Hi Janice,

Thanks for attending the National Conference and writing to us! Congratulations on your upcoming retirement, that is a huge professional and personal milestone. The handout you received during the ‘Enhancing Your Skills: Prepping for Success’ session could be really useful as start to think about your transition, especially if you end up deciding to volunteer or go back to work in some capacity. Reviewing and completing it would be a great step towards feeling more organized and gaining clarity on the skill areas that not only bring you satisfaction and/or joy, but also the areas in which you really excel.

I’ve reached out to one of our career coaches to get their thoughts on your question, but also wanted to mention that we’ll be hosting that session as a webinar this September. It might be a good refresher and you might discover more helpful tips. For more information and to register: https://www.cancerandcareers.org/en/community/events/webinar-enhancingskills

A coach will be in touch soon!

Kind regards,

Nicole Franklin, MPH

Senior Manager of Programs

Cancer and Careers

Hi; thank you for your kind words, reply to my question, and the invite to the webinar.
I will go ahead and complete the assessment in the handout while waiting to hear from a coach.
Have a great 4th of July!

Good morning, Janice,

Retiring from your career is an exciting step, one I liken to the transition from adolescence to adulthood, but with more experience, smarts, and decision power under your belt.  It’s fun, challenging and sometimes confounding to reestablish your identity once you leave that professional identity behind.  But, it is a well-earned transition that can free you up for lots of new adventures of your own choosing. 

In my own experience and that of others I have worked with through their retirement transition, it takes about 6 months to a year or so to settle into your new routine and figure out how to use your skills and passions in ways that you truly enjoy.

Take your time to test out whatever ideas you have about how you want to spend your time.  Then, if something fits, that’s great. If not, simply chalk it up as an experiment and move on. No regrets.

Do think about what you love to do, or have always wanted to do, and give those things a try. The handout from the Skills session can help you see patterns in your passions, so use it as an aid to help you sort out all your possibilities.

Big congratulations are in order for this big career decision!

Kathy Flora, Career Coach