[Insight & Opinion] There Is No Phrase More Embarrassing Than "At This Age, What For..."

When Encouraged to Take on New Challenges After Retirement
The Key Is "Letting Go of Everything"
Learning from the Ground Up Brings True Happiness

When recommending acquaintances in their 50s to learn new skills, a common response is often heard: "At this age, what for...?"

I once met a senior who had worked as an executive at a foreign company and was living a second life after retirement. For a few years, he wandered around trying various businesses, then stayed cooped up at home until his wife said to him, "You're not even 60 yet, so instead of being so lethargic, why don't you study to become a real estate agent?" Following that, he carried a bag and attended a cram school in Noryangjin for over a year, obtained his real estate agent license, and started working in brokerage. He said he enjoys it.

The key was 'letting go.' At first, he felt ashamed and his pride was hurt because of his age, so he studied alone in a corner. Later, he let go of that and joined study groups with younger people. Putting aside the age difference and socializing brought him vitality and a renewed sense of life. Sometimes, just buying a cup of coffee made the young friends happy. After a few months together, a camaraderie developed.

Real estate agents must undergo apprenticeship before opening their own office. He joined a medium-sized brokerage office, but the agents there ignored and ostracized him because of his age. He almost quit but instead came in earliest every day, started cleaning, and took on errands. Seeing his hard work from the bottom up, others gradually helped him, and he eventually became independent.

When he was stuck in the mindset of "I should do work that matches my 'level'," he wasted money on pointless ventures. But after letting go and practicing learning from the bottom up, he became happy. Also, negotiation skills he acquired during his corporate career have been very helpful in his current work.

Recently, I saw someone who retired after a long tenure as a president of a large corporation. Surprisingly, this person also attends classes, learning Python with young people and studying coaching. Occasionally sharing snacks during classes made him popular. Truly admirable.

A friend of mine also challenges various things after retiring from a large company. He obtained certifications such as a management consultant and a technical engineer at a late age and provides consulting. He is currently busy studying artificial intelligence (AI) and big data. I myself make it a point to learn one new thing each year in places where people of various ages and backgrounds gather. The downside of offline learning is feeling shy; the upside is feeling the enthusiasm of young people and, if lucky, making friends. The stereotype that "MZs have no passion and dislike learning" is broken. I tell fellow executives worried that the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) only want to play and don’t work hard, "There’s no need to worry about MZs. They manage well on their own. We should worry about ourselves."

In the era of 100-year lifespans, there is no more embarrassing phrase than "What for at this age...?" If you can’t even operate a kiosk properly, let alone AI, that’s truly shameful. The common trait of people who grow is that they humbly and consistently learn?not only in their 20s but also in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s... learning until they die. Those who don’t share the common trait of not learning. I have also seen many who stopped learning in their 30s or 40s while working.

I am really bad at taking photos. Even though I use the same smartphone, my photos always turn out terrible. So recently, I learned how to take photos over two hours on a weekend with a few others from a professional tutor through a learning application (app). The two-hour course cost less than 50,000 won. There was a reason my photos were terrible until now. Just learning a few basics changed my photos. There are plenty of places to learn around you. It only takes a little money and time. If you just let go of your pride, that’s enough.

Shin Sujeong, Head of KT Enterprise Division

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.