Escondido, CA

Monday, November 14, 2011

Recently I was on a radio show hosted by a 78-year-old woman. It was exciting to talk to someone my age who is rockin' and rollin' with an activity that is challenging. However, as we talked it was clear she was "handicapped" because she didn't know how to use a computer – not even email. She said she had taken computer classes but just could not "get it."

When you retire without intending to continue to grow and learn new things you can get lost in the shuffle of life. For many, that's the goal – to leave the real world. I understand – to an extent. But it's not smart.

The retirement honeymoon doesn't last much longer than a couple of years. Then, if still reasonably healthy, you start to reevaluate your lifestyle and begin to think maybe there is something more stimulating than hanging out at the senior center with other bored retirees or doing volunteer work that is not fulfilling. The common retiree mantra "I've earned my retirement" doesn't sound as satisfying anymore. You start to think about getting a part time job. In our disastrous economy, how realistic is that? It depends.

From a Science Daily article What Employers Look for of Those Re-Entering the Workforce :

"Finding a job in today's economy is difficult in the best of circumstances, but many women are facing an even bigger challenge: returning to the workforce after a long absence. Researchers recently looked at the characteristics on older women's resumes that received the most success in securing job interviews. The top characteristic that resulted in job interviews for middle-aged women seeking an entry level job was vocational or computer training, according to the study in the Journal of Career Development (JCD)."

I'm beginning to think that having some basic computer skills should be a prerequisite for retirees to get Social Security payments. If Social Security totally tanks, recipients would be at least minimally prepared to reenter the workplace, assuming there are jobs.

Yeah, I know, it's a bad idea. Please don't email and tell me what an ogre I am for suggesting healthy retirees should be prepared to work just in case the sky falls. Ooops – I just noticed – the sky IS falling.

Barbara Morris, R. Ph.

Image F/X Publications

Escondido, CA

760-480-2710

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