Roughly a third of today’s workforce is over the age of 50, and that means for many, retirement is just around the corner. As most people who have lived a while can attest, the years just go by faster and faster the older you get. If you’re around this age or older, it’s time to start thinking about what you want to do with your time when the day comes.
It’s easy to think, “I’m finally going to relax or travel to those places I’ve always wanted to go to,” and that’s all well and good, but relaxation can easily transition to boredom while traveling can quickly become very expensive. You might want to keep working in some capacity.
While certain industries such as retail or real estate tend to be go-to options for seniors looking for work post-retirement, it’s now easier than ever to find part-time work in a variety of fields thanks to technology. The Internet has made it possible to do a number of jobs on one’s own time (and in many cases from the comfort of one’s own home – an ideal situation for a senior who wants to work and earn some extra income, but is done commuting to and from a typical 9-to-5 position).
Below are some interesting post-retirement work options worth considering. These are all available thanks to (or at least enhanced by) technology and the Internet, which has revolutionized work in many ways.
Driving
Taxi and car services have been around for many, many years, but these days, a lot of people are making money driving for companies like Lyft and Uber, which utilize smartphone technology to pick up passengers and get them to their destinations. While you won’t be able to stay at home for them, these jobs allow you to work when you want and as much as you want. With built-in navigation, finding your way around is a breeze.
Life coaching
If there’s one thing all seniors have in common it’s life experience. Why not use that to your advantage to make some extra income in your post-retirement years? Technology has also made this easier than ever. The Internet can connect you with potential clients all over the world (not to mention lead those potential clients directly to you. Thanks to today’s video chat services such as Skype and the like, you can talk face to face with people for virtually no cost.
Putting your skills to work
If you’re good around the house (cleaning, fixing, or installing things), you might want to consider giving something like TaskRabbit a try. This is a website that matches things that people need done with people who can do them. Once again, you can work on your own time and do what you feel comfortable doing.
Writing
Maybe what you’re really more comfortable doing is sitting comfortably in your home and writing. If you have a way with words, there’s a great chance you’ll be able to find work as a freelance writer on the Internet. Do you have any idea how many websites there are on the World Wide Web these days? The answer is over a billion. Many of these are used by businesses who need content. The pay varies almost as greatly as the spectrum of potential topics, and plenty of businesses are willing to hire writers that don’t necessarily have degrees related to writing. If you can show that you can form coherent sentences and turn them into compelling stories, you should be able to find work in this field.
These are really just a few options for post-retirement work that you can do on your own time for some extra income, but they are great examples of ways technology has created new work opportunities that weren’t as plentiful just a few years ago. If you still have a few years before your retirement, chances are that there will be even more of these opportunities when the time comes.