The 63-year-old was appointed as manager at the League One club on a two-year deal last week. He has not had a role since being let go by West Bromwich Albion in October 2022.
Bruce spoke about his new role, why he feels he still has something to offer and how he missed being a manager.
"Yeah, that's the top and bottom of why I'm back in. I've missed it.
"I wasn't ready to retire and I still have, I believe, something to offer.
"What I've missed is the everyday enjoyment of working with players and being involved in football.
"It's given me a purpose to get out of bed in the mornings and it's proven to me that I wasn't ready for retirement."
He had needed time away from the game after his West Brom exit but says he is very excited to get back into management again..
"I realised I needed a break. I've never really had a proper break in 40-odd years. How lucky am I to have gone straight from playing to managing and do 1,000 games? It's a lot of Saturdays," he said.
"There was a time when I thought I'd done my stint but the enjoyment and the love of football has brought me back to work.
"You get to a certain age and you think, 'Am I on the scrap-heap?' But I hope I've got a lot to offer and I've got an abundance of experience.
"I'm delighted to have been given the opportunity to start again."
The former Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United boss says he is aiming for promotion despite many sceptics who are negative about the club’s quality and Bruce’s ability to lead.
"The aim is to go up. We finished eighth last year and missed out, so can we go one better? Can we get in the top six? We've had a difficult start but that's why I'm here," he said.
"It's going to be difficult because there's some big teams in this league but I'd like to think Blackpool are going to be amongst them.
"I've seen the past two or three games and we could quite easily have won all of them.
"I've seen enough of the squad to know we can be competitive in this league, we've got some good players here and it's up to me to get the best out of them."