Great jobs for retirees
Retirement may sound wonderful in the abstract, but many new retirees discover that a job is a necessity, either for their finances or their psyche.
So, how do you re-enter the workforce? First, ask yourself some questions: Do you want to work full or part time? Do you want to tackle a whole new career, or remain in the field you just left?
Do you prefer something that can be all-consuming, such as starting your own business, or a more low-key job?
The outlook may seem grim for finding a job now, particularly for those over age 50. But there are possibilities for older job seekers, says Marci Alboher, vice president of Encore.org.
Many of those opportunities will be online. Remote work is likely to become more acceptable to employers than in the past — and many older Americans might be willing to venture into that arena after experimenting with Zoom, Skype or other video chat services and becoming more comfortable with the technology.
Health care is a growing field, with needs ranging from care workers and medical technicians to people who can handle the administrative work, including patient advocacy.
You don’t need a clinical background to be an advocate; the role is not to offer medical advice or refer doctors. Rather, an advocate guides and supports a client through what is often a confusing and frightening process when a serious illness hits.
But you do need “hustle, assertiveness and a willingness to not accept some answers that are good for the medical system but not necessarily for your client,” says Trisha Torrey, founder of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates. (For help in deciding if patient advocacy is a good path for you, visit https://healthadvocateresources. com).
If making extra money is your primary motivation for going back to work, then your best option is to look for a job in a field similar to your previous career. “It’s really important to focus on what you are able to do right now, where you have your biggest and best skills and experiences, versus changing to a brandnew career field or following your passion,” says Brie Reynolds of FlexJobs, a job board and resource for flexible work.
One way to leverage your expertise is by teaching and training, either remotely or in person. For example, Getsetup hires people age 55 and older to tutor others on how to use online tools. The company offers 40 different courses. The teachers
— or guides, as they are called — are paid $25 an hour. They receive clients through the company, so they don’t have to market themselves. Guides are asked to work at least five hours a week, but there is no contract.
It’s also helpful to have a familiarity with common technology used in the workplace today, such as Google Drive, Slack, video chats and Excel. Reynolds suggests looking at YouTube for tutorials and at sites such as GoToWebinair.com or GoToMeeting.com. You can experiment with how the tools work during their free-trial periods.
Alina Tugend is a contributing writer at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.