Back in My Day: It’s time to rebrand retirement

I have come to terms with a cruel reality: A column talking about issues pertaining to older adults in a publication geared toward college-aged individuals presents issues of irrelevancy.

While I contemplated this when pitching my column three semesters ago, I found it reasonable to simply give it a try — what’s the worst that could happen? 

Well, for one, nobody reading the column in the first place was probably an issue that should have been seen in hindsight, and certainly, my responsibilities for editing articles and now managing new columnist applications certainly do not help that journalistic imposter syndrome. 

There are plenty of rising and returning columnists who may make much better use of this space I’m currently occupying on whatever media you use to consume the Daily Trojan. Not that I’m necessarily being ousted out of this position, but maybe I’m just a bit too old school for the Dr. Blingspices, Eck’s Factors and Trojan Psyches that hold the spot for your favorite column. 

The gerontologist in me winces at the very thought of this column ending. However, it seems only fitting now to analyze my thought process as we discuss retirement on a much more grandiose scale — rather than from just a college column. 

Retirement can be an incredibly daunting and misconstrued word. In a seemingly good context, many people wish to retire early, leaving their work behind usually because of financial freedom. On the other hand, retirement often gets thrown around in the aging world as people become older and either save enough money to retire or are forced to retire. 

The recent pandemic, however, has forced many into an early retirement given the constraints on health and financial amenities. 

Regardless, let’s just focus on the attitude toward older people retiring at this point in time instead of the what-ifs — as my brain would say after breaking up with my ex. Retiring this column partly resembles some of the thoughts that many older people may feel as we enter the third year of the pandemic and deal with a major labor crisis. 

Some older adults may feel pushed out by employers who hold younger, more tech-savvy applicants in higher regard. Some may feel that their position has changed to not value their skillset but rather solely rely on their experience, becoming more of a sage mentor that’ll eventually be ousted off the show to let the main character thrive. 

Many companies may push diversity, equity and inclusion programs but fail to consider how age in the workplace can play a role in improving workplace chemistry or provide value to the quality of work. Especially considering the remote office, minor tech problems may be seen as incompetency or the inability to learn from the end of an employer. Therefore, retirement from that perspective looks like you’re being shipped off in a casket, being told that your body or skill set are no longer valued. 

These feelings of being disposable or replaceable are also not limited to old age. Without getting incredibly sentimental, those feelings can last entire lifetimes, especially for those who may feel like they aren’t contributing enough or experiencing imposter syndrome. Certainly, I do not want to come off as if I am asking for the retirement age to be pushed to beyond triple digits. Rather, I implore you to holistically look at this period of “retirement” as what many people may already see it as: an opportunity to relax and pick up new hobbies. Regardless, some older adults continue to work or volunteer into their late 80s and 90s, actively engaging with members of their local community. 

As college students, the nature of the hustle and grind culture perpetuated by social media and age-based stereotypes (getting married, having kids, planning to retire at specific ages) beats us down. We want to retire early because it feels like we’ve won the rat race that is part of the capitalist machine. If we retire late, we may see it as finishing last in a race or even developing a sense of FOMO from being unable to do what our friends or idols do at a certain age. Tearing apart the stereotype that working into old age translates to you screwing up at the beginning or tripping along the way encourages older people to return to the workplace as well. 

I’ll pop off my soapbox one last time. But before I forget, I’ll just combine my usual quirks into this last part. When you, the inquisitive reader, read this column for what it’s worth — thank you, by the way — ask yourself, “What do I want to reflect back on when I say, ‘Back in my day…’?”

Lois Angelo is a junior writing about the intersections of gerontology and social issues in his column, “Back in My Day.” He is also the managing editor at the Daily Trojan.