Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy ... And Pays the Bills Paperback – September 25, 2012

When you are over 55 and have been unemployed for a long while, partly because of age discriminatory hiring practices (which are very difficult to prove), you find yourself with a lot of time not only to look for employment but to read, watch television and exercise. Apparently there is a real bias out there in TV land where an impression is given that ONLY 20-somethings have difficulty finding employment. Well, that is NOT the ONLY group that faces real challenges in this economy. Many of us in our 50's were told as young people that if we only received a good education, spent our time in the trenches acquiring work experience, and tried to work as hard as well as we could, we would be assured steady employment well into our 60s. Tragically we are finding that this is NOT the case. Our bubble has truly burst. This unique book is for this group of similarly aged people.As stated in the Introduction of this book "Not everyone wants to work simply for the pure love of it. Some of us NEED to keep working for the income. Others who have saved enough to retire and choose to work, just WANT to stay mentally engaged....Work gives us a sense of purpose, feeling connected and needed. It makes us feel relevant...Moreover it keeps our minds sharp. Researchers from the RAND Center for the Study of Aging and the University of Michigan published a study that cognitive performance levels decline faster in countries that have younger retirement ages."This book, as the author explains, is "the ultimate guide to great jobs, where to find them, pay ranges and qualifications needed....Each chapter provides short profiles of 50+ workers who have found a new stage of work life, sometimes in a new field, but many times by tweaking out what they have already been doing, pulling from their skills honed in a previous work life. In doing so, they transition into meaningful work as a consultant, a temporary worker or even an entrepeneur, finally breaking free to start a business." It is truly a guide to reinventing yourself in the 50s.My personal favorite chapters in Part I of this book were Chapter 3 Great Holiday Jobs (i.e. seasonal retail); Chapter 5 Great Work-at-Home Jobs (i.e. writer/editor, on-line tutor), Chapter 6 Great Jobs for Retired Teachers (i.e. adjunct professor, lecturer, marketing and survey researchers); Chapter 7 Great Non-profit Jobs (i.e. administrative assistant, volunteer manager) and Chapter 10 Great Jobs to Ride the Age Wave (i.le. nurses and social workers),In Part II particularly helpful were Chapter 12 Strategies for 50+ Job Hunters; Chapter 15 Great Job Interview Tips; Chapter 16 Why Part-Time or Contract Work is Worth It; Chapter 18 Volunteer Your Way to Work; Chapter 24 Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Career Change and Chapter 26 Couples and Career Harmony.As a more "mature-minded" unemployed professional, who has often been discouraged in her most recent job hunt, I particularly liked the Afterword where the author reassures us that "Finding a great job is within your power...great jobs come in different forms." She tells us that there are three major actions that will contribute to our success:"1. Pause and take the time to explore what you're good at;2. Do your homework; and3. Network."These are such helpful suggestions which the author goes into great detail in within this book. She even finishes the book with a section on Helpful Web Sites for 50+ Workers and Ideas for Further Reading. As you can see this book is rather comprehensive. It is obvious a lot of care, research and attention has been put into it. I would HIGHLY recommend it.

OK, half of this is pretty standard fair, when it come to things like "get in your RV and work seasonal jobs." and other such things for the retired. The second half of the book, which has more to do with attitude, interviews, and how the world has changed since you were mailing out resumes and recommendation letters 20 years ago, is much more useful.

As the host of the "Boomers Rock" radio talk show I am always looking for information to share with my listeners, books that I have read, articles that are helpful and ideas that can "Ignite Your Life", "Great Jobs for Everyone 50+, Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy...and Pays the Bills" is a gotta have, take my word for it!Kerry has written a book that every baby boomer, or for that matter anyone over 40 should have in their library. Very detailed, extremely easy to read, Kerry nailed it. And I read a lot of books!In her first ten chapters (part one) she covers ten different areas for people to learn about finding their next phase has over 90, yes I said 90 ideas. And that was just part one. From 15 part time ideas, 10 snowbirds ideas, 11 work at home ideas, 12 seasonal ideas, do you get the idea? That is just 4 of the ten, enough said, get the book.How to plan for a second career starts chapter 11, it is one of the most talked about subject on my talk show. I mean with anywhere from 79-84 million of us boomers a huge majority, I have read upwards of 70% are either financially not ready, or worried about their futures. Let me tell you, we have to work together, collaboratively, learning and sharing to make a difference in not only our own lives, but those of our children and grandchildren.Strategies are listed in chapter 12, so I think you catch the drift here, at least I hope you do.Typically I buy books in Kindle form and then if I find the book excellent enough I buy the hard copy, this one rates buying the hard copy.A note to bad reviewers, and I really hate going into negatives, but here I must speak. Remember the old saying, the one mom used to tell us all the time, "If you don't have anything good to say,,,,,," catch what I am saying. I certainly hope a couple of grumpy opinions do not sway someone from buying something that can help them in their quest for happiness and a productive "Encore Career" as Mark Freedman would say. That to me would be a shame.Great Jobs is GREAT!

I purchased this book because at the age of 50 I lost my teaching job when the small school I worked for closed. 18 months later I have not found a new teaching position so I thought I would read the book to see what careers they recommend. I was astonished to find that one of the career areas that is highly recommended for 50+ workers is education. I would love to know how they come to that conclusion when so many teachers are being laid off. Some of the advice in the book about resume writing and interview skills is helpful, but it did not really give me any clarity on what career area to move into now that my teaching career is over.

My opinion is that this book is filled with great ideas for those of us 50+ who want to continue working after a job loss, a layoff. It was time, long overdue, to leave my stressful job. The hour commute both ways took a toll on me and my car. After reading Great Jobs for Everyone 50+, I decided to pursue a job in dog walking and pet sitting. The dog walks are the exercise I've always needed and I commute 10 to 15 minutes from home. I would not have explored this option if not for this book.