I left a chief HR officer job at 55. Now I work 3 days a week and still get benefits.

This communicative is based connected an question and reply pinch Angela Cheng-Cimini, 56, a seasoned HR master who lives adjacent Baltimore. It has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

A fewer years ago, my husband, Michael, and I started losing friends who were astir our age.

Three, successful particular, died of pancreatic cancer, which was very sudden. Those kinds of things really extremity you short. It's an aberration erstwhile you're successful your 30s, but it becomes much communal successful your 50s.

The earthy guidance is to see your ain mortality. I'd been moving afloat steam up for 30 years, crossed everything from start-ups to mature companies, and needed to reassess.

I was the main HR serviceman astatine Harvard Business Publishing astatine the time, a domiciled that was highly fulfilling. However, I didn't cognize really to compartmentalize. I bought activity location psychologically, emotionally, and, to immoderate degree, physically.

I ignored caring for myself

I was ignoring self-care. The beingness was telling maine that it was clip for a change. So, aft a batch of deliberation, I resigned successful December 2024.

Some group mightiness person regarded it arsenic early retirement, but I called it "rewirement." I wasn't fresh to spell the afloat 9 yards and discontinue my career, truthful I began looking for flexible-schedule opportunities.

A Google hunt led maine to the organization, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a media and accusation assets for the nonprofit sector.

I'd intended to return respective months off, conscionable to relax. But its part-time main HR serviceman position stood retired to me.

I've been successful the occupation since January 2025, moving 3 days a week while receiving wellness insurance, 401(k) contribution, and paid clip off.

The other clip I person disconnected enables maine to stock my knowledge

It's a win-win: I get to enactment progressive successful my profession, while my mini employer has entree to my 3 decades of acquisition astatine a fraction of the costs of a regular salary.

The statement is cleanable for personification my property because I support my toes successful the industry, and it benefits from my wisdom.

I mentor not only colleagues but besides group extracurricular my organization. The other clip I person disconnected enables maine to stock my knowledge pinch a younger procreation of professionals who often scope retired to maine on LinkedIn.

When I was coming up successful my career, location were hardly immoderate female Asian leaders that I could exemplary myself after. I felt that I should salary it backmost by paying it forward.

I mentored successful the past, but it often felt for illustration I was shoe-horning it successful betwixt different responsibilities. Now I tin easy unpaid 45 minutes connected a call.

I'm besides connected respective advisory boards for startup organizations successful the HR space, helping entrepreneurs measure the marketplace fresh of their solutions. It's each unpaid and very gratifying.

Meanwhile, Michael, who is retired, and I make the astir of our leisure time. We emotion walking and precocious went connected a bucket-list travel down the Nile aboard a 100-year-old steamship.

Work stimulates my brain

I'm readying to enactment successful my occupation for arsenic agelong arsenic they'll person me. Still, I'm conscious that I person less years up than behind.

Wednesday day comes along, and I'm fresh to unopen down my laptop aft 3 days of activity that stimulates my brain.

Then I tin prioritize the different things that are important to me. My "rewirement" has changed my full outlook connected life.