Consider this: How many other workers can do what you do? Where are the jobs? What jobs are appropriate for older Americans? For example where are workers over 65 employed?
According to the BLS 17% are in blue collar jobs, 36% are management/professional, 17% are in service industires, 15% are in sales, 14% are in office/adminstrative jobs, and 1% are in farming/fishing/forestry.
Many of these jobs require skills you must acquire.
- Health care
- Home health aides
- Medical record keepers
- Social service workers
- Care givers
- Teaching
- Counseling
- Dental assistants
- Medical assistants
- Ophthalmic laboratory technicians
- Ophthalmic medical assistants
- Occupational therapy assistants
- Physician assistants
- Pediatric assistants
- Physical therapy assistants
- Emergency medical technicians
- Veterinary assistants & handlers
- Executives & managers (project assignments)
- Consultants
- Accountants (some areas like cost accounting)
- Call center, help desk & customer service
- Inside sales/telemarketing
- Bookkeepers
- School bus drivers
- Corrections workers
- Guards/security
- Cashiers
- Hotel/hospitality jobs like front desk & concierge
- Fast food and restaurant help (short order cooks, bartenders)
- Government (check this link for federal job openings) The offical government site.www.usajobs.gov/
McDonald's is always hiring somewhere. If you are able to stand for an entire shift check out
Starbucks hires Baristas in locations throughout the U.S. Check out
Check out the U.S. Government's information on where the jobs are and jobs in government
It has been reported that 35 federal agencies will be hiring 270,000 Americans
Medical and Public Health 54,113 projected hires
Security & Protection 52,077 projected hires
Compliance & Enforcement 32,076 projected hires
Legal 23,596 projected hires
Administrative/Program Management 17,287 projected hires
Sure there are all kinds of opportunities for pharmacists, nurses, chemists and researchers, but at this stage of your life these may not be legitimate alternatives. The above list of jobs are particularly appropriate for older workers. These are areas where there is the greatest need and thus the greatest opportunity.
So you should consider retraining yourself for many of these jobs. Going back to school can be a challenge for older Americans and can be a great experience for others, but in many cases it is a necessary step to differentiate yourself from the tens of thousands of other older workers that all have the same skills and experience that you have.
Click here for information on continuing your education. Take a class at the local community college or take a free course online -- universities that offer online courses at no charge include Berkeley University of California, Carnegie Mellon University. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University.
For a partial list of colleges and universities that allow auditing of classes go to http://www.google.com and enter “audit classes” in the advanced search box.