<p>The average retirement age for professors seems to be in their 60's. But assuming you have tenure, do you have to retire? Can you still teach and do research while you're over 90 years old? Because I want a job that I could work as long as I can to contribute to society.</p>
<p>I can think of half a dozen professors in my field of study who are in their 80s. I think each one of them is beyond worrying about money. So, it's a passion and joy for their work that keeps them going. Sounds incredible, right?</p>
<p>The key would seem to be finding out how to keep working after you're dead.</p>
<p>You are really thinking ahead, aren't you? ;)</p>
<p>So you're asking me, after I complete my phd, postdoc and then get a faculty position, get tenured and not get fired, will I quit after that?</p>
<p>Yeah, I think you're looking ahead.</p>
<p>They'll never force you to go. At my school there is a holocaust denier EE professor who seems to be in his 70's or 80's and the school is desperate for him to retire. But nope, he just sticks around. I'm pretty sure he'll be there until he dies.</p>
<p>As a result of legislation in 1986, mandatory retirement at age 70 was ended in 1994.</p>
<p>This has had both positive and negative results. There are many books and articles on this topic, but I particularly recall reading (about ten years ago) Hammond and Morgan, eds., Ending Mandatory Retirement for Tenured Faculty: The Consequences for Higher Education.</p>
<p>I'm asking this because I want to earn money and give it to others. I can't give a lot of money to others if I spend most of it during the last 10-20 years of my life. Or even more, since humans are living longer these days.</p>
<p>As a college first-year, I don't think it's too much ahead to be at least thinking about what I might do in the future, right?</p>
<p>
[quote]
As a college first-year, I don't think it's too much ahead to be at least thinking about what I might do in the future, right?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't think so. But on the other hand, who knows how much will change in such a long amount of time! See this article, for example:</p>
<p>The</a> Last Professor - Stanley Fish Blog - NYTimes.com</p>
<p>Here is a more relevant question- how will those of us entering the academy plan for retirement? Will we need to work until we die to retire? Certainly no grad students can afford to put money into a retirement account in any meaningful capacity. I would be surprised if post docs could.</p>
<p>stop planning ahead, the future is unceratin...you might not even live that long</p>
<p>The future is uncertain so we shouldn't consider the ramifications of waiting to begin retirement savings until we are in our mid thirties? I am dumbfounded by your comment.</p>
<p>it was a joke that was badly constructed</p>
<p>
[quote]
I can think of half a dozen professors in my field of study who are in their 80s.
[/quote]
Ditto. Several of them stubbornly refuse to switch to computers, and it's amazing how productive they are on typewriters! Especially for those in relatively new fields, it's great that the pioneering scholars stick around long after going emeritus.</p>
<p>There's this one professor in a colleague's department who refuses to use e-mail -- he's an older professor, and he has a secretary who says the majority of her work is sending out e-mails.</p>
<p>The American professoriate is aging. I remember at my alma mater in my department there were two professors who were well into their mid-70s...they celebrated their 50th college reunion when I was a sophomore (they were alumnae). And we have quite a few professors around here who are older -- Walter Mischel is still in my department, mainly for the name, as he doesn't teach any courses I don't believe.</p>
<p>One philosophy professor I know told me that in the sciences, old researchers tend to back out and take administrative rolls, leaving the research mostly to young brains. But it's the contrary for humanities, where you become a better scholar as you get older. I don't know if that's true, but if he's right isn't the aging of academy a good thing, at least for one division?</p>
<p>Interesting - immediately I think of crystallized vs. fluid demands for different positions... </p>
<p>Regardless, it does affect the job market. It (a tenure-track position) is not a situation where most folks choose not to make it a long haul, and those who do usually leave as soon as they hit the first retirement point.</p>
<p>Actually, I beg to differ about the science professor comment. Most of us stay in lab till the end. If its your passion (which it is for most successful research scientists-its too competitive of a field if its not), you're not about to leave the lab! </p>
<p>Today, I just returned from a memorial service from a colleague in their late 70's who was in lab until this Dec doing experiments with his students (when he abruptly began to decline). I think most of us plan to go this way: Staying in lab, doing research and mentoring the next generation. The administration route is not the route of most!</p>
<p>promotion requires to Professor emeritus!</p>
<p>I know of at least one professor from my undergrad. college who died WHILE teaching... now that's dedication.</p>