Jump to content

Menu

S/O what careers can you start late in life?


Recommended Posts

I have this complex about being poor as we age. We are not doing much to change that as we have not saved for retirement and dh does contract work for the government, so he will not be eligible for retirement. :glare::001_unsure:

 

We watch my parents and dh's parents struggle in their older age, when they should be getting close to retirement, and their entire lives revolve around work. They can't visit the grandkids (yet they can buy an $800 faucet from France, but I digress...) because of "money." They can't dare miss a few days of work (really? In their 50's? I just find that sad)...I guess that's just life now.

 

I'm thinking about careers I can either work toward or develop my skills in to do after the kids get older, so that maybe we could build some semblance of retirement. I always wanted to be a nurse, but that isn't really something I want to do anymore. I would love to be a writer or do photography but those aren't guaranteed good money makers. I have always hated working for someone else on someone else's schedule so if I can avoid that, all the better.

 

Is there anything any of you are planning on starting as you get older that maybe you haven't worked in before?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D

 

I've thought about this also because I want to start a career when the kids are done homeschooling, but I don't want to enter a field where companies like to hire young adults right out of college (like the tech field).

 

So, I was trying to think of careers where age is an asset. So far I thought of:

 

- therapist (having wisdom being an advantage)

- college professor

- medical field

- school principal

 

Of course, all of these would require going back to school. But I'm hoping I could be working before age 50 and then hopefully retire at 65? That's still long enough to make it worth it, I think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well that would enable me to travel...

 

:lol::lol:

 

I worked with a lady who was divorced and worked full time, but as she could she took classes. At about age 60 she earned her Masters in social work and embarked on a new career.

 

My sister married at 26 after working a few years. She had an Associate's degree but stopped working till her good-for-nothing husband lost his job when her oldest was about 12 and her youngest about 5. Then she worked at rather dull clerical jobs for years - they were dull but they put food on the table, etc. Finally at age 60 she got a great job at a large university and is having a blast. She is also taking classes and hopes to get a BA one of these years.

 

Two women from a church I used to go to started taking classes when their kids were in high school (one homeschooled, one did not) and by about age 50 (they were young moms, unlike me ;) ) one had her nursing degree and one had her MSW; both started new lives.

 

Hope this gives you some encouragement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:lol::lol:

 

I worked with a lady who was divorced and worked full time, but as she could she took classes. At about age 60 she earned her Masters in social work and embarked on a new career.

 

My sister married at 26 after working a few years. She had an Associate's degree but stopped working till her good-for-nothing husband lost his job when her oldest was about 12 and her youngest about 5. Then she worked at rather dull clerical jobs for years - they were dull but they put food on the table, etc. Finally at age 60 she got a great job at a large university and is having a blast. She is also taking classes and hopes to get a BA one of these years.

 

Two women from a church I used to go to started taking classes when their kids were in high school (one homeschooled, one did not) and by about age 50 (they were young moms, unlike me ;) ) one had her nursing degree and one had her MSW; both started new lives.

 

Hope this gives you some encouragement.

 

Very encouraging!! Very!

 

And I like the idea of tutoring :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have an elementary and an early childhood education degree, so if I ever really need money, I would substitute teach or teach at a private school. I don't think I can handle a full time public school job.

 

I've taken up farming as my mid life crisis. It suits my personality, and is easy to combine with homeschooling. I wouldn't count on it for my retirement though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:lol::lol:

 

I worked with a lady who was divorced and worked full time, but as she could she took classes. At about age 60 she earned her Masters in social work and embarked on a new career.

 

My sister married at 26 after working a few years. She had an Associate's degree but stopped working till her good-for-nothing husband lost his job when her oldest was about 12 and her youngest about 5. Then she worked at rather dull clerical jobs for years - they were dull but they put food on the table, etc. Finally at age 60 she got a great job at a large university and is having a blast. She is also taking classes and hopes to get a BA one of these years.

 

Two women from a church I used to go to started taking classes when their kids were in high school (one homeschooled, one did not) and by about age 50 (they were young moms, unlike me ;) ) one had her nursing degree and one had her MSW; both started new lives.

 

Hope this gives you some encouragement.

 

wow, that is encouraging. I've been thinking about what to do with myself now that I've fully retired from hsing. I *was* a young mother but then had 6 kids.;) I'm not so young anymore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm almost 40. Finished with homeschooling now. Last year I started a Bowen Therapy (a kind of remedial massage) training course. The training involves a series of 3 hands-on workshops of 4 days each, and lots of case studies in the meantime. In this time I can't charge a fee. Probably by September this year I will be completely qualified, which will have been 10 months since beginning. Total outlay for training will have been about $3000. If I want Practitioner status after that, where I have a provider no. so that clients can claim back from their private health fund, it'll probably be a couple more week's training and maybe $2k more (they get you on this point!), but most physio/chiro/massage clients seem to be happy enough to pay, because it's precious little rebate anyway.

