Employment Reinvention

My 50 and 60-something friends are hitting the books again. Yep, it's back to school for many as a way of reinventing their careers and in the process, their bank accounts too.  Times are that tough!  Many fear they will lose their jobs soon or aren't feeling the love from their much younger bosses. Others, sadly, are a paycheck or two away from -- gawd forbid--moving in with their kids.  In short, they each need a new gig!

I am impressed, dazzled actually, at the way in which so many of my gal pals are tackling their employment reinvention.  They're not freaking out or feeling sorry for themselves.  These ladies are too young for social security and too old to be comfortable with no job security so they are taking the bull by the horns in search of their next paycheck.

Gina (62) is training to be a traffic school instructor.  Karla (51) is promoting her services via Craig's List as a personal assistant. Shelly (56) is offering her parenting experience two nights a week as a baby sitter at a swank Beverly Hills hotel.  And Kathy (53) is getting her MBA with an eye on a management job in Europe with the perks of travel.

Each woman is completely out of her comfort zone but love the experience.  Well. "love" might be a strong word but they are energized by the process.  Their stock portfolios may be down but these ladies are not out!  They all say they are "buying time" for the economic stimulus to bounce back and the benefits of Medicare to kick in.  But along the way, they are learning new tricks and feeling confident about their future job prospects. They say that "getting out there again" even makes them feel younger!

Are you reinventing your career?

Welcome to TheFiftyFactor.com  -  Joanna