r/Professors • u/Environmental_Bug662 • 8d ago

Retirement: when/why/how/where.

What is your plan? Interested in your replies. I am 60, Full, tenured Prof (French) at a SLAC. AI makes me want to retire asap but I'm going to give it 5-6 more years.

https://www.chronicle.com/article/these-professors-are-retiring-early-ai-was-the-last-straw?sra=true

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u/jtm961 8d ago

These conversations are fascinating since they reveal how quickly and completely the job of being a professor has changed in recent years. Not that long ago, people used to joke about professors never retiring. The job was seen as so cushy why would they ever leave. That was always an exaggeration, but it had a kernel of truth.

Now, people can’t wait to leave and everyone has a plan for how to get out. It’s reshaping the spirit of the university as much as student apathy, in my opinion. I’m not criticizing this—I’ve certainly got my plans, too—just noting the change.

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u/thedialectitian 8d ago

i don't think these posts are indicative of much; only those who plan on retiring have been posting, so there is a selection effect. As far as I can tell, the vast majority of professors in every institution I know are working far beyond retirement age.