The first story: Starting from the age of 50, we learn to be teachers

When you are nearly 50 years old, do you still have the courage to go back to school and set your own destiny? A life goal? Will you study hard again to pass the college exam?

After turning 50, Americans Jack and Sam plan to retake a major and create a new life goal. They both want to become teachers who teach and educate people.

Jack was originally a pharmacist with a degree in chemistry. He has been working in a company for many years. As he took on more and more computer professional work, his work focus gradually shifted from chemistry to information technology, and he served as the person in charge of the information technology department of a company. He later lost his job. Before this, he had never thought about teaching, until one day a friend suggested that he apply for a position teaching chemistry. He said, "If it was 25 years ago, I would have laughed at this suggestion. But now, to my own surprise, I really enjoy teaching."

Make such a drastic change It is indeed not easy to adjust and decide your life goals. Sam, now 59, has had a career for many years, but it has never been what he wanted. Later, due to financial reasons, he decided to end it and pursue more meaningful work. He thinks it would have been better if he had had such an idea ten years earlier. He said, "I wish someone had shouted 'You can do it' in my ear, maybe I would have considered it earlier."

Jack and Sam decided to change careers after middle age. , for them, making money is not the most important thing, the important thing is to pursue the meaning and purpose of life. "Teaching is full of new challenges," said Sam, who enjoys answering questions from children and providing them with guidance. Teaching work provided him with an opportunity to continuously innovate, which gave him a great sense of self-satisfaction. Because to make his class interesting and non-repetitive, he has to keep working hard.

Although both Sam and Jack are very satisfied with their decision, the process was not without difficulties. Jack said, "The first semester of work was very difficult. After all, it has been 26 years since we left university. You have to relearn, adjust yourself, and it takes a while to get into the zone. "Sam also felt the same. He said that it was also a big challenge to relearn something and take and pass the exam.

What would it be like for a person in his early 50s to sit in a classroom with a group of 20-year-old students to study? Jack was surprised to find that the young students quickly accepted him and got along well with him. At first, one student thought he was the teacher, but Jack told him that he was also a student here to study.

Jack said, "I think people of my age should have an open mind, and we should think more about what else we can do for society."

Second Story: Retired female nurse becomes "chat room host"

Norma Bowen is a retired female nurse in Canada. In the past, she didn't even know how to use a computer, let alone surf the Internet. By chance, she came up with the idea of ??surfing the Internet. After learning how to type and "surf" the Internet, she began to fall in love with the Internet. At the beginning, she just hid quietly in the chat room and "listened" to other people's chats without participating in them. As she gradually became familiar with them, she became the host of the chat room.

The other two women who co-hosted the chat room with Norma *** are from New York, USA, and the other is from Albert, Canada. Although they have never met each other, this does not become an obstacle to establishing a good relationship between them.

The chat rooms they host have some special chat topics, which are usually announced online three months in advance so that everyone can decide whether to participate.

For example, the topic of one chat was "The power of hope." In the middle of Norma's speech, a woman who had been silent before interrupted and said, "I think I entered the wrong place. I joined the chat room because these days, I have no hope." It turned out that her mother passed away recently and she herself was suffering from leukemia. Norma encouraged her and finally gave her hope in life again.

What excites Norma the most is that she can communicate with people all over the world without going out. Norma encourages her retired friends to join in. She believes that retired people should volunteer like this. It is very suitable for the job.

The third story: A hobby becomes a "job" after retirement

Jack has been working in the same company since he was 18 years old. He is still in good health at the age of 55. He originally I plan to stay at my original job for at least another 5 years. However, when he and his wife went to visit their grandson in California that year, they received a surprising phone call that disrupted their original plans.

The call was answered by the daughter, who told them, "It's from your head office. The company has implemented an early retirement plan for some employees. Isn't that great? Dad, you just meet the requirements. What are your plans? ”

When he was at work, Jack wanted to do many things but didn’t have time to do them, such as playing golf in the summer, staying at home with his family in the winter, etc. Retirement is a good opportunity! But people who retire in their 50s and 60s also face new challenges. For example, people like Jack, who have been very busy in the past, will be very bored sitting at home doing nothing in the future, and boredom will gradually come over them. Coupled with the feeling that one has become "useless," these may lead to emotional depression and other problems.

Jack discussed with his wife that they didn’t want to be idle and had to find something to do. He started trying to sell insurance. He also worked in a local hardware store for a while, until one day, he suddenly thought of , why not use his hobby as a job?

Jack loves gardening, and his skills in lawn care are well known. The green lawn and fence at his home, as well as the flowers he planted, were the envy of his neighbors. He had a special liking and strong interest in tending to flowers and plants. In order to realize this idea, he even went to university to take relevant courses.

Jack's hobby became a "job", which brought him many benefits and fun. Jack can spend his time freely. He can work as much or as little as he wants. Gardening has kept him strong after retirement, and the work he likes also gives him a sense of satisfaction. He helped an elderly woman tidy up her neglected lawn to make it look brand new. He "battled" the overgrown weeds at a doctor's house. He helped his friends learn how to plant flowers and trim their flower beds. The fees he charges for doing this are very small, usually just enough to cover the cost of materials. Although these tasks are dirty, tiring, and require a lot of effort and sweat, because the work is also his hobby, he doesn't feel tired or miserable.

It’s been 10 years since retirement and Jack and his wife are now beginning to enjoy retirement life more in the “traditional” sense, without him doing any more gardening, but he still hasn’t. Be truly free and busy with other things from time to time. Jack firmly believes that the first few years of retirement were of great significance to him, in terms of the relationships he had with those around him, in terms of his health and in keeping him alive.

Early retirement may be a good opportunity to relax physically and mentally, enjoy more extra leisure time, and also provide an opportunity to expand your horizons and try a new life. With a little creativity, any hobby can become a satisfying "career."