我一直对主流的“去大厂、赚大钱”之类职业道路心存疑虑，唯一感到诱惑的是一件事：如果能高薪工作、早早存钱、财务自由、提前退休，这样是不是人生会很棒？

于是我请到了同一栋楼的邻居Evan，一个前亚马逊/谷歌程序员，28岁实现退休。我们谈到关于如何实现这件事的具体细节，但我更关注的还是，年纪轻轻地退休了，生活会更快乐吗？失去职业头衔后如何定位自己在社会和人世的身份？还能保持个人的成长吗？非常感谢Evan坦诚且走心的分享，在聊完后我也对自己是否会选择这条路有了一个答案。

I’ve heard so many fellow neuroscience PhD graduates working in those companies saying how this life can become much better in tech companies than in PhD but I always feel a bit resistant to that idea. But one argument I felt hard to resist is: that I will be able to secure a large chunk of money then retire early and then, my life will be free of any concerns.

So in this episode, I invited Evan who is a housemate in the same community house (reference: episode 14). He retired at 28 years old after working for Amazon and Google as a programmer. We talked about the technical "how-to"s,  but also about happiness, the meaning of life, and personal growth? I’m very grateful that Evan gave a comprehensive and honest share of his experience of early retirement.

2:14 Life before retirement: how to spend all those money that a programmer can earn?

8:03  Why saving money is natural: living, housing, traveling
12:17  Don’t you need money to buy the newest iphone?
15:29  Financial and mental preparation for retirement: how to feel safe?
19:53  How to not feel bored after retirement?
25:28  tricks in explain to family and friends about retirement
29:44  how to define my identity and value if it’s not by my career?
33:56  the fact that I have so much spare time but not doing sth that changes the world
41:05  what’s your best possible contribution to society? and problems with effective altruism
46:39  Period of feeling meaningless, depression, and loss of goal
55:27  How is social life and collaboration possible after retirement?
1:01:47  Don’t want to become a provider for the sole purpose of having marriage and kids
1:07:30  A high-level summary: the real mental preparation is to be yourself
1:11:11 Biggest personal growth: the journey with social anxiety
1:17:09 How much money is enough for retirement? The calculation and the unexpected

Cover photo: Boba Jovanovic on Unsplash

Music: Ryini Beats (GuitarAcoustic guitar instrumental beat 2019 15)