My brother retired after 30 years, about 12 years ago. He let them tell him when to go, and at that time his best deal was 55 years old. He had a lot of stories, and he and his wife were visiting DC. So they went to headquarters and got their picture taken with J Edgar Hoover. His wife had been an FBI secretary (I guess its how they met.) Nothing else unusual, except Hoover died the next day.

His story was a little different than yours. He wanted to work in their crime lab and applied. They had a grueling process for vetting new agents. It took about a year back then, but they did offer him a draft deferment until he knew one way or the other. So he went to the University of Idaho for a masters degree while it played out. Their policy back then was to take agents out of the field, not hire them directly into the lab, so he agreed. When it came time to decide, he wanted to stay in the field.

He even had a book written about one of his cases, something like "The lasers edge". It was about the most dry and boring reading I've ever done, and I went to law school.

Most agents retire and double dip in a second career. I'd guess you'll start seeking a job with a private firm in some kind of position as director of security. You'll get your 102% of pay as a pension, and then about double your pay again in the private sector.

You have a problem....you'll soon have 2 or 3 in college. Not cheap, but if the kids are smart you'll get them some kind of scholarship to help out.

Good luck.

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Dick Burg