The baby boomer generation is generally said to begin in 1946 and as such, the earliest members of that generation are beginning to retire. But whether it’s for financial reasons or for the many other joys that fulfilling employment can provide, baby boomers are coming out of retirement and into second careers. And while needing to have work during retirement is hardly a new trend, from needing the money or just needing to stay busy, the baby boomer generation has truly taken what could be just work in retirement and turned it into the art of embarking on life’s second careers.
Here are five career paths that are excellent the second time around.
1. Teaching
The stereotype tends to have the person leading the class as on the younger side of middle aged. But there are distinct advantages to having teachers who have already raised children, rather than ones who go from a classroom to a house filled with children. And while it is certainly hard work, the many rewards that come from educating the newest generations of children hardly need to be enumerated.
2. Non-Profits
Many boomers made the choice to enter into the corporate world for the purposes of economic security and stability. But with that achieved, many are choosing to use business skills they’ve gained not just through education but in experience in order to support those projects for which they feel most strongly with their hearts. And because of lucrative careers the first time around, they don’t have to be so concerned with the lower pay checks that non-profits often provide.
3. Consulting
With literally an entire lifetime’s worth of career goals met, many boomers have a plethora of experience, that is either industry specific, borne of having to employ various skills to meet a variety of challenges, or both. Savvy companies know the value of that experience, and are willing to pay good money to use it to their advantage. This is an excellent choice for people who want the flexibility of a freelance career in their second career.
4. Healthcare
As one of the fastest growing industries, this is the choice to make for people choosing second careers based on job security. The need for people in this field is acute and growing every day. And while people who have had unrelated careers will definitely require some training before beginning this option, they face the joys of directly helping the people they work with each day in exchange for some additional schooling to become health aides and nurses.
5. Technology
So often, the employees regarded as the best with the newest, most cutting edge technology are portrayed as the youngest members of the workforce. But for our generation, having to adopt and embrace completely new forms of technology have happened several times already in our lifetime. For many, this has led to a special proficiency in quickly learning how to use the newest technologies to the best advantage, one which the youngest users, who while fluent in contemporary technology, have never faced the daunting task of repeatedly having to learn an entirely foreign technology.
