After Retiring from Startups, I’m Considering Re-Entering as an IC Engineer – Have Others Done This?

A Reddit user was able to fully retire from the startup world after an exit.  Although he has plenty of money to remain retired, he misses working and is thinking about re-entering the workforce in a lower-level position.  He doesn’t want to be a founder or a high-level executive again, but thinks going back to a startup might provide social connections, and that it would be fun to become part of the team if he joined in a position like IC engineer or tech lead.

The poster wanted to know if anyone else had done the same, and whether the experience was good because of the social and intellectual challenges or whether it ended up being a stressful mistake.

Going back to work for social connections after retirement

Many other Redditors actually reported they had done something similar in the past, including a top commentor who enjoyed the camaraderie after returning to the startup world and another who said going back to work gave her purpose and stopped the overspending that she was doing as a result of being bored in retirement. 

Not everyone was positive about the idea, though. Another poster warned about the potential stress of working at a startup, specifically, especially since many businesses that are just getting off the ground want staff members who embrace the hustle culture and who work long hours and are fully committed to making the business a success. 

Some posters also suggested alternatives to the Redditor’s original plan to go back to work full-time in an IC engineer or tech lead role. One said he might be happier if he worked part-time to ease into the lifestyle and enjoy some of the pleasant aspects of working for a startup without making a full-time commitment that would require a major lifestyle change. Another said that he personally came back in as a member of a local angel investment group so he could be involved in the startup world but do it on his own time. 

All of these opinions and suggestions are valid ones, and the original poster needs to think carefully about whether returning to work would actually help him thrive, or if he would have a hard time staying motivated to work the necessary hours when he doesn’t really need the money. He also has to decide if he’s likely to experience more stress than happiness in the fast-paced startup world. 

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