After nearly 17 years as a Starbucks partner (Starbucks employees are considered partners because we all have equity in the company), the time has come for me to move on. Since the first week of June last year (‘23), I’ve been on what is called in Starbucks parlance a “Career Coffee Break” AKA sabbatical. If you’ve been a partner for at least ten continuous years you become eligible for a CCB of up to 12 months. It’s an unpaid leave, but you otherwise retain active status for the purposes of benefits and equity vesting. Once you pass the six-month point of your CCB you’re no longer guaranteed a return to the role you were in, but if you do want to return it’s generally not difficult to get back into a similar level/role as the one you left.
As of today, March 22nd, 2024, I have officially retired from Starbucks. I had enough tenure at the company (10+ years) and was beyond the age threshold to qualify for retirement. Retiring gets me my partner discount benefit for life as well as continuation of my weekly “markout” for a pound of coffee. Not bad for 17 years of service.
Despite the fact that I am now a Starbucks retiree, I’m not done with my working career. I did seriously consider completely hanging up the shoes and fully retiring, but I’m not mentally ready to do that quite yet. There are still things that I want to accomplish, and I feel that the experience I’ve gained over the last nearly 35 years as a technologist and a leader can still be applied to good effect.
I do have a new gig lined up, and I will dive into that immediately next week. It’s something different, and definitely a change of pace, but I’m really excited about it and think that it’s going to suit me. Stay tuned for another update really soon with more details!
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