What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? Program Recap

Written by Andrew Dauphinee

Published on July 18, 2025

Preparing for retirement has many dimensions, yet we often forgot how our career (outside of money) fits into that plan.

Thank you to Paul Cecala from Cecala Career Consultants for an inspiring examination of the many considerations we should contemplate as we near retirement. Retirement isn’t an end, but actually a new beginning and an opportunity for us to redefine what we want to be when we “grow up” into retirement. This requires us to shift our perspective from retirement being a time to wind down, when in actuality, we should be bridging our later working years into an active retirement.

Take Stock of Where You Are

The first step in making any decisions regarding your future is to look at where your currently, whether that be in your career, finances, or family life. When focusing on your career path toward retirement, conduct a skills audit; determine what your value is and the skills you bring in your current role. Then identify your passions and interests as this can help you determine what your life may look like upon retirement. What do you value about your current or dream job and what roles/work align with your personal values; these can help you determine what part-time/volunteer work would best suit you in retirement.

Identify Opportunities

After you’ve done some personal exploration, identify a variety of opportunities that can help you find that final career path into retirement. Look internally at your current place of employment; can you transition to a different role that more aligns with your values, whether it be part-time, a mentorship, or special project? Consider external opportunities in other industries or roles that value your experience and can offer flexibility. Perhaps you prefer the freedom of working for yourself; utilize your knowledge and experience to perform consulting or contracting services. If money is of no concern, perhaps start a new career volunteering that gives you purpose. Whatever

Stay Relevant and Valued

One mistake that many people make as they start to focus on retirement is complacency, staying in a job/role to just make it to retirement. However, as the job landscape is continuously changing and becoming more integrated with technology, experienced employees are more often being let go or forced to retire early as organizations explore different ways to cut costs. As a result, it is imperative that one is consistently striving to improve themselves and demonstrate their ability to stay relevant, including:

• Continuous learning and adaptation – Upskilling/reskilling by identifying new technologies or methodologies as well as networking by maintaining and expanding your professional connections.
• Mentorship/Knowledge Transfer – Explore becoming mentor to share your accumulated wisdom with younger generations to keep you engaged and valued. Help improve your organization by documenting your institutional knowledge to help those succeed in your position.
• Personal Brand Reinforcement – Update your resume or LinkedIn to reflect your most important skills and achievements.
• Thought Leadership – share your insight with managers or other industry colleagues by writing articles or speaking at events.
• Age as an Asset – Emphasize experience, wisdom, problem-solving abilities, and a strong work ethic.

Defining Active Retirement

Retirement should be all about doing what you love on your own terms. Pursue hobbies, engaging in lifelong learning, travel, or dedicate time to personal objects. Focus on purpose, engagement, and well-being through maintaining your social connections, staying physically and mentally active, or finding new ways to contribute to your community or personal growth.

Potential Income Streams

While we try to do the best in planning financially for retirement, we may find that we need supplemental income to meet our retirement dreams or that we just love working. As we near retirement, try planning for a reduction in work to ease into the change by moving from full-time to part-time over a couple years. You can still work part-time and collect Social Security so reducing your hours or finding a new, less demanding role may help keep you feeling accomplished in retirement. You can always consult or freelance to stay active or help those in your field while making a little money on the side. Similarly, you can start teaching or training to impart your knowledge and skills. Lastly, you can turn your hobby or passion into a small business, leveraging your interests into a steady cash flow.

More Information

If you would like more information on planning for retirement from a career perspective or anything related to your personal career goals, please visit Cecala Career Consultants or email Paul Cecala at pcecala@cecalacareer.com. You can also view a recording of this program on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/h5RQnCweSos.