When we formally retire from our professional careers and begin living out our “golden years,” sometimes we find that we aren’t quite ready to completely stop working.
For the lucky ones among us, at some point we find a job or a career that is or becomes our passion, and enables us to feel like each day is an adventure and a gift, not just a slog through the hours of the day just for a paycheck every two weeks.
Giving that feeling up, even if it means getting to do things we are also passionate about, like travel, reading, and spending more time with family, can be difficult, and for many, it can be downright unpleasant and unwanted.
Thus, many senior citizens choose to continue working part-time or working for themselves in some capacity after they step down from full-time positions. Before going on, please be advised that if you continue to work in any capacity after filing to receive your Social Security retirement benefits, you may be penalized by the government based on how much income you are earning.
As the government’s thresholds for earnings based on your present age vary and change from year to year, consulting with an accountant or visiting the Social Security website (http://www.ssa.gov), is a very good idea before accepting a job or starting your own business.
With that said, let’s talk about working part-time. This can be done for the very company you just retired from, in roles such as consultant or advisor, or even done remotely, meaning you use your home computer to access the company’s network, and work a limited number of hours in a similar capacity to your previous full-time role.
If you want to branch out into other industries than what your career entailed, there are always seasonal and part-time positions available in stores and companies all over most Alabama cities. Among the bigger retailers, Walmart has long been a leader in hiring senior citizens, often as greeters and checkers.
If working for someone else has lost its appeal to you (it did to me at age 39, when I started my own editorial services company!), going into business for yourself has never been more accessible than in the current digital technology revolution our country is experiencing.
With a personal computer, a sellable commodity or skill, and a few tips and tricks on the Internet, you can market yourself or your product to literally millions of customers. Don’t believe me? My dad retired at age 50 and has spent the last 17 years running an eBay business from his home office. He visits garage sales and estate sales a few times a week, buys items of value, lists them on eBay and sells them for healthy profits. In the first few years of this business, he came across a Texas Christian University college yearbook signed by football legend Davey O’Brien, and a rare rotary telephone from the 1950s that sold the next week online for more than $5,000.
If you like to make things like clothing, knickknacks, jewelry, or crafts, then the website Etsy should be your first stop when considering an online business. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can set up a store front, take pictures of your items for sale, and find customers of all sorts with keywords such as “baby clothes”, “religious artwork”, etc. You can include the cost of shipping in your price, and customers can pay you safely and securely over a host of online sites, the most prevalent of which is Paypal.
If you have a skill that is in demand, that is also a great way to start a business on your own. Proofreading, graphic design, computer programming, marketing, customer service, and more are all services that are in constant demand from a host of businesses large and small spanning the entire world. Freelance markets like Upwork have sprung up and become a hub for clients and contractors to meet and do business together, often without exchanging anything more than a set of emails or instant messages. In three years as a freelance editor and writer, I’ve worked with more than 200 clients spanning six continents, and have never had more fun working in my entire life.
Learn more living at the Conservatory At Champion Forest. Contact us today at 832.400.6650 to learn about our senior living community in Texas. Find out about our programs, amenities, and room availability now.
