Job skills too valuable to squander in retirement
The job fair lines continue. Employment growth has been slowing both locally and nationally, and that trend isn’t likely to reverse itself anytime soon, according to The Conference Board, which released its latest employment-trends index July 9, 2012. This line for jobs was in Miami. Credit: AP, 2011
‘You’re too young to retire!”
I kept hearing that when I told family and friends that I was retiring in February a year ago at age 64. The word “retired” sounds so old, stodgy and well, just plain awful. Ugh. Yuck. Out to pasture.
I chose to retire after a rewarding career as a counselor and job-search assistant for the Town of Hempstead, in conjunction with the state Labor Department. I was fortunate that my job gave me the chance to help people find work and get back on their feet.
Most people who came into the career center needed much more than just job leads or training. Some were fleeing domestic violence, others were ex-offenders trying to return to productive society, and still others had psychological problems or delinquent mortgages.
Many lost jobs in the 2008 economic crash and were eligible for government grants to learn skills to return to their fields or enter new ones. I provided information on a wide range of community and training resources, as well as employer contacts. I always made sure that people in pain felt more hopeful after they met with me.
Fortunately, there were some success stories. One man was let go by a telecommunications company after 10 years as a managing director. I steered him to local college classes, and he eventually found a job at an educational management company. He wrote to tell my boss I was his “#1 cheerleader.”
I always thought that one should leave a legacy in a job. The success stories of my clients made me think I did just that. Otherwise, how sad and empty to have given my life to 9-to-5 daily increments, spanning decades, all for a paycheck. I believe I gave them my very best.
In retirement, I began to enjoy forgetting the day of the week and the time of day. I have “me time.” No longer chained to a desk, I can indulge my own thoughts, write a play, volunteer for a cause, go to a museum, take a bus trip or meet friends for lunch. I can drive my hubby crazy, enjoy his company in our travels or just watch the sunset.
But there was another side. After I retired, I hated thinking of myself as unemployed. I came from the business of helping people become employed, and then I wasn’t myself employed?
While I was glad to be rid of the daily minutiae and routines, I knew I had to do something, so I decided to recoup the best of me and devise a way to continue my love affair with the public.
I booked a teaching assignment in the adult education program of the Bellmore-Merrick school district. I decided to teach the basics of job searching while giving attention to each individual in the class. I would combine my coaching and motivational skills while sharing a treasure trove of resources.
I tweaked resumes and cover letters while imparting information on how to do video resumes or network via social media, including LinkedIn. I shared my collection of some of the most reliable job-search articles on the Internet. I poured out knowledge gained in my 21-plus years in the trenches.
They call this paying it forward. I will be back teaching this spring in the Bellmore-Merrick and East Meadow school districts. I am glad I found a forum to remain active and “in the game.” I have too much to offer, and I want to share with those who need it. It would be a shame to waste it.
Reader Gloria Schramm lives in North Bellmore
