1. I’ve Heard of Career Development, but What About Retirement Development
Michael Mulvaney, Ph.D., CPRP School of Kinesiology & Recreation Illinois State University
Phone: (309)

2. Today’s Takeaways… Retirement trends
Assessing & reflecting on your OWN attitudes toward retirement
Comparing your OWN attitudes to a sample of (future) public park and recreation retirees
Tips & strategies related to managing your OWN retirement

3. Today’s Takeaway #1 retirement trends

4. Today’s Takeaway #2 Assessing & reflecting on your OWN attitudes toward retirement

5. Review Your Self-Assessment Survey
Sum up your questions within each table:
Q1: 1 pt for ‘Strongly Disagree”…7 pts for “Strongly Agree”
Q2: 1 pt for “Strongly Disagree”…7 pts for “Strongly Agree”
Q3: 1 pt for “Strongly Disagree”…5 pts for “Strongly Agree”
Q4: 1 pt for “Strongly Disagree”…7 pts for “Strongly Agree”
Reverse the scoring for the following items:
“I do not want to work in any form of employment after I retire…”
“When I think about going back to work after I retire…”
Q5: 1 pt for “Strongly Disagree”…5 pts for “Strongly Agree”
“Retirement will allow me to do things with friends that I am not able…”
“I have already made plans for what I am going to do as soon as I retire.”

6. Career/Work Identification: How attached are you to your career? (Q1)
Measurement of how much (or little) you identify with your work/career.
Sum up your scores for question #1:
49 to 42 points: Strong attachment to your work/career
41 to 35 points: Moderate attachment to your work/career
34 to 28 points: Limited attachment to your work/career
Below 28 points: Little to no attachment to your work/career

7. Life Satisfaction: How satisfied are you with your life? (Q2)
Measurement of how satisfied you are with your life.
Sum up your scores for question #2:
35 to 30 points: Fantastic! You are highly satisfied with your life!
34 to 25 points: Good for you! You are moderately satisfied with your life!
24 to 20 points: Indifferent. Not overly satisfied nor dissatisfied with your life.
Below 20 points: Lower levels of life satisfaction (only according to the instrument).

8. Leisure Satisfaction: Do you practice what you provide? (Q3)
Measurement of the quality of your leisure experiences.
Sum up your scores for question #3:
50 to 40 points: You are VERY satisfied with your leisure experiences.
39 to 31 points: You are moderately satisfied with your leisure experiences.
30 to 25 points: Indifferent. Not overly satisfied nor dissatisfied with your leisure.
Below 25 points: Lower levels of leisure satisfaction (only according to this instrument).

9. Bridge Employment Intentions: Looking for a transition between your FT work and FT retirement? (Q4)
Measurement of your intentions to pursue bridge employment following retirement from your full-time job.
Sum up your scores for question #4 (don’t forget the reverse scoring of the following items:
“I do not want to work in any form of employment after I retire…”
“When I think about going back to work after I retire…”
49 to 42 points: Your score suggests a strong desire to pursue bridge employment opportunities.
41 to 35 points: Your score suggests a moderate interest in pursuing bridge employment opportunities.
34 to 28 points: Your score suggests you are unsure about pursuing bridge employment opportunities.
Below 28 points: Your score suggests you are not interested in pursuing bridge employment opportunities

10. Retirement Anxiety: How anxious are you about life after your career/work? (Q5)
Measurement of your anxiety (social and emotional) levels as they relate to your retirement.
Sum up your scores for question #5:
Reverse the scoring for the following items:
“Retirement will allow me to do things with friends that I am not able…”
“I have already made plans for what I am going to do as soon as I retire.”
45 to 36 points: Your score suggests higher levels of social and emotional retirement anxiety.
35 to 28 points: Your score suggests a moderate amount of social and emotional retirement anxiety.
27 to 21 points: Your score suggests minimal social and emotional retirement anxiety.
Below 21 points: Your score suggests no social and emotional retirement anxiety.

11. Today’s Takeaway #3: Comparing your OWN attitudes to a sample of (future) public park and recreation retirees

12. Background of Study
Over 2,040 public park and recreation professionals from Illinois were invited to participate in the study
Online survey:
A variety of measures were taken, including: career attachment, quality of life (i.e., life satisfaction), leisure satisfaction, employment/retirement intentions, bridge employment intentions, and retirement anxiety
Demographic information was also collected
Data collection occurred in September (2017)
419 participants have responded to the survey, yielding a 20.5% response rate and producing a precision of at least +/-5% (e.g., the true population value is within +/-5% of the sample)
For today’s presentation/discussion, we will be focusing on those 117 participants who plan to retire within the next ten years

