I Was Retired For Years Then Returned To Work: 5 Key Things I Learned From the Experience
For many retirees, the dream of kicking back and enjoying their golden years doesn’t always live up to the hype. After time away from the nine-to-five grind, sometimes people find themselves yearning for the daily routine, intellectual stimulation and sense of purpose that they had when they had a career.
Dr. Gregory Gasic, a neuroscientist who came out of retirement to co-found a healthcare technology startup called VMeDX, described the potential upsides of going back to work after years on the sidelines.
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You Might Reignite Your Passion
Retirement can start to feel stale after the initial excitement wears off. Rejoining the workforce allows you to rediscover the drive and enthusiasm that made you successful earlier in life. You may be reminded of just why you loved your career in the first place.
“After working for decades in the neuroscience field, retirement first seemed like the perfect getaway,” Gasic said. “I was free to travel, spend time with my family and engage in my interests. But as time went on, I discovered that I was missing the intellectual challenge and sense of direction that my work had consistently given me.”
Gasic still had a desire to make a meaningful contribution to healthcare. So when his brothers had a compelling idea to revolutionize virtual medical assistance, Gasic was driven to unretire and co-found VMeDX.
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You’ll Need To Stay Sharp
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but reentering the workforce as a previous retiree will force you to do just that. You’ll have to get up to speed on new processes, technologies and ways of working. The workplace has probably changed more than you expect. This is going to challenge your brain in ways sitting on the porch just doesn’t.
“The importance of continuing to learn and be flexible was one of the most important things I took away from this experience,” Gasic said. “Because the field of technology-driven healthcare is ever-evolving, it is imperative to remain current and adaptable to remain relevant.”
For Gasic, he found applying his knowledge and experience to a new endeavor immensely fulfilling. He derived a lot of satisfaction from seeing the effect VMeDX was having on medical practices as it grew.
Earning Extra Income Is Nice
Even if you have what seems like a huge retirement nest egg, it can get eaten away faster than you might think. You can get hit by all kinds of expenses that you just didn’t plan for.
“I’ve discovered that it makes sense to budget for unforeseen expenses,” Gasic said. “Even though retirement savings were substantial, going back to work enabled additional financial growth and stability, which can be especially comforting in light of uncertain healthcare costs and life expectancy.”
Going back to work full or part-time gives you an additional income stream to ensure you don’t outlive your savings. With that paycheck coming in, you can allow your existing savings to continue growing while taking the pressure off drawing from those accounts as quickly.
You’ll Have To Get Used To a New Routine
After the freedom and unstructured days of retirement, a return to the working world can be a huge shock for retirees. Having to be somewhere at a set time, dealing with the daily grind of commutes and meetings and adapting to a more regimented schedule is a major adjustment.
“Reacclimating to a structured daily routine after having the liberty to set my own pace took some effort,” Gasic said.
For many retirees, the lack of structure can start to feel aimless after a while. Having a job can give your days more shape and purpose. You’ll get that regular dose of social interaction by being around colleagues. But you may be surprised to find you actually enjoy and appreciate having a routine and somewhere to be each day.
You’ll Get a Fresh Perspective
Navigating new cultural norms, software systems, management styles and more when unretiring can be extremely challenging. Tech has transformed how we communicate, collaborate and operate. Expectations around workplace behavior and even the physical office setup have evolved. As a newly unretired worker, you’ll be a fish out of water at first. But conquering those obstacles will not only build resilience, it will also give you a new outlook.
“Finding a fresh perspective and a new purpose in life, both personally and professionally, is what it means to be unretired,” Gasic said. “It goes beyond simply going back to work.”
The fresh perspective you’ll gain can be invaluable, too. With an open mindset, you can take the best of what you knew from your past working days while embracing new ways of doing things. Starting over in a new environment keeps you adaptable and open-minded rather than getting stuck in your ways. It’s a whole new world from when you first entered the workforce decades ago.
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