Helping Your Community, Retirement Best

The last few months have been bogged down with conversations about people not being able to retire. Or those who have retired, being are forced to go back to work. Certainly this blog is not to minimize the impact and fear people are feeling in their lives. But, there are opportunities to explore in a new retirement life.

A lady came to me last week wanting to return to work to supplement her diminished funds. She is looking for work where she believes she's making a contribution. She wants to make a difference. Many retirees need to suppliment their retirement income, but also want to do good in the world.

For people who want to start a business, many are exploring Social Enterprise, the quest to both make money and do good. This is an excellent PowerPoint to learn more, from the Social Enterprise Alliance. http://ping.fm/iHbnU

I first learned about David Mills through the blogroll at Boomer Chronicles. David wrote the book 10,000 Days: A Call to Arms for the Baby Boom Generation which he discussed with us recently.

Boomers are exploring ways of doing well and doing good or just plane make the world a better place to live.

Retirement Work

I made a request last week for stories of people who found interesting jobs in retirement. I had a great response and will be sharing these in the upcoming weeks.
I want more stories, so be on the lookout for retired jobs to share with others.

Margarite shared her experience as a substitute teacher. She lives in California, so you will want to check out the requirements for your state.

My idea for part time work is Substitute Teaching. I did it the entire time I was working on my MA and it worked well for me. I had a special credential that allowed me to work in high schools also, so switched to that level. All one needs to Sub is a BA in any area, the schools are flexible if you have a Math degree they will let you work in pretty much anything one wants to do, PE, science, debate, I did both boys and girls PE, band and orchestra as they just needed a certified Sub in the room. I knew enough Spanish & French to get by, so one can sign up for anything really. One doesn’t need a Teacher’s Certificate to Sub, just a BA and the CBEST test. It is given frequently and there are books available to study for it. It tests in 3 areas, English writing, Math and Grammar. The best book is CBEST for Dummies. One can take the test as many times as needed to pass, then a TB test and go off to whatever school district needs subs. The pay is usually $80 to over $120+/day depending on school districts and if extended subbing is needed. Who knows if the person enjoys it they might even want to become a Teacher!

In retirement, teachers are also returning to substituting. There are many other areas where you can work with children. If you don’t have a degree, you might look at being an aid in a classroom or childcare facility. Look at programs in non-profits, such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs, and programs through your park and recreation. Consider being a tutor. Parents are always looking for qualified babysitters, for the night, weekend or when they travel. There is always a need for foster parents and foster grandparents.

The new retirement should be called Retirement Inc. The boomers retirement will be different. Now is the time to create your own retirement income security.

Adult Seniors Seek Retirement Income Security

In last Sunday’s paper, I read a nationally syndicated columnist address the issue of part time income in retirement. He confirmed organizations that offer to set you up in business for a small fee are usually scams and should be avoided. The columnist then suggested the solution was to find a part time job doing retail. This solution to part time income was both limited and inane. First of all, retail has been hit hard in the recent economic down turn, so it’s just not a viable option for quick short term money.

Retirees make up a broad group of people with a wide range of skills and talents. As they have watched their savings plummet over the last few months, many retiring baby boomers and persons older are looking for retirement work. Some need to augment their retirement income security. Many active adult seniors are looking for ways to turn activities, hobbies and other interests into ways to increase retirement pay.

Over the next few days, I am going to compile resources so the new senior can generate income through either part time jobs (working for someone else) or starting a part time business. There are amazing activities, seniors have engaged to create new retirement careers. Some have found interesting ways to be of service to others, turn adult homemade crafts into salable products, or shift a passion into a way of making money.

Please share websites, books, experts and examples of how retired people work to increase their income. I’m looking for creative examples; turning hobbies into income, earning money while contributing, income while traveling, project based or part time work. I’m looking for examples of what people can do, not how to get a job or start a business.

Retirement Work for the Over 55 Community

I’m delighted to report that I am quoted in a recent ABC News article about job search over 50.

Over the last few years, I shifted my focus away from career counseling and job search towards retirement life planning. There is an overlap between them, but it is different. Because of all the lay-offs and change in the economy, I’ve decided to incorporate more job search information in my blog and other writing.

I was reading the comments to the article and one woman lamented she’d been without a job for six years, had applied at ‘every site on the Internet,’ but had only had a handful of interviews.

I know what it’s like to be unemployed, to feel like you’re doing everything you know how to do and keep coming up short. It becomes so easy to feel like a victim under those circumstances. At some point in time, you have to also to evaluate yourself and the situation and say, “Something’s got to change.”

I don’t know this woman’s specific situation, but my first advice would be to focus her job search energy away from the Internet for awhile. She obviously is not conveying what she wants to communicate on her resume. Take it to friends, former colleagues and have them honestly review it. Call or email friends who are employed. Tell them you’re looking for XYZ type of work and to keep their eyes and ears open for suggestions. Be willing to do things differently.

As people get closer to retirement, jobs become harder to find. There are many activities seniors can do to improve their job search. Retired jobs a now very much in demand as retired seniors watch their retirement income security disappear.

We’re going to spend more time exploring what the over 55 community can do to create and find retirement work.

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