Un-Retirement: Successfully Returning to The World
For many years, you looked forward to that day when you would
bid the world of work a fond farewell and ride off into the
sunset of your golden years.
Initially, it felt wonderful not to have to go somewhere each
morning. Days, weeks, months of leisure lay temptingly before
you. At last there would be time to do everything you wanted. No
stress, no strain, just pleasing yourself for a change.
You can't quite remember when everything started to change.
Maybe it was when you realized that you couldn't really afford
to do all the traveling you had planned. Maybe it was the third
day of puttering around in the garage trying to ignore the
boredom and emptiness you felt inside. Maybe it was when you
looked around the mall in the middle of the afternoon and
realized that you were one of the youngest people present. Maybe
it was when you watched the evening news and suddenly felt like
an alien in a strange world in which you no longer belonged.
Whatever happened, you wake up one morning and know that you
have to rejoin the world for the sake of your sanity, your
self-respect, and your deep need to be productive: to count, to
matter, to have community and personal value. With a
determination, and a strong sense of relief, you step out on the
road to un-retirement.
The following strategies may help make your journey more
satisfying, more successful, and more fun.
1. Assess your current needs.
Before running out to look for work, take stock of your needs,
your comfort zone, and your long-range goals. Are you looking
for just "something to do" or do you intend to continue or
develop a new career? Review your financial requirements, your
willingness to make a long-term commitment, your health, your
abilities and limitations, your family situation. If you only
want to work part-time, or temporarily, or if your primary
concern is to avoid the stress of your former work, consider
entry-level unskilled work. If you yearn to return to your prior
career, consider offering to work for previous employers as an
independent consultant. It will provide you with some
considerable tax advantages while benefiting your employer who
will no longer have to furnish benefits. Many retirees see a
return to gainful employment as a "rounding out" of themselves.
You may have worked in one industry for several years while
harboring a secret dream of doing something completely
different. Now may be the time, with your safety net of
retirement income, to try something new, just based on personal
interest and a strong desire to spend your energy on something
that is personally gratifying.
2. Entry-level, stress-free work.
The pay levels for this work are typically quite low. The
benefits are that you have the luxury of starting immediately
with few interview hoops to jump and can walk away without a
backward glance when you feel like it. Knowing that you don't
have to put up with a screaming boss or sarcastic remarks
empowers you and removes the stress of trying to please your
superiors and meet their (often unrealistically high)
expectations. Typical jobs are security guard, courier, sales
associate. If you like working alone, with minimal supervision,
night security or courier work is ideal. You work independently
where the presence of someone watching and judging you can be
minimized. If you enjoy interacting with people, try building or
manufacturing security or retail sales work where an extra perk
is the typical employee discount on a wide range of merchandise.
If you prefer more skilled work, try contracting through a
Temporary Agency. Again, if you don't like the assignment, you
simply request a new one.
3. Consulting.
If you possess particular skills, expertise, and experience, you
may be able to return to your prior employer as an independent
contractor. Frequently companies undergo sudden spurts of
productivity: a new sales campaign, implementation of a large
new account, reorganization, a merger or acquisition. In such
cases, your insider company knowledge, and your understanding of
processes and procedures, is invaluable and a few months of such
work may be exactly what you need financially while still
promising periods of free time between assignments. While you
typically receive no benefits, your income carries significant
tax advantages as you qualify as self-employed.
4. Achieving a sense of wholeness.
For most of your work life, perhaps 40 or 50 years, you may have
been primarily interested in maximizing your income to take care
of your family, send your kids to college, and build at least a
small nest egg for retirement. Now that you have some guaranteed
income on a regular basis, you may choose to move into work
which is not so financially rewarding but which fulfills an
inner need and has some moral, ethical, or purely entertaining
payoff. You may feel a need to give back to your community by
working in social or non-profit agencies, in the library, in
schools. Perhaps you have always secretly yearned to teach, or
coach, or counsel. Perhaps you just want to have fun and sign up
as a movie extra or apply to be in television commercials. Your
interests and preferences determine your direction. Concentrate
on what is personally meaningful for you: art, music, education,
reading and literacy, athletics, food, crafts, building,
gardening. Whatever your interest, there are probably
entry-level positions locally available, although probably at a
salary that is a fraction of that you have earned in the past.
Despite the income, the spark it gives to your mood, your
self-esteem, and your zest for life make it all worthwhile.
Unless you are in a desperate financial plight that requires you
to devote yourself to unpleasant work that offers you the
highest possible income, post-retirement work can be fun,
fulfilling, and a productive addition to your mental outlook,
health, and longevity.