I’m 50 and need to get a job. What should I do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Just want to give my sincerest thanks for all the supportive responses. I honestly was prepared to be bashed and shamed because I’ve been out of work for so long and have no security at all at age 50! Thank you for being kind! 🙏

We're rooting for you, OP. Becoming a teacher for a public school system is by far the best thing I've seen listed here in terms of salary and benefits. You already have the degree and just need the certification. Plus there's a nationwide teacher shortage so you're almost guaranteed to get a job. Look into it now.

[Anonymous]

FCPS has a lot of open positions right now and due to the teacher shortage you can be hired as a teacher resident, which means you would actually start as a full-time teacher, be mentored over the course of the year and have to commit to getting your teacher licensing requirements in 3 years if you wanted to stay on.

https://www.fcps.edu/careers/career-opportunities/current-job-openings

Teacher resident program:
https://www.fcps.edu/teacher

You'll eventually need to do some graduate work, but you can get a full-time job with benefits for at least a year to figure out if it appeals to you.

If teaching is not your thing,
I would agree with other people to look for temp situations also--or a general contracting agency. It's a great way to try things out, build a resume, make connections while you are also earning money.

[Anonymous]

OP, I hired someone very similar to you to help part time in my small business. I'm also a single parent and feel people need to give each other a leg up whenever possible. The woman I hired cleaned up all my books, took classes in basic accounting and figured out a user-friendly payroll system. She helped create a new proposal template, was pleasant on the phone, and helped schedule the frontline employees' routes.

She was so good that when she polished her skills she found a full time position with great benefits. While sad to see her go, she did help train her replacement - another parent wanting school hours employment.

All things are possible, OP and I wish you the best in your search. You got this.

[Anonymous]

A lot of preschools are always hiring.
Can work your way up to 4/5 year olds. Pay can go upto $18-$20 per hour for 40 hour week.

[Anonymous]

I was 40+ and needed a job and became an ESOL tester for a school district to begin with. It’s great work with kids 1:1 and no “homework”. Once I got the foot in the door I started picking up TA positions too (floating between schools due to funding). Not a ton of money but I make do between child support, my salary, and public assistance (yes I still qualify for some of the benefits).

[Anonymous]

Since you are 50 you can't be too picky. You just need to get a job now and start building your social security. You just need to make 6,560 per year for 10 years to qualify. Also social security tends to favor the people that contributed the least. In few years year you can get your dream job.

[Anonymous]

Search the internet and modernize your resume, remove the dates for your degree, include unpaid experiences and volunteer work. Take free online courses to refresh your skills, list certificates from these classes on your resume. Try applying for lower level Federal government jobs. Great benefits and advancement opportunities. I was in a similar position due to divorce, I was hired by the Fed and advanced pretty quickly, now make six figures. You can do this.

[Anonymous]

I got a special ed para job at 50. Great benefits, retirement, health insurance, holidays, about 12 weeks off per year including summer and winter and spring breaks. I had a degree so started at step 8 of the pay scale. I retired 16 years later at the top of pay scale, just under $50K. Not a lot of money but it worked for me and I'm living on my pension and SS. To be successful as a para you have to be good at it, but you will find that out pretty quickly. I could have easily transitioned into teaching but decided against it, choosing quality of life instead. I loved the job, didn't always love the hassles inherent in working in a school division, miss the kids but not the physical and mental exhaustion at the end of the day which got harder to handle as I got older. As others have said, it would probably be easy right now to use a para job as a stepping stone to a teaching job and make a bit more money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Just want to give my sincerest thanks for all the supportive responses. I honestly was prepared to be bashed and shamed because I’ve been out of work for so long and have no security at all at age 50! Thank you for being kind! 🙏

We're rooting for you, OP. Becoming a teacher for a public school system is by far the best thing I've seen listed here in terms of salary and benefits. You already have the degree and just need the certification. Plus there's a nationwide teacher shortage so you're almost guaranteed to get a job. Look into it now.

OP,
One word of caution about teaching: there’s a reason for the teaching shortage. The job is brutal. Yes, there are openings and you will definitely get hired. Just go in with realistic expectations and be prepared to work 60 hour weeks as you get your feet under you.

I switched to teaching from another career. (Look for resident teacher programs.) I cried daily on the way home my first year, but I feel like I can handle anything now. If you can effectively manage 140 teenagers, you can face anything the world throws at you.

[Anonymous]

If you are at all comfortable with numbers, I would look into bookkeeping or accounting courses, and take some free Excel courses. You don't have to go full CPA, but basic bookkeeping is not difficult and every company/industry needs it. You will have no problem getting work with a temp agency, and many jobs are remote now. It is not demanding physically, so as long as you are mentally sharp, you can do this for as long as you need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Just want to give my sincerest thanks for all the supportive responses. I honestly was prepared to be bashed and shamed because I’ve been out of work for so long and have no security at all at age 50! Thank you for being kind! 🙏

No bashing! I also took a long break, though I had freelance work throughout that helped me get back in.

I do like the idea of teaching for you. My other idea is to get an administrative or data-entry type of job in a lucrative industry ... a law firm, finance, pharma. Those industries pay well enough that even an entry-level job should pay decently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in your similar shoes OP, out of work for 15 years, so hang in there. I'm dealing with the same thing, wish we could have a support group.

You should start one.

[Anonymous]

I second the preschool option. They always need subs, aides and administrators. I would check with private schools as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Search the internet and modernize your resume, remove the dates for your degree, include unpaid experiences and volunteer work. Take free online courses to refresh your skills, list certificates from these classes on your resume. Try applying for lower level Federal government jobs. Great benefits and advancement opportunities. I was in a similar position due to divorce, I was hired by the Fed and advanced pretty quickly, now make six figures. You can do this.

What are these lower level Fed jobs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Search the internet and modernize your resume, remove the dates for your degree, include unpaid experiences and volunteer work. Take free online courses to refresh your skills, list certificates from these classes on your resume. Try applying for lower level Federal government jobs. Great benefits and advancement opportunities. I was in a similar position due to divorce, I was hired by the Fed and advanced pretty quickly, now make six figures. You can do this.

Not OP, but I wanted to compliment your encouraging and thoughtful response. As a non Fed, what exactly does lower level mean, especially with regard to quick advancement possibilities?