For the Year of the Boomer — 2014 is the year the youngest Boomers turn 50 — here is another installment in my survey of 50 Boomers across 10 career categories who have reinvented themselves within the last 10 years.
Many of us are increasingly aware of the countdown clock as we hit our 50s and then our 60s. What once seemed like a future full of opportunity, and time to take advantage of it, is increasingly looking like a looming deadline, and we feel like we’d better get our act together before we run out of time.
Let’s be careful not to act precipitously, however. Lifestyle and career reinvention have to be the result of a measured and conscious evaluation process at our age. We’re not 30 any longer, where an impulsive idea and a resulting five-year jaunt into a new business still has a pretty soft landing at 35 if we don’t make it work.
In researching these profiles, I came across Susan and Stephen Ristau, who seem to have done a very good job of taking their reinvention slow and steady, and serve as an example to the rest of us for letting our reinvention evolve naturally and organically out of a set of renewed and/or defined values. The Ristau’s process is a text-book approach to career reinvention best practices, and can serve almost as a template for those of us looking to take the plunge, but not sure where to start.
First things first: some tough decisions. Like it or not, reinvention will require shaking things up, whether it means downsizing, simplifying our lives, or even moving. We need to be prepared to invest in (don’t think “sacrifice”) and commit to what starts off as an unknown future. In the winter of 2007, the Ristaus, whose kids were out of college, sold their home in Connecticut, got rid of stuff, put the rest in storage, and headed to Oregon, where a friend loaned them a simple cabin on Mount Hood to use as a sort of base camp for them to incubate their next move. Each of them had been successful (he in non-profit management; she in insurance), but they needed to manage their funds carefully with no immediate career prospects in sight. The next few months unfolded as a kind of meditation retreat, where the couple each engaged in personal visioning processes to spark ideas for where and how they could live happily, productively and meaningfully in their Third Act.
As reported on MarketWatch, Stephen said “We suddenly felt this great sense of freedom to choose to live differently. We both knew we needed to return to work. But we didn’t think we needed to earn what we did before. We were ready to take a bit of a risk.” As idyllic as their surroundings were, this was no vacation. Stephen used journaling and other writings (e.g. creating a personal mission statement) as a way of discovering what was exciting to him on the inside, and bringing forward ideas that he could use to find purposeful professional engagement. Susan took a less formal approach, but interacted with people she met in the local community, and allowed herself to consider new ideas that she had never before considered.
The result was dramatic on the outside, and has clearly been transformational on the inside. The Ristaus stayed in Oregon, finding a new home in Portland, with Stephen returning to the non-profit sector, where he works as a consultant to the non-profit sector, providing project consultation and training services to organizations. He also dedicates more time to volunteering and service work. Susan did a complete career pivot and discovered a passion for gardening, so she has now become certified as a “master gardener” and opened up a small landscaping business. To qualify for health benefits, she also works part time as a personal shopper for a local market. As expected, they’re making less money, but they’re also living more simply. What’s important to them is the freedom and flexibility of their lifestyles, the control they have over their days, and the way that the work they are doing is making a visible difference and touching the people they work for and with.
While the Ristaus clearly had the resources to figure out how they were going to achieve their reinvention, their story exemplifies the steps that all reinventions have to take in order to succeed. There is always a series of inner processes that need to take place — time that we need to spend contemplating this change, and working out the details of what it’s going to look like before actually embarking on the plan.
Earlier on Huff/Post50:
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Several larger corporations such as Starbucks, Target and Land’s End are able to offer even their part-time employees benefits such as health coverage and paid vacation time (head over to ABC for a full list).
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For those with an entrepreneurial spirit and computer know-how, the Internet offers opportunities to bring in some cash from home — at any hour of the day or night. Take Jose and Jill Ferrer, a retired couple profiled by AARP for supplementing a freewheeling retirement with their website, Your RV Lifestyle. By highlighting certain products related to RV living, the pair earns 0 a month, AARP reports. “And we know the potential is there to grow our website business further,” Jill Ferrer says. Other ideas: Etsy.com allows the crafty to turn a profit from their hobbies.
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Personal care and home health aid topped the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ list of the fastest growing occupations in America. The time commitment may vary (between 10 and 30 hours per week, according to SmartMoney), but the median annual wage is around ,000 for both occupations, according to the BLS.
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Bartending is not just for twentysomethings — and for social butterflies, this part-time gig offers opportunity to rake in extra cash, not to mention tips, with a minimal initial financial investment (a 40-hour certification course at the New York City Bartending School costs a little less than 0, for example).
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Age discrimination is less of a problem in government agencies, reports The Fiscal Times. In fact, agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Transportation Security Administration actively seek older workers. Visit USAJobs.gov to search for available positions.
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If you’ve got an artistic flair or an interest in theater, makeup artists can make up to an hour, and only work 20 hours a week on average, AOL Jobs reports. Disclaimer: qualifications may include formal training in cosmetology or theater, and a license is required to practice in several states.
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What better way to scratch that globetrotting itch? If you’re up for an on-the-go lifestyle, flight attendants also earn up to an hour, making it a very well-paid part-time job.
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The nonprofit sector can offer more than volunteer opportunities for retirees, and may be particularly appealing to those who “thought they wanted to change the world … [but] put that on the back burner for 20 or 30 years while they climbed the corporate ladder,” as Tamara Erickson, author of “Retire Retirement: Career Strategies for the Boomer Generation,” told The Wall Street Journal.
To get started, Idealist.org offers listings for available paid positions in addition to volunteer opportunities: applicants with years of experience under their belts are sure to be met with open arms. Even cooler, Encore.org offers paid Encore Fellowships to “match skilled, experienced professionals at the end of their midlife careers with social-purpose organizations” — while earning a small stipend for part- or full-time work, midlifers can get their foot in the door to a fulfilling retirement job.
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The pay may not be great, but if you’re an arts lover, a history buff or a sports enthusiast, the perks certainly are!
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“I studied hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy 3 years ago and now I have my own business, couldn’t be happier” — Huff/Post50 reader Lee Adley
It’s certainly a challenge, but as our amazing readers — and the many men and women featured on our page — can attest, going back to school and pursuing something totally different can be well worth the investment of time, money and energy.
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