In my previous article, What Happens To Smart People In Retirement, I talked about some of the fears and challenges highly educated people face as they make the shift from work life to home life.
In this article, I want to share the epiphany I had about intellectuals and retirement and the three things they can do to make a successful transition.
It came about after a couple more encounters with some PhD's.
I was at a conference and met a retiring therapist who also did some teaching at a prestigious university.
We were fast friends, so we exchanged contact information and connected on social media.
That’s when I discovered smart people consume information like they're mad at it.
I couldn’t remotely keep up with her emails.
Each one had an avalanche of links to articles, books, videos, and more.
And it wasn’t like she was just passing them along, she was gobbling them up and adding thoughtful insights before I had my first cup of coffee.
Not to be outdone was another intellectual that approached me after a presentation.
It is common for people to come up to me after a speaking gig to ask questions or share a story, but this time it was different.
This guy had several three-hole punched sheets of paper with a ridiculous amount of hand-written notes.
Right away, I knew I wasn’t getting out of there any time soon.
Then he did something I didn’t expect. With every question he asked, he added a reference, “On page 42 of your book, you suggest…” and “In your article back on January 14.”
At first, it was a little uncomfortable because I have no idea what’s on page 42, let alone what the heck I wrote on January 14th of this year or the previous 10 years.
But both of these cases illustrate some key lessons that super smart people need to consider as they make their way to and through retirement.
Knowledge Budget
Just as some retirees have a travel budget or set money aside to spoil the grand kids, highly educated folks need a knowledge budget.
Smart people are consummate life-long learners, but with a twist.
They are not surface learners.
They aren't satisfied reading free articles or catching a 15-minute podcast.
They crave deep and relevant knowledge, which comes at a price.
This is why in my previous article I mentioned the retiree who was willing to pay a few thousand dollars to take my course yet didn't intend to become a retirement coach.
At first, it seemed odd to me that he would pay that much money for it and not use it for its intended purpose.
However, some people might think it's odd for a person to spend a few thousand dollars on a trip to Antarctica.
In his case, he wanted access to the latest social science and research and understood the value of it.
Conference Schedule
One of the things I truly appreciate about smart people is their desire to share their knowledge and information.
Which is why I suggest members of this elite group consider attending several conferences a year and present at them whenever possible.
There are a growing number of retirement-based conferences along with positive aging symposiums that can serve as a great place to meet people, stay on top of trends, and gather new resources.
What's nice is that all the time you spend acquiring degrees and credentials can come in real handy when submitting a speaker's proposal, making it much easier to garner a premium spot on a panel or two.
Along the same lines, is the option to teach at a local Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
Writing Project
My final suggestion is for smart people to consider starting on a writing project. Notice that I said start a writing project.
You don't have to commit to anything long-term, however, I think it will serve as a nice outlet for the information you consume, and feel is important to share.
The project could be a presentation, blog, book, article series, short guide, or even a manifesto to share with others.
One consideration is to write about retirement since a large segment of our population is at some stage of it and would appreciate insight and advice from others going through it.
For many smart people, retirement can end up being framed as this slow and painful loss of knowledge, credibility, and acknowledgement.
But it doesn't have to be that way.
By acknowledging your love for learning, stimulating conversation, and desire to have all the answers, highly educated people can position themselves to stay relevant and connected while continuing to have an impact on others.