The going rate for Bowen Therapy is between $50 and $70 an hour session. I will use the lower rate, as I feel being newly qualified it's only fair. So if I do 10 sessions a week (10hrs) I can earn a reasonable amount of money that we can save/put away for retirement, or use on extras now. My dh is the main breadwinner, so there's not the pressure for me to earn our whole living!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dh is in his 50's and I'm getting close. Can dh afford to miss work? NO way! We still have two young children at home who won't graduate until we're well into our 60's. My dh is in a professional field that has frequent job losses and starting over each time and trying to save money has been tough. We don't have retirement savings and after his last job loss, we have a much lower income and no benefits at all. If your parents are only in their 50's, they probably do need to go to work everyday. OTOH, since there are so many older parents and people who need to continue working, I think there are many jobs that you can do when you're done homeschooling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't view people in their 50s as being retirement age.... but it'd be nice... Dh expects to retire in his mid-60s, close to when he is eligible for SS, to supplement our savings. We're doing okay with savings but need to increase it with my returning to work full-time in a couple of years. I plan to work full-time for around 15 years to ease retirement for both of us. But I would use a good bit of available time off to see family, I'm sorry your kids don't get to see much of your parents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My dh is 60 and is back in school retraining through an online program to become a pharmacy technician. It is a high demanding job that he feels will not only be more secure than any other job he's had, but also a good fit for his last working years. The thought of lower stress appeals to him because he has been in the military, high tech and then truck driving -- all high stress fields. (Plus, after a stroke last year he has no other choice but to retrain, and it has to be short-term.) I'm mentioning this now because I'd recommend this type of option for anyone that wants to develop a career after hs'ing. There are a number of medically related jobs that are in high demand and don't require a four year college degree.

 

Several years ago I started teaching art, the subject that was my major in college and something that I'm really passionate about. I eventually moved over to teaching at a private classical school in our area and found that I really love classroom teaching, and so I plan to do this for the next ten years or so before I am able to retire. Dd will go to the school for high school, and I'll be working more hours. This will be a big transition year for us as we prepare for that.

 

Dh and I will both be working past 65 yo, but we both feel we've got really good plans in place. God willing, we'll get our ducks in a row again before we apply for our pensions and finally have the opportunity to slow down.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was 42 when I started working in my field (speech-to-text transcription for hearing impaired persons, in an academic setting), a field that didn't exist until a few years ago. I plan to work as long as my ears can hear and my hands can type, and as long as the technology continues to fill the need. :001_smile: I can see me still doing this in 10-15 years, if not more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been teaching for almost 10 years, but now that I am a single mom I am just not able to support my family on what I make. I could make a little more if I switched to public schools, but all my friends there get pink slipped every single year and have to move around if/when they get rehired in the fall. The uncertainty scares me. Still, I need to make more.

 

I have been looking at becoming an RN. I could do it part time in about 3 years, and after the first semester or so should be able to pass the CNA test to get a part time job on the weekends and/or duing the summer when school is off. When I have the RN program completed, I can continue teaching until I find the RN job that fits my needs. I know nurses who work 3-12 hour shifts, mainly at night, and could spend more time with my kids... and maybe even HOMESCHOOL!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A friend was very excited about courtroom stenography (transcription?) lately. Apparently it's a relatively quick training turn around for a well-paid, in-demand job. I havent researched it, but you may want to look into it.

 

 

Really? That's in my field (well, a related field) and I've been under the impression it was a couple years of expensive training. That's based on hearing/reading comparisons of what I do and CART reporting (and also me asking the main contact at one of the companies I work for). I could be wrong, though, and yes it DOES pay well. This one company that I work for pays their CART reporters $70-90/hour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really? That's in my field (well, a related field) and I've been under the impression it was a couple years of expensive training. That's based on hearing/reading comparisons of what I do and CART reporting (and also me asking the main contact at one of the companies I work for). I could be wrong, though, and yes it DOES pay well. This one company that I work for pays their CART reporters $70-90/hour.

 

A couple years investment to earn ~$80/hour seems like a very good bet to me. There are jobs with quicker training courses (someone mentioned pharm tech) but not much that gives this return on the investment. At that salary, is the training really expensive? Compared to a teacher's salary after paying for a 4-year degree?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple years investment to earn ~$80/hour seems like a very good bet to me. There are jobs with quicker training courses (someone mentioned pharm tech) but not much that gives this return on the investment. At that salary, is the training really expensive? Compared to a teacher's salary after paying for a 4-year degree?

