Retire to a Second Career
April 4, 2010 by MJP
Filed under Careers/Jobs
Different circumstances and goals motivate baby boomers toward different types of “retirements.” Some have just had it with work, period. Others are OK with what they do for a living but are looking to gradually “phase out” of a full-time career. Still others are dissatisfied with a long-time job or career and want to try something different. These I will call the “I want a second career for my retirement” folks.
A pair of researchers at Northeastern University have recently published a report “After the Recovery: Help Needed.” According to their analysis of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census Bureau, 7 million new jobs will be added to the social sector between now and 2018. More significant, they believe that 5.9 million of these new jobs will be well suited for older workers, like us.
Here is the list of the predicted fastest growing job categories for older workers.
| Career | Projected job growth 2008-2018
(in thousands) |
| Primary, secondary, and special education teachers | 647.3 |
| Registered nurses | 581.5 |
| Home health aides | 460.9 |
| Personal and home care aides | 375.8 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants | 276 |
| Medical assistants | 163.9 |
| Licensed practical and vocational nurses | 155.6 |
| Business operations specialists | 147.2 |
| General and operations managers | 143.2 |
| Child care workers | 142.1 |
| Teacher assistants | 134.9 |
| Receptionists and information clerks | 132.7 |
| Medical and health service managers | 100.8 |
| Clergy | 85.1 |
| Social and human service assistants | 79.4 |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners | 78.6 |
| Educational, vocational, and school counselors | 73.3 |
| Computer support specialists | 64 |
| Office clerks | 60.8 |
| Managers | 57.6 |
| Social and community service managers | 57 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | 56.4 |
| Accountants and auditors | 55.6 |
| Rehabilitation counselors | 54.2 |
| Medical and public health social workers | 53.9 |
| Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks | 52.3 |
| Administrative services managers | 52.2 |
| Lawyers | 52.0 |
| Computer systems analysts | 50.1 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists | 49.1 |
Note that a lot of these jobs are in a social sector where “giving back” is part of the job description. These are the kinds of second career or transition jobs that many baby boomers seem interested in.
On a related topic, U.S. News and World Report recently published list of ten places that have favorable conditions for starting a second career in retirement:
- Ames, Iowa
- Harrisonburg, Va.
- Lincoln, Neb.
- Lubbock, Texas
- Madison, Wis.
- Manhattan, Kan.
- Oklahoma City, Okla.
- Richland, Wash.
- Rochester, Minn.
- State College, Pa.
I don’t have much commentary on this list except to note that it is heavy on college towns, which makes sense for pursuing many second careers. Universities generally have excellent reputations for supporting older workers. State capitals (e.g, Lincoln, Nebraska and Madison, Wisconsin) offer state jobs which include many in the social sector.
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