So I’ve been working over 30+ years (gee whiz!), retired, and then started working again. Now I’m figuring out what I want to do. I’m fortunate enough to have a couple of options open to me, and I’m trying to figure out the right one.
When you’re deciding on jobs at this stage of your life, what is important to you changes. So here’s what I’ve learned…..or not learned.
- Is this a good use of my time? This is the number one thing because even if the money is good, it’s not worth it if you’re going to be aggravated all the time. When you retire, you’re probably going to be pretty senior….which means you’re used to control and decision making. If you don’t find that in your new role, it’s just going to feel like Sisyphus every day.
- Am I being paid for my value? People often balk at paying you what you were making when you left…but here’s the problem. What you bring to the table is the same no matter what you’re being paid. And even when people say “it’s only 3 days a week”, are you the type who can ignore your work emails or important meetings on the off days? Some people are ok with making the trade off…to be honest, I just get resentful….I just end up feeling like a rube.
- What is the time horizon for change? Some people are ok with gently influencing over long stretches of time. I have to feel like I’m accomplishing things….if I can’t influence the right outcomes pretty quickly, I get frustrated….goes right back to 1…there are other things I probably should be doing.
- Should you go back to full time? This is so tempting. But if you stepped away, there were probably good reasons why you chose to do that. It’s unlikely those reasons were wrong.
- If this were a full time job, would you take it? This one is interesting…because I think when you’re considering a consulting gig, your requirements go down. It’s part time, right? You could always step away. But here’s the problem…the work you do is the same. How you work is the same. Your expectations are the same. So if you wouldn’t take the job as a full time role….why would it be ok as a consulting gig?
I’m surprised at how challenging consulting is at this point in my life. When you’re just starting out, you’re just happy to get hired. When you’re progressing, it’s about making the right moves… But when you’ve chosen to step out of the game, and are now trying to figure out how to step back in, but not in the same capacity….well. Not easy.
I’ll share in the future if I figure this out.