[Today’s
post is by Tim.]
How
would you go about the process of
closing out your career?
Ask
yourself: Why are you retiring? When will this happen? When should you inform your boss? How much notice should you give your boss? Which projects should you complete with the
time you have left? What are the most
important sets of information you need to transfer to the person who comes
after you? Whom do you need to consider
for appreciation for getting you through a successful career? What did they contribute? Where do you go from here?
You
need to work with your family to make it happen so that their concerns, goals
and expectations are met, or at least considered.
In my
case, these questions were all answered through what became a haphazard
shoot-from-the-hip process that in the end worked itself out. I
do not recommend this process.
My
career in the National Park Service was 20 years long. I was an archeologist and museum curator
during that time. Previous to my time in
the NPS, I worked as an archeologist for universities and private companies
throughout the Intermountain and Southwest United States for 15 years. I acquired a B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology
during that time.
Why did
I retire from the NPS? Here is some
detail. That portion of my life provided
me with a certain amount of financial security for the future and for
retirement. My wife also contributes
greatly to that (our) security. So those
goals are met. I no longer need the
security that this job provided.
The most important goal during this
time in our lives is to see more and do more and go more places, so the idea of
full-timing in the RV was the most natural solution. To make this a reality we knew that we would have
to sell the house in Estes Park and live without a home base for some unknown
time to come. Selling the house in the spring
made more sense than in the winter. We
knew we would need five to six months to downsize our possessions and get the
house ready to sell. I also wanted this
long to give my supervisor time to consider hiring behind me to fill my
position. And I liked the idea of having
this much time to finish projects I had started and to get the job into a
position that could be taken over by my successor.
Another
issue for me was (and is) my health. I
have survived two different cancers over the last six years. And the stress at work was sometimes doubled
when I did more than I needed to. My
skill set includes museum management and cultural resources. Sometimes I was asked to do both at the same
time. And I just didn’t have enough
patience to do both at the same time anymore.
So it was better to move on.
On
October 22, 2013, I informed my supervisor of my intentions to retire, and that
I would be choosing a date soon. That
date became March 21, 2014. This gave
him more than enough time to fill the position.
The
next step was to determine which projects to prioritize for completion. These were special projects that I had
started which might not receive consideration by my successor. These included a photograph database
copyright protocol for the park, the museum collections emergency operations
plan and a survey of the backlogged park research permit program. I was able to complete these projects.
The
program I managed needed to be streamlined, documented and consolidated for my
successor. Protocols for ongoing program
operations had to be written. Up to that
point, I had not taken the time, or had the time, to attempt this. Now it became a priority.
During
my final week of employment, Rocky Mountain National Park held a retirement
party for me and for another employee who was retiring at the same time. This is a time when your supervisor and
fellow employees get up to roast you so that you are embarrassed. This only helped to verify that it was a good
decision to retire and move on. After
all, you can’t go back.
![]() |
Let's Celebrate |
The
park has a tradition of gifting to the retiree some kind of meaningful
remembrance. Knowing this was going to
happen, I suggested to my supervisor that since we were downsizing and would be
living in the RV, something that would fit into my back pocket would be great,
as opposed to the typical gift that fits on a wall. So he came up with a Retirement Gift Booklet.
![]() |
What a Wonderful and Thoughtful Gift |
Thank You Rich |
As you
can see, it comes complete with two mugs to enjoy good coffee, a gift card to fuel
the RV and another gift card to eat really good food. A small manageable-sized landscape print was
also included as part of the gift package.
Thanks to all, and to Rich and Sheri.
The
park has a quilting club. The club
created this work of art for me and presented it during the
retirement party. The NPS also presents
you with a carved arrowhead for your service.
Thank You Kris |
Closing Out a Great Career |
During
this whole long process it occurred to me from time to time that there were
many people to be thankful to for getting me into this position, for being able
to retire with such a bright future still ahead. Many teachers and professors, fellow workers
throughout three different careers, family, friends, my most recent co-workers
who made the experiences at Rocky Mountain National Park so meaningful and
wonderful, and my wife, Sarah (I love you).
What Great Co-Workers I Had |
Well, I
am retired. The house is sold. Sarah and I are on the road full-time with
our cat. We are thinking about going to
Alaska next summer. In the meantime, we
are visiting national parks and sleeping late.
Looking for farmers markets.
Drinking coffee. Reading. Much more.
I have
started to do some consulting work with other national parks. Stay tuned for more on that one.
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