COVID-19 has undoubtedly given us all a lot of food for thought.  Many people have started questioning their long-term work situation and are dreading the possibility of going back to a rigid 9 to 5 schedule along with a lengthy commute.  In fact, one of the few positive side-effects of the pandemic may have been the opportunity for us all to slow down, spend more time with our family, and have a more flexible work and life balance.   If you find yourself in this situation, you may want to think about jobs that offer more flexible hours and allow you to work from home permanently.  And for those over 50, there are jobs out there that are perfect for people who have life experience and are looking for flexibility.  FirstLantic has put together some ideas that you might want to consider if you find yourself starting to think about a change.

Personal Coach

 

The good thing about aging is that you have already experienced the many ups and downs of life and work and have gotten through those trials.  Why not take that experience and help someone else who is finding themselves challenged?  It could be helping someone with their physical fitness or giving career advice, or it could even be helping a working mom find a way to balance her career and home life.  Think about things that you are good at and use it as an opportunity to help someone else improve their life by learning from you.

Professional Services

 

Were you an accountant or in human resources in your previous life?  Maybe you were the official organizer and took care of all the administrative duties?  The fact is that many small businesses require people with professional experiences such as marketing, bookkeeping, HR, or admin, but they often don’t need that person full-time.  This gives you the option of working with many types of businesses on your terms.  You can decide whether you want to have just a few clients or keep your dance card full all day.  Either way, you have valuable skills that other people need.

 

Social selling or direct sales

 

Brick and mortar retail has been struggling for a while, and COVID certainly hasn’t helped.  However, that means more opportunities to use your professional and personal network to sell products directly.  Whether you have a passion for beauty and fashion or are a gourmand who loves specialty food and wine, there are companies that are looking for people to help them sell products.  The company provides the packaging, accounting support, and marketing, and you supply the sales and business savvy as if it were your own business.  The start-up costs are usually minimal, and there is lots of flexibility, so you can even start while you are employed elsewhere.

Tutoring

 

If you were a teacher or are a math, history, or geography buff, why not use your expertise to tutor students struggling with a particular subject or those that are in the process of preparing for college qualification exams.   And while tutoring was mostly done in person in the past, many tutoring sessions now happen using video conferencing tools like Zoom.  There are also online teaching opportunities working for private or public schools or universities.  And companies like Lynda.com offer business professionals courses on everything from how to learn software development to learning the ins and outs of social media.  So, regardless of your specialty, there are many ways to turn that into a teaching job.

 

Pet-sitter/dog walker

 

Animals have become an essential part of our family, and many people have anxiety about who they can trust to take good care of their pets when they travel.  Or they may not have enough time to make sure their dog gets enough exercise even when they are not out of town.  So, if you are an animal lover, why not use your free time to meet and take care of some new furry friends?  You can find your clients through referrals, or you can start out working for a service like http://rover.com/.

Home health care aid or companion

 

If you enjoy helping people, you might want to consider a job as a home health aide.  Home aides perform services like light housekeeping, cooking, transportation, medication management, or providing companionship to a lonely senior.   You can work flexible hours and meet some amazing people in the process.

 

So, while you may want a more flexible schedule, you aren’t ready to stay home all day and watch soaps either.  Nearly a quarter of all people say that they never plan to stop working, and one in five people over 65 were still working or actively looking for work.  That said, most people also want a balance, especially as they get older.  They don’t want to choose between a job that keeps them active and intellectually stimulated or working 80 hours a week.  Fortunately, the jobs that FirstLantic has described in this blog give you the best of both worlds.

 

Additional Resources:

 

Jobs in demand now

 

Ideas for starting a new career now

 

If you or someone you know is looking for home healthcare in South Florida, please contact us at 954-807-1798 or go to our website.