The Retirement Newsletter: Ten things I think I will miss from work when I retire
Issue Number: -15 — Will I miss these? Time will tell!
Welcome
Welcome to Issue -15 — Ten things I think I will miss from work when I retire.
Will I miss these ten things? Well, I will post my top 10 now and revisit them when I am retired to see if I am correct.
Ten things I will miss
So, what are the top ten things I think I will miss?
10. The commute
I didn’t expect this to be on the list, as I hate commuting. But, now that my commuting days are numbered, I have realised I will miss the commute. It won’t be the commute I miss, but the ‘me time’. The time I get alone in the car to listen to the radio or music or to be with my thoughts. I will also miss the spectacular sunrises I saw and those special autumnal mornings when the mist hung over the fields and valleys.
9. Graduations
This was another surprise; I didn’t expect graduations to be on this list.
I won’t miss the ceremony, but I will miss the opportunity to wear my academic gown, congratulate students, and meet their parents. I will also miss trying to identify the students. The students are all dressed up at graduations and no longer look like the scruffy, half-asleep students I would see in my 9 a.m. lectures.
8. The monthly pay packet
I will miss my monthly pay packet. I will have less money coming in, and some might be paid quarterly or annually. So, I will have to improve my budgeting. I will no longer be living from pay packet to pay packet.
7. Teaching labs (practical classes)
Teaching is something I will miss, and I will miss teaching labs.
Teaching labs is hard work. You are on your feet for three to six hours of teaching. You are constantly moving and alert to students’ issues and possible dangers. Labs are physically and mentally tiring. But I will miss them.
I am halfway through some first-year labs (we have to run the classes multiple times to get all the students through), and I feel tired and my body aches, but I am enjoying the teaching.
6. Unexpected conversations
I will miss unexpected conversations. You know the type. The chance encounter with someone you know or someone new, and you have a great chat.
The chat could be serious, silly, inspirational, or thought-provoking. But it’s fun.
I will miss those chance encounters and chats.
5. Students question (academic)
One of the great joys of teaching at a university is when a student asks you a question that stops you in your tracks. The type of questions that make you stop and think and realise you don’t know the answer.
For me, this happens during final-year dissertation projects, teaching labs, or follow-up Q&A sessions after a lecture.
The most fun questions I get are from first-year students during post-lecture Q&A sessions. For some reason, first years seem to have a real gift for asking tough questions. And this is some of the most fun teaching I get to do. Getting a question that is a little ‘left field’ and which stops me and makes me think is great. A joy. A gift.
Also, I will miss the questions and the in-depth conversations I sometimes get with my final-year dissertation students. There is no better feeling than when a student suddenly understands a complicated idea or concept. Magical.
I won’t miss the boring procedural questions, particularly when I have already presented the information. The ‘when is the assessment due in’ — the answer is on the assessment sheet I just gave you!
4. Preparing teaching and presentations
Weirdly, this is something I enjoy. I like thinking about my teaching; I like planning labs and lectures. I even enjoy preparing material in the online learning environment. I like putting together presentations and building complicated animation sequences. (I wish I could draw.)
To me, an afternoon spent preparing teaching material is a fun afternoon.
3. Giving lectures
I enjoy giving lectures. I enjoy the ‘buzz’ I get from a well-delivered lecture. I hate the ‘slump’ I get when I’ve done a poor job.
Not all lecturers enjoy lecturing, but I discovered very early on in my career that I do, and it is something I still enjoy doing. I will miss this.
2. Some of my colleagues
I will miss some of my colleagues.
Over the years, I have worked with some great people. I’ve worked with some scarily bright people. And I’ve been lucky to work with some inspirational people.
I will miss some of my colleagues.
1. The students
At times, my students drive me nuts. But I will miss them. Well, most of them. OK, some of them.
Over the years, I have been lucky enough to work with some great students who have gone on to do some really interesting and significant work. And I have now reached a point in my career where I have worked with lecturers that I taught when they were undergraduates. That makes me feel old.
So, that is my top ten list of things I think I will miss when I retire. No doubt, I will revisit this list in future newsletters and see how close I came to hitting the mark.
Travel — Nostalgia Corner
This week, more stories from Malaysia — food, a search for war graves in Johor Bahru, a visit to a local market, a stroll in a local park and a visit to a pineapple museum:
Malaysia — Johor Bahru — 天来海鲜园, Seafood Restaurant and Chinese Restaurant — An evening of seafood — I miss eating out in Malaysia.
Malaysia — Johor Bahru — Restaurant Star Chef Kitchen, Gelang Patah, Johor, Malaysia — A lucky find in Gelang Patah — more seafood, a great meal and Marmite Crab.
Malaysia — Johor Bahru — Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Cemeteries, Johor Bahru — Searching for Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Cemeteries in Johor Bahru — did I find them?
Malaysia — Johor Bahru — Bestmart, Taman Nusa Bestari 2 (№3 Jalan Danga), 81300 Johor — The best covered market in Johor Bahru?
Malaysia — Johor Bahru — Muzium Nanas Pontian — The Pineapple Museum, Johor, Malaysia — A must-visit for anyone coming to Johor
Malaysia — Johor Bahru — Stroll in a local park, Johor Bahru, Malaysia — Looking at local wildlife in a park in Johor Bahru — it’s incredible what you can see if you take the time.
Next week, a war memorial, a battle site and a nature reserve in Singapore.
Next week
I have felt this coming on for some time, and next week, in issue -14, I will look at getting anxious about my retirement.
Thanks
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Until next time,
Nick
PS, If you want to contribute something to the newsletter — a story, advice, anything — please get in touch.