Jonathan Malesic in his NYT op-ed "College Students: School Is Not Your Job" offers a deep insight on work versus being and learning and growing and flourishing:

College is a unique time in your life to discover just how much your mind can do. Capacities like an ear for poetry, a grasp of geometry or a keen moral imagination may not ‘pay off’ financially (though you never know), but they are part of who you are. That makes them worth cultivating. Doing so requires a community of teachers and fellow learners. Above all, it requires time: time to allow your mind to branch out, grow and blossom.

... and openness to new learning applies to old retirees too! – and everyone else, eh?

_{(cf Pursuit of Excellence (2002-02-22), Knowledge and Society (2002-03-25), Improving My Mind (2003-06-22), What We Know (2006-08-15), Asimov on Libraries (2007-12-28), Learn to Learn (2020-01-29), Learningful Life (2021-07-02), Future of Work (2021-09-26), Work as School (2023-06-02), ...) - ^z - 2023-09-04}