Retirement Alteady?

When you become a teacher in the state of New Jersey, you are enrolled in a retirement fund called the Teacher's Pension and Annuity Fund. You make monthly contributions which, if you stick around until you're old enough, you begin withdrawing upon retirement. However, it seems that if you leave teaching before contributing for 10 years, you are required to withdraw your contributions from the fund no later than 2 years from the date of your resignation. (I just found this out about half an hour ago.) So, having only 8 full years of contributions going, I now have to withdraw over $15,000 worth of contributions. That means I have to figure out where to put that money so that it remains retirement funds and so that I don't have to pay taxes on it and so that if I ever decide to rejoin the pension fund later in life (after kids are well taken care of) I can buy back my 8 years of credit in the system. I guess its time to talk to a financial planner. Oh, Daaaaaaddyyyyyyyyy....