โWhat weโve done with these longer lives is to basically make them fit into our existing life-course ideas, so ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ ๐จ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐.โ
Thatโs a quote from Laura Carstensen in a recent Q&A in The Wall Street Journal that brilliantly captures the present situation for older adults.
โphysically, financially, or mentally.โ
If prepared physically and mentally, why retire from contributing in financially rewarding ways?
For most, retirement is the beginning of the end, it has that mental effect, while those who go on because they like what they do,โฆ
Well idk that I agree with her, that sounds like some sort of pithy epigram, perhaps she did not mean it that way. I think we need to redefine โold ageโ or maybe even do away with the concept. I am just a person living my life who has accumulated past experience, whose body is no longer in the โyouthfulโ state, who is content to keep working and contributing and doing my own thing. I decline to be put into some category called โold ageโ because I have achieved someone elseโs preconceived notion of what makes a person old. My 97 year old stepmom still does line dancing 3x a week, is that โold ageโ? No, it is living your life with some accumulated years behind you and some wrinkles.
Iโve โretiedโ twice, first time I was 43 (1999), second time I was 63 (2019). Didnโt like it either time.
The second time I had been working (4 years) for an interesting company and it was not working out. So I started looking for other work. After sending out over 300 resumes and doing 8 interviews, I found that no one was interested in hiring a 60+ year old for anything interesting.
Sure I could get a school bus driver job, cross walk person, Walmart greeter, etc but I have zero interest in that
My only option was to start another business and employ myself, yet againโฆ
As someone who has done a fair bit of hiring and firing, hiring people close to or in โretirementโ is very risky for an employer. Especially if itโs a critical position that requires continuity over a 5 to 10 year period.
I have done this bad thing myself and put resumes of older people in the C pile. I do 3 piles, A, B and C, C is the circular file holder.
People over 60 are seen as a hire risk for most interesting jobs. Low level โwho caresโ type jobs are easier to get for people in that age bracket.
Although I do have 2 โpart timeโ jobs on top of the business but only because itโs with a friend of over 30 years who needed someone with specific expertise and I just happened to be available
Long story short, for older people with high skill levels, your network of friends and associates is one of the best sources for meaningful work as we age orโฆ start a business
That is what I mean by being mentally prepared! I have never send out a single resume ever, and I surely will not start now as I am old. You prepare mentally, and then do what needs be done, knocking at the necessary doors. Sending out hundreds of resumes means not having prepared mentally.