Finding work after 60: Where do I begin?

Hello,


This is a blog about becoming 60 years of age and suddenly finding that you need to go back to work to survive financially. I will explore the options and possibilities open to those who, like myself, are soon turning 60 plus. How do I reinvent myself to become productive and successful at an age that used to be a time for making retirement plans? In the present economy, many 60 plusers find themselves, needing to either continue working or leave retirement and re-enter the work force. For those who have been in retirement for even as little as a few years, finding a job can become a mountainous task. The job market is not the same as it was when we first entered it. New terms, new job titles, new job descriptions make it hard to understand just where we could fit in. Then at 60, I wonder who would hire me over a 25 year old looking for the same job? There are so many aspects of this topic that need to be addressed. It is my hope that I can get to most of them.

This is a really depressing place to find myself in right now. I always thought that at this stage of my life, I would be reaping the fruits of my labors. No one told me that things were going to change like this. I am not a whiner, but I do realize that I have fewer options left open to me at this age, and I may need to do creative thinking to find new options. It is easy to forget that there are so many others out there with the same worries and fears that I have right now. My own situation seems so bleak that most days it is all I can focus on. But I bet there are a lot people out there, who are dealing with the same set of problems and issues as I am. If you are like me, you might also have to make impossible choices like whether to keep your home or your healthcare insurance. That is why I am starting this blog. I would appreciate any help, advice and stories from those in the same boat as I am in. Perhaps as we explore this together, we can find a way to make a place for us 60 Plusers in the current job market.

Finding a starting point is difficult. I have so many questions. Should I go back to college and get some new courses to make myself more current as an employee? I suppose, if I do decide to take some courses, I wonder what area of study would be most productive for me to focus on. If I do invest my time and money in further studies, will I become more valuable, or will my age hinder me? Perhaps I should start by trying to achieve a positive attitude. If I do not believe I would be an asset, then I will never be convincing at an interview. This is hard. After 40 successful years in the work force, I feel that I have to prove my worth all over again. So my first task is going to be to reorganize my thinking. A rebirth of sorts in the way I think is in order. I will begin to focus on the beginning of a new journey, instead mourning the loss of an old one. This idea of retirement is a luxury now...one I can not longer afford to entertain. It is a different world now, and if I can not change to meet the new challenges, then I will fail. I have to give up my preconceived ideas of life as I thought it would be and face the reality of what it has become.

I need to explore how I could use the experience, and talents I already possess, and utilize them in a different way. This part will require a lot of "out of the box" thinking. The job market may have changed, but I still can to find a way to use the training I already have. This will require reinventing me and finding new ways to market myself. I need to figure out where else I would be considered a valuable asset.

Once I have managed to reorganize my thoughts, and my image of myself. I suppose my next course of action should be to study the newest trends in the job market, the new terminology and definitions, to better understand what employers are looking for. There are new job titles out there that I am seeing, and I have no idea what they mean. There might be jobs I would qualify for, that I am passing up, because I don't recognize the job title. Also I am finding out that employers are expanding job descriptions to include increased duties and new areas of expertise. Many are even combining what used to be two separate positions into a single one. To be a successful candidate, I need to understand these new treads. One of the biggest changes for me is HOW to find a job, and HOW to pursue it. Job sites, such as Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com have changed how people look for and apply for jobs. I need to figure out how to stand out amongst so many others applying for the same job so I can at least get to the interview phase of applying for a job.
So I have plenty of work to do. As I proceed, I am sure I will become more organized in my process. Again, please leave your thoughts. Thanks for reading!

Leighlee