Trapped by a Pension

Over coffee, a friend in his fifties told me he couldn’t consider changing countries, leaving his company, or starting something new.

Why? Because he needed to “make the years” for the public pension.

That was it. Not purpose. Not energy. Not opportunity. Just a countdown.

I get it, the system is designed to reward continuity. But most public pension schemes are on shaky ground. Betting your future freedom on a system that might not hold… feels like a risky kind of safety.

Worse than the system being broken is the mindset it creates; one that kills ambition in your prime, just when you have the experience and clarity to do your best work.

Being stuck for a promise of someday is understandable. But not even dreaming of alternatives? That’s the real tragedy.