I suspect this is mostly a euro ATC thread, so it may not apply...
Know nothing of the various retirement plans you enjoy. A friend who was a US controller managed to retire at 52. He wasn't ready to hang it up quite yet. Wanted to try his hand at work outside of aviation. While he had quite a bit of experience beyond controlling, such as air space management, minor project management, etc, he didn't have a 4 yr uni degree.
He had hoped his employment experience would help land a job at one of the many defense contractors locally, the lack of a degree has stymied that idea.
If a second career is a possibility, get the degree!