When did retirement become so complicated? It used to be that the toughest decision faced by would-be retirees was picking a sun-filled mecca to retire to. But many of today's older workers are trying to figure out how to redefine their careers, rather than opt out of them altogether. In fact, workers 55 and older, a group beginning to include the first of the Baby Boomers, make up 32 percent of the workforce. That means those once thought to have one foot out the door now constitute the nation's fastest-growing labor segment.

What does this mean for these workers and the companies and managers working with them?

At age 60, it's been 20 years since your midlife turning point -- that time of stress and change that is, for many, the signal to try out a few new things in life. The preretirement turning point is equally important and powerful, but it is even less well understood than the turning point at midlife.

People used to think they understood this whole retirement thing. At 60, they had a dinner for you, said some nice words and gave you a watch. The idea was that you had worked hard and deserved to rest after years of work. Of course, it was also understood that you probably only had about four or five years left anyway. Now, at 60, you will be making choices that will affect the next 20 years of your career. Just as at midlife, both change and continuity are important.

For many people, when they arrive at one of the main transition points in their careers, at 20, 40, 60 and 80, change is uppermost in their minds.

Change is important, but so is the tremendous fund of experience you bring with you. Rather than think of retirement as quitting work, we have found it much more helpful to think of this transition as just another important change point in your career. To make this transition point work positively for you, you will need to take into account the major factors that influence you at any point in your life: your talents, interests, personality, values, goals, family, age and experience.

At most career transition points, we have found people do better when they find some way to take their experience and skills with them to the next thing they do, even when they make major changes. An executive who retires from work might want to travel and spend more time playing with his grandkids, but he also might want to become more involved in his church. His skills and experience in managing and leading are hugely useful to his church's executive committee.

Almost as dangerous as throwing everything out is pretending everything is just going to go on as it always has. When you have been moving in about the same direction for 20 years or more, it's natural to seek out new challenges. In most cases, people want to express some part of themselves they haven't been able to express before.

There are many people who announce they are never going to retire; they will just keep on working as they always have until they keel over. This is usually just a way to express a very natural fear of growing old and dying. There are better ways to deal with this fear. The preretirement transition is a great time to expand your horizons, to try something you've never tried before or do something you've always wanted to do. The key to making this work is vision. You have to have a personal vision that includes all aspects of your life.

Gaining a personal vision can prolong your life. Most people don't die of old age; they die of lack of meaning in their lives. Spending some time nurturing your vision now can lead to a life that is fuller and more fun when you do decide to cut back on work.

The only way to realize your dream retirement is to first look within yourself to find a personal vision. Once you do that, new options open up.

Our careers tend to move from stability to change to stability again. Times of change and transition tend to occupy a few discrete years. Are you at a turning point? Take this short test to find out.

McDonald and Hutcheson are the founders of The Highlands Program, a national training and development company. They are also the authors of Don't Waste Your Talent.

Use the following scale to describe how much or how little the following statements describe you. Write the number of your response in the blank at the end of the statement.

Not at all like me = 1

Not very much like me = 2

Sometimes yes; sometimes no = 3

A little like me = 4

A lot like me = 5

I love going to work every day. _____

Work doesn't have the same meaning for me that it once did. _____

I feel just as creative as I always did. _____

Lately, I've thought that there are probably some other things I could do. _____

I could see doing what I'm doing now for another five to seven years. _____

If there were a way for me to retire right now, I would. _____

I would be willing to do what I'm doing now for less money. _____

I would like to try something completely new. _____

I find what I do fascinating and engaging. _____

There's not much new about my career anymore. _____

Now, add up your even answers (all of your 2s and 4s) and odd answers (all of your 1s, 3s and 5s) separately. To get your score, take the total of your even answers and subtract it from 30. Add this number to the total of your odd answers.

10-20: You are probably at a career turning point. You are expressing a good deal of dissatisfaction with the way things are going and a strong wish for things to be different. Now is the time to use this energy to create a personal vision. Taking time now to carefully assess your talents, personality, interests, goals, values, family and experience can pay off with enormous dividends as you move into the future.

21-30: You are expressing some dissatisfaction with things as they are now. You may be moving toward a career turning point. The way to keep this turning point from being a crisis is to do some work right now on your long-term vision for the future. That way, when you do fully arrive at a significant turning point, you will be ready to take full advantage of the energy propelling you toward change.

31-40: You are expressing a good deal of satisfaction with your career as it is now. Everyone's career moves between periods of satisfaction to periods of dissatisfaction and back again to satisfaction. You are probably either moving into or moving out of a period of relative stasis. At these times, you might not experience very much drive toward change, but that doesn't mean you will always feel this way. The best way to develop your career is to closely examine yourself and your job. You want to make sure you are using all of your talents and that you are a good fit with your company in all respects.

41 or higher: You are expressing a great deal of satisfaction and stasis in your career right now. This is a time when you are probably experiencing a good deal of energy and drive in your career -- it's full steam ahead. These periods are ideal times to make sure you are using all of your talents every day and that you are paying attention to your most important values and interests. Just remember that it's normal to feel this kind of stasis during your career, and it's also normal for these feelings to change from time to time into feelings of dissatisfaction and wish for change. Any time you can examine closely what you are seeking from your career and lay out a plan for the upcoming years, you will benefit greatly in the long run.