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Authored by:
Katie Watkins
Co-editor, Catalyst
University of Akron

With the new year and new start, this is our newest column, and we would like for you to meet our membership leadership and volunteers. Each month we will introduce to you a chair committee, Editor of one of the SRAI publications, Section and Chapter leadership members, and volunteers. We at the Catalyst want to know about you, and in turn, want you to know about us. Share your story! Contact us if you would like to be featured in a future column, or nominate a co-worker or colleague to share their story.

I’m very excited to serve as co-editor of the Catalyst. Editor-in-Chief Seema Dhindaw and I are fortunate to be working with a diverse and enthusiastic group of SRAI members who make up the Catalyst Committee.

This month I’m going to share a bit of my story. I recently retired after spending over 31 years in higher education. For most of those years, I worked as a research administrator, retiring as Assistant Vice President, Office of Research Administration at The University of Akron. (Full disclosure: I’ve come back to work part-time, so semi-retired is a more accurate description of my current employment status).

When I finally made the decision to retire, I became absolutely panicked at the thought of not receiving a regular paycheck. After all, I’d been working my entire adult life and living by the alarm clock and that paycheck. It was the only lifestyle I knew. What I didn’t realize (and what I would soon find out) is how much of my life I wasn’t living because I was so slavishly tied to my workaday routine.

Once I overcame my anxiety, I signed the retirement paperwork and gave my notice. I was encouraged to return part-time and I decided to do so (which helped resolve my conflicted feelings about not receiving a “paycheck”). Because of state retirement system regulations, I was afforded a two-month hiatus before I had to return to work. My break between July and September, 2017, turned into two of the most glorious months I’ve experienced since high school summer vacations! I finally had that thing which had eluded me for so long: time! So I joined a food co-op, cooked, made lots of home improvements, traveled, and generally enjoyed myself without worrying about what time I needed to go to bed at night or get up in the morning. Being liberated from the alarm clock is a feeling I can’t even describe.

I was apprehensive about returning to work. As I feared, I faced many challenges upon my return. Although my title and job duties remained the same, my hours per month were limited to 96 (vs. 173 pre-retirement). I believed that I needed to pack 40 hours of work into my shortened week. I had to work very hard to change my thoughts about part-time vs. full-time work, so I decided early on that I would keep my days off sacred and, whenever possible, not check email or do university work on my off days.

Another frustration was not being able to jump right back in where I left off. Many contracts were negotiated over the summer, and I had to catch up on those new projects. We had new student employees which created a different work dynamic, and the office power structure changed during my absence. On the positive side, I became aware of who my emerging leaders were just by seeing who picked up the slack during my absence.

Even with the frustrations, I know I made the right decision because my new schedule allows me to pursue interests that I never had time for in the past. For example, in January I begin a two-year Personal Chef Certificate program. Don’t expect to see me on “Chopped” any time soon, but I will be experimenting on my family and friends! I’ve also been able to spend much more time with my kids and grandkids, as well as have a more flexible travel schedule. I have also found more time to devote to my volunteer activities with SRAI, RACC, and other nonprofit groups.

I recently read an article about retirement. Something like, “Can You Afford to Retire?” In my case, I couldn’t afford NOT to retire. It was the right choice for me. I am living the best of both worlds, and I wouldn’t change a thing!