When discussing a retirement career strategy, many professionals wonder how to successfully transition after decades in a corporate office. I was once ‘Department Head Lee’ at KT, drawing an annual salary of 100 million won. Graduating from a regional national university with a degree in English Language and Literature, I spent 27 years as an office worker after joining KT. Back in 2014, when I took early retirement at the young age of 53, I truly believed I could quickly find a new job and proudly live out the second act of my life.
Reality, however, did not go according to plan. The severance pay in my hands was far from sufficient for a four-person family to live on, including my two daughters who had not yet settled into society. I needed to find a new job. Since studying was all I knew how to do, while others traveled with their severance pay, I sat at my desk with the desperate mindset of a job seeker.
As a result, I obtained 28 national and private certifications. However, to cut to the chase, neither my title as a large corporation department head nor the sheer number of certifications mattered at all for re-employment. Re-entering the job market, a ‘humanities-background middle-aged man’ was nothing more than the weakest product with zero marketability.
When planning a successful post-retirement transition, professionals must recognize that office workers transitioning into new industries often need to cross over into technical fields. It took me a full four years to realize this absolute truth. During that time, I burned through tens of millions of won in severance pay and wasted precious time.
Even an administrative worker can reinvent themselves in the technical sector, proving that gaining practical vocational certificates is essential for staying active in the workforce. Today, I work proudly as an active professional without a mandatory retirement age or performance pressure. Exactly 3 million won hits my bank account every single month, and I can confidently work in the field for another 20 years.
Among the 28 certifications I acquired, a special ‘treasure’ turned an aging humanities department head into a sought-after expert just four years after retirement. Are you curious about what this treasure is, how I earned it, and what kind of work I do with it? I will reveal the most reliable and fastest shortcut to securing your golden years without holding anything back.
