Retired: Big City College Dean

by Amy J
(Chicago, Ill)

Due to school budget cut backs, I was suddenly in the position to retire somewhat earlier than I had planned, and I decided to take some time to evaluate what I wanted to do next.

Should I seek full time or part time employment? Should I become a volunteer somewhere ? What skills did I have that I wanted to use? What needs did I have to consider?

The very first thing I did do was volunteer to provide child care to my first born grand daughter in Taiwan for 2 months. This provided a huge challenge and important work.

Once I returned home I began to make lists of things I wanted to do, people I wanted to see, small and medium chores I wanted to do, and activities I wanted to explore. I also began to work on a personal mission statement. So that I would have focus.

Wendy: Like so many, early retirement opportunities (voluntary and forced) abound... now who are you and what will you do next?

RE-Invent yourself... not necessarily talking employment, but life in general. What do you want to do daily? Is it time to get some creativity into your life? Take some Me Time (any health issues? alternative health opportunities to explore? start at the gym if you didn't find time before?) Do you need supplemental income?

If you choose to work, do you work for an employer again, same field as that's easiest, or something completely different, full time or part time -- or become an entrepreneur for yourself?

Decisions, Decisions! Fun! Fun!

If you are lucky, you have a pension which means you have the opportunity to choose where life leads next!

Best Wishes!

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Do a Needs and Means Analysis - Think and Plan ..
by: Retd. Prof. (Mr) Durgesh Kumar Srivastava JiBhaiya@gmail.com New Delhi, India

Dear Professor,

The first thing you need to determine for yourself is what you need and how much of it. Do you need to work for money?

If you work for money, the chances are that you will neglect your health. Post retirement employment is generally stressful. People expect more from you saying that you have so much of experience. Whenever expectations are high there is always stress.

Also, when you work for money, you cannot choose your work venue and work setting. This too causes stress.

The best option for a retired person is to work from own home. The next best is part time job near home.

Use your intelligence to get what you want. Let me give you my own example. I was offered job opportunity post retirement in a management college. It was privately owned college run for money and profit. The owner told me right away that the salary demanded by me was too high. He wanted me to bring down my expectations.

I said that I was wiling to reduce my expectation by 5% for every hour that he would cut from my duty hours at the end of the working day and 10% for every hour at the start of the day. I ultimately settled upon a 30% pay cut in return for his sacrificing 150 minutes of my presence in the college in the morning and 60 minutes at closing time. So instead of working from 9 am to 5 pm, I worked from 11.30 am to 4 pm. He did not incur any losses since the total number of lecture classes that I took remained what he wanted these to be i.e. 16 per week.It was good work for me for about 4 years till I had to quit my job due to my open heart surgery last year.

I will give you another example. A month before the above mentioned job was offered to me, I had a job interview in a private institute. I casually inquired from the staff there "Are you happy?" What they told me surprised me. They told me that they had not been paid their salaries although the last salary period had ended three weeks earlier.

They selected me but said that my salary demands were rather high. I offered to give them a discount of 20% if my salary was paid within 15 days of the end of the pay period. They wanted more reduction. So, I offered them a further discount of 20% if they paid my salary within a week of the end of the last month. They were still not satisfied. I told them that I was willing to work on half pay (50% discount) if they would pay me my salary in advance. Needless to say, they did not select me. They wanted to exploit me to the full and pay me as and when they wanted. This was unacceptable to me.

Wendy has given you very sound advice. You will benefit from it. I wish you all the best. And, Happy New Year, 2011 !

Retd. Prof. Mr. Durgesh Kjumar Srivastava
New Delhi, India, 3rd jan., 2011
JiBhaiya@gmail.com

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