 

Another good option is radiology, as well as dental hygenist or assistant. Relatively short training with lots of job openings and good pay with benefits.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A couple years investment to earn ~$80/hour seems like a very good bet to me. There are jobs with quicker training courses (someone mentioned pharm tech) but not much that gives this return on the investment. At that salary, is the training really expensive? Compared to a teacher's salary after paying for a 4-year degree?

 

You're right about the pay, and yes I've heard the training compared to a college degree, maybe an 2-year AA. Can't remember! My training was $400 and six weeks, and I make $25-$60/hour, so that worked better in our situation. Oh, and from what I understand the demand for CART will be going down over the long term (technology is headed toward replacing it because it's word-for-word and voice recognition software is getting closer to being able to do it well), whereas the demand for meaning-for-meaning transcribing will remain steady or go up (technology so far can't match it because it involves a lot of human interaction/decision-making). I asked my boss recently if someone should go into CART or meaning-for-meaning if they are at the beginning of the process and he said definitely meaning-for-meaning. That said, I'm talking about working in the educational/academic sphere, not in the courts. It sounds like it could be different there and I don't doubt that this may be what your friend has heard.

Edited by milovaný
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem I have found with radiology and nursing is even just getting into the schools. In bigger cities they often have lotteries with thousands of applicants and only 25-35 or so are randomly picked each semester. You have to keep applying and hope at some point you will be chosen, ready to drop everything when/if you are. You also have to be fresh out of your pre-reqs with a perfect GPA. There is a ton of competitiveness, and then the schooling requires you to be there any hour they choose to assign you to for clinic hours and classes (no picking the classes that work best for your schedule).

 

There aren't even any radiology programs anywhere near where I live, I have thought about being an ultrasound tech, those pay well. But there are no schools nearby and the schools for that are extremely competitive as well.

 

I just don't see how anyone over 18-25 makes these things work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My local junior college has night classes for nursing. I am going to talk to someone about starting the prerequisites in the spring. That will give me enough time to save money to pay for the program, estimated to cost just over $8000 over 3 or 4 years.

 

I figure I can use my sick days for any observation hours than can't be done on the weekends or during vacations. I am hoping my principal will understand what I am trying to do and help with some scheduling.

 

I agree, though, that once you are older and having family obligations, going back to school can be tricky. But, I have seen enough people do it to know I can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My local junior college has night classes for nursing.

 

You're in L.A. and this is a non-competitive program? That is surprising. I was convinced that big city programs were all but impossible to get into. I know when we lived in San Diego (and in Sacramento where my parents live) it can be a 3-4 year wait.

 

We have no part-time or evening schools where I live. That would make things easier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know many older women who've been hired as Montessori teachers. They're always women who have finished raising their kids. Whether they have a degree or not, they take the Montessori course and ECE units (if they don't already have them). This is for pre-school classrooms. The classes are not overwhelming (at least not around here in So Cal).

 

I love the idea of going back to the little ones when I'm done homeschooling high schoolers. :001_smile:

Edited by helena
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've thought about a career in financial counselling. But not one that sells investments and such, which I really don't think would pay much though, I'm not sure how that works. I was listening to Dave Ramsey yesterday and he was advertising his training program. I had thought before about a doula or childbirth classes. I don't know if there is a demand for either in our area.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've thought about many things, including going back to school, tutoring, working in a school or library, and volunteering. One thing I've thought about lately is being a "helper" to the homebound. There are companies here that hire people to run errands, do light housekeeping, and provide transportation to doctors appointments for the elderly.

 

The real truth is that I plan to take life as it comes and wait to see what shows up for me....unless we get in dire straits. Then I will do whatever I can to help out. I don't feel a great ambition, even though we are just barely comfortable right now.

Edited by Onceuponatime
Link to comment
Share on other sites

With a general knowledge of personal computers and basic current software, one can work for a help desk at a company, a school, even a software company. No formal degree required, just decent people skills and decent computer knowledge (usually not verified by much more than a basic test during interviews).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was 52 I got my real estate license. Wish I'd done it while still homeschooling the guys. I love meeting people and helping them market their homes or find a new place. You don't need a degree, only a few weeks of classes and the ability to keep on learning.

 

the hardest part of the job is making sure you have a strong steady stream of clients.

 

The market is beginning to recover....hopefully it will be a good career for the next decade or more of my life.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem I have found with radiology and nursing is even just getting into the schools. In bigger cities they often have lotteries with thousands of applicants and only 25-35 or so are randomly picked each semester. You have to keep applying and hope at some point you will be chosen, ready to drop everything when/if you are. You also have to be fresh out of your pre-reqs with a perfect GPA. There is a ton of competitiveness, and then the schooling requires you to be there any hour they choose to assign you to for clinic hours and classes (no picking the classes that work best for your schedule).

 

:iagree:We live near an "average" state school. The nursing program is highly competitive, with around 25% of qualified applicants getting accepted.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...