You Don’t Have to Retire to a University Town

Not that I’m looking at retirement anytime soon; I love what I do for a living, and can give it a lot of energy.  But there has been a push over the last decade or so for people to retire to university towns where they can experience the educational opportunities inherent in the academic environment.

I call BS on that life strategy.

I’m finishing up a MOOC through Coursera, and I have to say that the experience has rekindled an enthusiasm for higher education that I may have lost since I (voluntarily) left my tenure-track position in computer science and math, now almost seventeen years ago.

I have to give credit to Clay Shirky, whose tweet led me in the direction of the topic and course.  The course is A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior, taught by Dan Ariely at Duke University.  The topic fits well into my present interest in understanding and compensating for bias in software testing.

I really lacked the time to do it.  But the course organization is a wonderful combination of freedom to work on your own schedule (I’ve been on business travel three times in the last three weeks), and the structure needed to see it through.  You can fully participate in online hang-outs, wikis, readings, and lectures, do what is necessary to satisfactorily complete the course (this course requires an average score of 85 through all exercises and quizzes), or just pick and choose, depending on your interests and time.

Competitive person that I am, I chose to work toward course completion, while doing little of the extracurricular activities that can add spice to a learning experience.  I still work for a living, after all.

The fact of the matter is that you can live just about anywhere in the world with broadband Internet access, and still experience outstanding educational opportunities, makes the idea of living in a university town less vital to intellectual stimulation.  If you’re looking to a university town in retirement to keep your intellectual edge, you may be shortchanging yourself.