Education or lifelong learning as you age will keep your mind sharp and help stoke your curiosity about the world. Not only will you stay alert and aware, you can learn the skills for a new “encore” career if you miss working, part-time or full-time. Maybe there is something, besides the job you have either retired from or you will retiring soon, that you’ve always wanted to do. If you study for that new encore career, you can have a fulfilling work life after retirement from your major employer.
If you have a local university nearby, it may have programs that allow senior citizens to attend classes for free. Check with the Admissions Office when you file your application for admittance.
An example might be graphic design. Do you like to play on your iPad or computer? Are you interested in making a little money designing webpages or even entire websites? Is there some other job in graphic design you prefer? You could work part-time and enjoy retirement the rest of the time, but you have to gain the skills. Those will come through education, either in a classroom environment or online through remote learning.
In my case, I was a college professor of finance and business for over 25 years. I was able to retire with full benefits, but I missed working. I missed my co-workers. I missed being able to express my creativity daily. I actually missed everything about working. I had always been a writer and had written a few things for publication. Writing became my encore career. It was hard at first, but I’ve had one book and over 400 articles published.
If you would like to incorporate socialization with your education, you might choose to take classes on a subject of interest in a local university or community college classroom setting. If you prefer to study on your own, you can choose to use online learning via computer. Even though my primary fields were finance and business during my career, my interests now are very diverse. Currently, I’m taking classes (free online classes) in anthropology and genetics. There is a wide array of subjects you can choose from.
You can find online adult education classes at numerous sites online. One is Udemy. You can find classes on a wide array of subjects for reasonable fees. Another excellent platform for online learning is Coursera. If you do an internet search, you can find other platforms for online courses depending on what you want to study.
You can also go the vocational route if that suits you. I have a friend who had a 30 year career as a podiatrist. After he retired, he went to vocational school and became an airplane mechanic.
Adult education, or lifelong learning, will help you keep up to date skills and help you feel part of the modern world. It will keep your brain active and alert. Older adults can benefit in many ways from studying something of interest after retirement.
The Write Scribe 