13. Entry level position (0-5 yrs. exp.) 11.0%
Variable
Sample Value
Gender
Male
41.8%
Female
58.2%
Non-binary
0.0%
Income (Household)
Up to $34,999
2.1%
$35,000 to $74,999
19.7%
$75,000 to $99,999
20.2%
$100,000 to $149,999
32.7%
$150,000 to $199,999
18.2%
$200,000 or more
7.2%
Job Position
Entry level position (0-5 yrs. exp.)
11.0%
Mid level supervisor (5-10 yrs. exp.)
30.8%
Upper level mgmt. (+10 yrs. exp.)
35.1%
Executive level position (+10 yrs. exp.)
23.1% 13

14. Conservation/Forest Preserve Dist. 1.5% Municipality 10.8%
Variable
Sample Value
Agency Description
Conservation/Forest Preserve Dist.
1.5%
Municipality
10.8%
Park District
73.7%
Special Recreation Association
12.0%
Other (University, Not-for-Profit, etc.)
2.0% 14

15. Career/Work Attachment: Study Findings
Strong Attachment (42 to 49 points)
Moderate Attachment (35 to 41 points)
Limited Attachment (28 to 34 points)
Little to no Attachment (Below 28 points)
37.2%
43.8%
16.5%
2.5%
Average Score: (SD = 5.4)

16. Life Satisfaction: Study Findings
High Life Satisfaction
(30 to 35 points)
Moderate Life Satisfaction (25 to 34 points)
Indifferent
(20 to 24 points)
Lower Life Satisfaction (Below 20 points)
4.1%
65.1%
19.1%
11.7%
Average Score: (SD = 5.6)

17. Leisure Satisfaction: Study Findings
High Leisure Satisfaction
(40 to 50 points)
Moderate Leisure Satisfaction (31 to 39points)
Indifferent
(25 to 30 points)
Lower Leisure Satisfaction (Below 25 points)
57.7%
37.1%
4.6%
1.0%
Average Score: (SD = 5.7)

18. Bridge Employment (B.E.) Intentions: Study Findings
Strong Desire for B.E. (42 to 49 points)
Moderate Desire for B.E. (35 to 41 points)
Limited Desire for B.E. (28 to 34 points)
Little to no B.E. inentions (Below 28 points)
21.1%
59.6%
18.3%
1.0%
Average Score: (SD = 4.7)

19. (Social & Emotional) Retirement Anxiety: Study Findings
Higher Levels of Retirement Anxiety (36 to 45 points)
Moderate Levels of Retirement Anxiety (28 to 35 points)
Limited Retirement Anxiety (21 to 27 points)
Little to No Retirement Anxiety (Below 21 points)
1.0%
5.8%
22.1%
71.1%
Average Score: (SD = 3.4)

20. Takeaway #4 Tips & strategies related to managing your OWN retirement

21. Tip #1: Plan for that transition
Begin planning 1-2 years in advance
“What activities are important to you?”
What have you been doing?
What have you always wanted to do?
Make a list of those things you’ve always wanted to do
We are a field who prides itself on wise planning of agency resources – use those skills and plan for yourself!

22. Tip #2: Homework, yes homework
End of your career OR BEGINNING YOUR RETIREMENT LIFE!
Read about it, talk to people who are retired, talk to your partner
Sign up for classes, workshops, or volunteer work

23. Tip #3: Managing your social network
Retirees often say what they miss the most is the social interactions at work
Make a point to replace/develop social networks in other areas: classes, workshops, church, volunteering, etc.
Seek Fulfilling Experiences:
Census data indicates retirees spend ~48 hours per week at home watching TV!

24. Tip #4: Share your talents of serving others
You have spent a career serving others – embrace this talent!
Consider volunteering
Give you a sense of self-worth
Share your knowledge, skills, and talents!

25. Tip #5: Align your time with your values!
Structure your days that fit YOUR values
Be prepared to revise on regular basis
Identify your top five priorities and then allocate 95% of your time to them
Simplifies the decisions you have to make
Remember those 2080 hours!

26. Tip #6: Get after those things that have stayed at the bottom of your daily checklist
Medical tests
Home remodeling projects
Visiting family or friends (local, across the country, or abroad!)

27. Tip #7: To boomerang or not to boomerang…
Do you want to engage in bridge employment?
Motivations can vary – money, pursue something you’ve never done before, keep your mind active, etc.

28. Tip #8: Embrace the “trial and error”
“You may not get it right on your first try”
Consider trying new things
Don’t think everything is FINAL and all your decisions are permanent. Rather, think of it as an adventure or exploration.

29. Tip #9: Focus on YOU
Consider your health as a priority; create a culture of health
Engage in activities to keep you mentally alert
You’ve spent a career providing optimal leisure environments for others – now, create these environments for YOU!

30. Questions??
Thank You!!