Retiring workers find new life through CU Denver program

BY JASON GONZALES CHALKBEAT COLORADO

Retirement can be about more than pickleball and world travel.

For some retirees, winding down a career could mean transitioning to other work or dedicating part of their time to passion projects, said Todd Matuszewicz, 60, who plans to retire soon. Figuring out which is next, however, is the hard part.

“After working for 35 years, at the end of it, there’s no exit strategy,” said Matuszewicz, a neon sign maker and former educator. “ at’s not taught as part of education. ey say here’s chemistry, here’s your history, but there was no one saying: We’re going to help you on the back side.” e pilot program, which started this year, joins a growing list of programs nationwide that are helping older adults prepare for how they want to spend the next phase of their lives. e program is a priority for school leaders who want to serve older adults because they want the school to be “a university for life,” said Anne Button, the program’s founding director.

But Matuszewicz found help through the University of ColoradoDenver’s Change Makers program.

Here and nationally, schools also have looked for new ways to bring in students. Some schools have faced declining enrollment since the pandemic, and lower birth rates will mean fewer college-age students to teach in the future.

While many people retire in their 60s, some live well beyond retirement, Button said. Many will also continue working, but don’t have a direction on how to use their skills without working full-time, Button said.

“Many people feel there’s a lot more productive time left,” Button said. “People at 60 really could have three decades left of productive years.” e Change Makers program graduated its rst class of 17 students in the spring, including Matuszewicz. e program, which costs about $3,200, has students meet two nights a week over four months. Students can audit classes, re ect on their accomplishments, and hear from guest speakers on topics such as aging, social-emotional health, and volunteering. e program culminates in participants writing a 90-day plan on how to transition into their next job, wind down their careers, or nd another purpose.

Terri Harrington, 66, said she’s tried to come up with a plan for what’s next. e program didn’t inspire a great epiphany for her, but allowed her to map out how she would begin to slow down.

“It set aside time for me to think about it,” she said. “ ey also had us do di erent projects like look back on your life and chart out the signi cant events.”

One of her happiest memories is cooking at the family farm in Nebraska, and she said that helped her realize how much she wants family to play a role in her retirement. Harrington said she wants to still work as an attorney, but also spend more time helping with her granddaughters and contribute occasionally at the family farm in Nebraska.

“I can spend more time there and spend more time with my family,” she said “I can work as little or as much as I want.”

For Matuszewicz, the class inspired him to try to nd exibility in his work schedule while still using the skills he’s acquired.

His goal is to step away from making signs and start a nonpro t that helps preserve Denver’s historic neon signs. e change would mean less hard labor, but would allow him to still be connected to the neon sign work he loves. custom installation charges, equipment upgrades/add-ons, and certain other add’l fees & chrgs. See directv.com/directv-fees/ for additional information. $10/MO. AUTOPAY AND PAPERLESS BILL DISCOUNT: Must enroll in autopay & paperless bill within 30 days of TV activation to receive bill credit starting in 1-3 bill cycles (pay $10 more/mo. until discount begins). Must maintain autopay/paperless bill and valid email address to continue credits. DIRECTV SVC TERMS: Subject to Equipment Lease & Customer Agreements. All o ers, packages, programming, promotions, features, terms, restrictions and conditions and all prices and fees not included in price guarantee are subject to change without notice. Package, Advanced Receiver Service Fee, Regional Sports Fee (varies by zip code) and equipment fees for TV connections are included in two-year price guarantee. Taxes, surcharges, add-on programming (including premium channels), protection plan, transactional fees, and Federal Cost Recovery Fee are not included in two-year price guarantee. Some o ers may not be available through all channels and in select areas. Di erent o ers may apply for eligible multi-dwelling unit. Visit directv.com/legal/ or call for details. Access HBO Max through HBO Max app or hbomax.com with your DIRECTV log-in credentials. Visit directv.com to verify/create your account. Use of HBO Max is subject to its own terms and conditions, see hbomax.com/terms-of-use for details. Programming and content subj. to change. Requires account to stay in good standing. Upon cancellation of your video service you may lose access to HBO Max. If you cancel your

“I’m hoping to transition into more of the public face of it,” he said.

Matuszewicz plans to submit a grant proposal to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to help him start his nonpro t. He has plenty of work ahead of him guring out how many neon signs need to be saved in the Denver area. He wants to ensure neon sign makers continue the tradition — he estimates there are only six sign makers in Denver — and that the city can keep its history.

It’s a busy but ful lling retirement plan, Matuszewicz said. And he’s happy pickleball isn’t a part of it.

Chalkbeat is a nonpro t news site covering educational change in public schools.