Will Wisdom Die With You?

• A son attends the same university that his mother attended 40 years ago. The son tells his mother that he has “a really old professor.” The mother discovers that it is the same professor she had when she was a student.
• Three graduate students who are on the job market are at a conference. They see a professor who is in his late 70s. They ask each other when the professor will ever retire to open up a job for them.
• A professor in his late 60s can afford to retire. But he doesn’t want to retire because he doesn’t know what else he would do.

Source: Pexels

“Doubtless you are the only people who matter, and wisdom will die with you!” This was Job’s response in the Bible to his three friends who argued with him about the cause of his problems. But many older psychologists may see themselves as having a corner on the wisdom market. Nearly three of 10 psychologists in the workforce are over the age of 60.

Unlike many of my colleagues, I plan to retire as soon as I can afford to. Which is within three years. Two of the reasons I plan to retire are:

• Allow diverse people to replace me.
• Spend time with my family.

As I discussed in a previous blog, psychologists are much less diverse than the United States is. 84 percent of psychologists are White. But an encouraging trend is that the pipeline is diverse. 40 of those receiving psychology doctoral degrees in 2016 were people of color. This is the same percentage of people who are not non-Hispanic White in the United States. Over the past decade, this pipeline has been more diverse than the current psychology workforce. So, when I retire, I am creating an opportunity for the psychology workforce to “look like America”. Because of their diverse backgrounds and experiences, younger psychologists can bring wisdom to the field that currently isn’t available.

Retiring will also allow me to spend more time with my family. Family is an important social connection for many people of East Asian ancestry, including me. In a study of older adults, self-satisfaction was more strongly associated with how satisfied one’s family is in China than in the United States. But social connectedness benefits everyone. Elders of all backgrounds who are socially connected are less likely to die early.

So, I encourage my older colleagues to consider retiring. Don’t know what you will do in retirement? Spend time with your family. Retiring and spending more time with family and friends can benefit your health. And the vacancy you provide can benefit the field by allowing it to become more diverse.

And no, my friends, wisdom will not die with you.