Great Jobs for Everyone 50+

Continuing on my reading about re-starting a career after raising Sophia and Olivia, I came across the book Great Jobs for Everyone 50+ - Finding Work that Keeps You Happy and Healthy...and Pays the Bills by Kerry Hannon.

PART-TIME

- AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate - no maximum age. Skills in communications, community organization, leadership, and teamwork. Biweekly living allowance is about $2,200. At the end of service, receive a $1,230 education award or a cash stipend.

- Pet Concierge - pet owners who are heading off on vaction need you. Could either stay at the owners' homes or take the animal into your own. Pay range from $10-22 for a single visit. A daily half-hour walk is about $20. The National Association of PRofessional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) offers an at-home certification course online. Get personal liability insurance, businessinsurance, and bonding coverage. 

WORK FROM HOME

- Education and training - K12, Kaplan, and other education companies recruit for remote jobs in education and training. Look for online tutors or virtual teacher opportunities. 

- Online tutor - most in demand are the core curriculum - world history, English, and others. Rates are $10-14 per hour, based on experience, subject tutored, company, and grade level. Some private tutors can make as much as $65 per hour. Teacher certification is preferred, but not required. 

NONPROFIT JOB

- Volunteer Manager - recrutiing volunteers - including recruiting, training, supervising, and retaining them. $20-25 per hour for part time managers. For full-time, it ranges from $37,598 to $64,263. 

EDUCATION JOB

- Substitute Teacher - can be K-12. There is higher demand to work with kids who have special needs. Up to $190 per full day with half days being half the rate of a full day. High school diploma needed. However, someone substituting for more than 19 days needs a teaching certificate. Go to NEA.org to see what the requirements are for substitute teachers are in each state.

ADDRESSING AN AGING POPULATION

- Aging-in-Place/Home-Modification Professional - Create or rehab a home that will serve long term for people who want to age in place. Contractors, architects, and interior designers can get into the act. Look at lighting, ramps, grab bars in the shower, and more to stave off accidents. $40 per hour and up. The National Association of Home Builders offers a course that teaches design and building techniques for making a home accessible to all ages. 

- Fitness Instructor - focus on becoming a senior fitness instructor. Get certifications in chair aerobics, SilverSneakers classes, personal trainer, and group fitness. The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America has a written and performance exam. Can earn $40-50 per hour. 

PLANNING FOR A SECOND ACT

- Think about what skills seems to come naturally to you. Review experiences in your career that you relished. What times were you the most happy?

- Be physically fit, spiritually fit, and financially fit.

- Have a six-month cushion of living expenses set aside for unexpected emergencies.

- Pay off outstanding high-interest credit card debts and any loans. 

- Set up a retirement plan if you will be doing your own business.

- Connect with The Transition Network (The Transition Network | Minneapolis/St. Paul). 

- Do something every day to work toward your goal.

- Look your best - be physically fit and look and dress with an eye toward a vibrant, youthful appearance. For interviews, invest in some new clothes, update your hairstyle, and find fashion-forward glasses, if needed. 

- Market your age as a plus - self-starter, know how to get the job done, and don't need as much handholding as those with less experience. Those over 50+ tend to have a good deal of knowledge and leadership ability. 

- Create multiple income streams at home to give income, variety of work, and flexible control of your time. 

- When interviewing, don't focus on what you did ten years ago. Stay focused on what you've done lately. 

- Take online courses through AARP Learn @50+ (aarptek.aarp.org), Coursera (coursera.org), CreativeLive (creativelive.com), and Khan Academy (khanacademy.org).

- Resume: keep it to two pages. Get rid of the objectives and summary. Get a new email address. Use an email address that includes your full name and gmail.com

- Employers want to see your most recent 10-15 years of experience.

- If you were out of the workforce for caregiving duties, you can sell that too. You were skill-building. You were a project manager, managing a team of other caregivers - from nurses to doctors and physical therapists. You were a researcher - tracking down the best doctors and medical care. 

- Resume red flags: college or high school graduation dates; outdated tech skills; unrelated jobs

- List your personal LinkedIn URL on your resume just below your email address on your resume. Also, add it to the bottom of your outgoing email too.

- Write a LinkedIn summary. 

- Find job postings on LinkedIn.

- Know your digital identity. Click on the top 10-20 links and read carefully. You're looking at what a prospective employer can see.

- Calculated posts on your accounts at Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest can craft a richer picture of you. 

- Post comments or articles, retweeting, or sharing on your social media sites to keep them current and relevant.

- Look at Indeed.com for job postings.

- Other websites to look at: nowcc.org retiredbrains.com  retirementjobs.com  

- Government websites to look at: government.org   govloop.com