It's smart to plan ahead like this. For me, it wasn't easy to pick that final date. Where I'm at, we work until the second or third week of August to get enough days to get paid for next year's six weeks of vacation. They also have to pay off any previously scheduled vacations. I finally chose my company hire date in October just to finish up 45 years as a personal goal. The time changed and it got dark earlier a week later. Also, they would load me up and give me a peak season helper at the end of October, so I dodged that garbage. My Center Manager didn't like it and wouldn't look me in the face the last three months I worked.