My friends think I've lost my mind.

Most of them are already retired, playing golf, traveling, or just enjoying the freedom that comes after decades in corporate America. They look at me - VP at a growing company, grandfather of three, owner of a house that always needs something fixed - and they ask the same question: "Why are you taking more classes?"

This year alone, I've completed courses through Coursera from Duke University, Vanderbilt, University of Navarro, UNC-Chapel Hill, UC-Davis, and several others. I just wrapped up what might be the most challenging course I've ever taken - a high-level AI program from Synergies4, taught by someone who literally teaches the AI instructors at Harvard and MIT.

The math on this one is pretty staggering. Out of roughly 8 billion people on this planet, billions know of AI, hundreds of millions dabble with it, tens of millions use it somewhat regularly. But maybe only a few hundred thousand worldwide are at the level where they're building personal operating profiles, custom GPTs, complex workflows, and applying AI ethically in high-pressure, role-specific contexts.

That puts me in the top 1% globally for practical, hands-on AI integration. Not theoretical knowledge - actual implementation.

So what do I do next? Naturally, I enrolled in an MBA-AI program with a graduation date sometime in 2026.

"Why Don't You Just Retire?"

I get this question a lot. My retired friends genuinely cannot understand why I'm adding coursework to an already packed schedule. They've earned their rest, and they're living it well. But here's the thing they don't quite get: I genuinely love working.

I love the challenge of integrating 18+ companies and watching a business grow from $200M to nearly $1B in valuation. I love being the person who can explain complex technical concepts to a room full of executives and have them actually understand what we're building. I love mentoring younger team members and watching them develop their own expertise.

More than that, I love learning. Always have.

The 30-Year Learning Curve

When I started my career working on IBM System 360s with punch cards, I thought I knew what technology could do. Every few years since then, I've been proven spectacularly wrong. Y2K compliance, ERP migrations, cloud computing, mobile transformation, and now AI - each wave required learning entirely new frameworks, methodologies, and ways of thinking.

The difference between someone with 30 years of experience and someone with one year of experience repeated 30 times? The willingness to keep learning when everything you think you know becomes obsolete.

The Real Question

My friends ask why I don't retire. But I think they're asking the wrong question. The real question is: What would I do with my time if I stopped learning?

Sure, I could focus entirely on the Slingshot rides, Jeep trails, and house projects. I could spend more time with the grandkids (though they're pretty busy with their own learning curves). I could travel more, read more fiction, take up woodworking or photography.

But none of those things would scratch the same itch that comes from mastering a complex new domain, from taking knowledge that once seemed impossibly difficult and making it practical and useful.

The 10-Year Plan

I've probably got 10 years left before retirement becomes a more serious consideration. That's 10 years to see where AI actually takes us, 10 years to help guide one more major transformation in how businesses operate, 10 years to keep building and learning.

By the time I finish this MBA-AI program in 2026, who knows what the next wave will be? Quantum computing becoming practical? Brain-computer interfaces moving from science fiction to business applications? Something we haven't even imagined yet?

Whatever it is, I want to be ready for it.

Different Definitions of Success

Maybe my retired friends have the right idea. Maybe there's wisdom in stepping back, enjoying what you've built, and letting the next generation take over the heavy lifting.

But I've learned something about myself over these 30+ years: I'm energized by growth, by challenge, by the moment when something complicated suddenly makes sense. Taking that away from me wouldn't feel like retirement - it would feel like giving up.

So I'll keep taking classes, keep pushing my teams to think bigger, keep explaining to my wife why I need another certification. And when my friends ask why I don't just retire, I'll keep giving them the same answer:

Why would I retire from something I love doing?

The day work stops feeling like learning, stops feeling like building something meaningful - that's the day I'll consider retirement. Until then, I've got coursework to finish.

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