The blinker's not on for the exit ramp... but I AM reading the map...

The trouble with being of a certain ‘vintage’, is that one of the questions that continually arises is “When are you going to retire?” 

I'm sure they mean well, and have positive thoughts about not having to get up in the morning and work at a job you dislike.

For me, that question comes as a bit of an insult.  

Do I really look that old???  

Don't they know that inside I am 34-¾ with several years of experience?

Don't they know that I really like what I am doing?  Especially now that I have had time to hone my craft.

I usually reply “I'm not ready to stop, but I am looking at a transition.”

I also know that the minute you speak the words “I'm retiring” you have effectively put the blinker on to signal you are taking the next exit ramp.

Once that blinker lights up, you are treated very, very differently by your colleagues.  They don't mean to do so, but it happens anyway.

They stop inviting you to the planning meetings…  you aren't going to be around to see things through.

Every conversation you have seems to be about that damn blinker…

But questions like that do get me thinking.  

Do I still want to be doing what I am doing now for the next five years?  (I chose that number because it is the window I use for planning strategic initiatives)

What do I want out of my career?

I'm not ready to stop doing the things I love, where I can make a significant difference. 

I love working with a team, mentoring them and watching them grow in their skills and abilities.

It took me years to get to where I am.  Why would I just stop?

But maybe the things I want in my life have changed.

The last two years of the pandemic and lockdown has shown that most of what we used to do in the office can be effectively done remotely, regardless of where you might be sitting.  “The Great Resignation” shows that flexibility of where we work from is important to all generations in a workforce, not just the geezers.

So… flexibility of where I work is on the list. I have discovered that there are places in the world where the temperature doesn't drop below freezing in the winter. Why can't I work from there?

Secondly.. It is increasingly important for me not to waste time, as it is a diminishing resource. Why can't I work on projects that lack focus, or have unclear results?  Spinning my wheels is off the list.  I want to be with people who truly appreciate how to ‘get things done’.

Thirdly… I want what I do to matter. To contribute and make a difference in the world on multiple levels. I can invest in the team that reports to me and make their lives better, but I also want the institution or company I work for to be positively impacting the society we live in.  That's why I'm in education now.

Fourthly… I have a lot to offer with my experience.  I want to be with an organization that appreciates me (and everyone else too) for what I bring to the table.

I could go on… but let me add one more thing…

It will be balanced.  Working long hours at the expense of everything else is not on the list. The advantage of all my experience?  I think I have figured out how to ‘work’ when I'm at work, and not just fill up space.  As a result, my work hours have value, and I have balance in my life for family, for volunteer experience, and for myself (and since I'm a raging introvert, this is critically important).

The beautiful thing about my current role is that I get most of these things… with a couple of exceptions. 

I could keep this going for a while.

But I probably shouldn't.  

In my line of work, I am constantly trying to look five years into the future to anticipate all the trends, innovations, and global events that will impact my institution, then anticipate the most likely scenarios and act on them.

It's time I started doing that for my own life.

Some of the large initiatives we have underway will be in their next phase in 5 years, and we are on the cusp of a number of others.  It's likely the proper thing to look at who will pick up the baton from me and continue the work.   Side note:  I have been thinking about legacy planning for quite a while, but it's time to turn up the burners on that.

And while I'm doing that, while I'm not putting on the blinker to signal my exit, I am looking at the map for where my journey will take me.

How about you?  Have you transitioned rather than retired?  To what?  How is it going?  Use the comments.