. But with only that many hours, and I can't quite remember the pay, it's not really quick rich thing. 

The Astronaut can make $6000+ dollars (then add on raises) in the one day.  So depending on your lifestyle (rich and famous, or down and out!) the $6000 might be enough for the week, expecially if, like you said, you do at home jobs like painting (which my Sim just sold one for $3500+!!)

[bshag]

I think it's great that elder sims can even work when they are elder.  In sims 2 they had mandatory retirement and quit their full time jobs and only work part time.

I let the sims decide when they want to retire.  Joe rolled the want the day after he turned elder, but Brooke, his wife who worked also as a mad scientist, worked for many more days before she retired.  Then after Ambitions, she became a school teacher.

I'm sure the retirement for the firefighter is a glitch.  My astronaut, when he retired, got only $430 pension and my big-time powerbroker only got $400 a day in pension.      

[jmz95]

I suspect that's a bug that will eventually be fixed.

Well, it wasn't in the latest patch, so who knows?

[Saltypaws]

I wonder with the new patch, if it affected the amount retired firefighters get.  I guess it fixed the other profession, Possession, guess will go and find out, unless someone else knows yet.

[scoed]

My sims never grow old enough to retire. I always have one sim in the family beeline to ambrosia. Most never become adults and as soon as they max out a career, I have them start in a new unrelated career. They need new challenges to overcome or what's the point of becoming immortal though ambrosia? Money is never an issue after the second career track. Often my sims end up with more money than they can use. Getting money is too easy in this game, especially for self-employed sims. I quit playing them after they have nothing else to accomplish. I had one sim (pre-Ambitions) as a young adult max out all careers and all skills, even the challenges. Now I am working on having another sim do the same with Ambitions. But I am a completion nut.