Thanks for an inspiring article to begin the week! Loved all the different paths taken!
I am reading the Washington Post article now. I just got my MSW and I will be 71 later this week. Now let’s see if anyone gives me a job.
I’m over 50 and just changed jobs but it’s still a pressure environment. However, I’ve learned over the years how to manage that. Nobody’s going to die if they don’t get their contract out today.
I did downsize and it’s been good and bad. I love having less to manage but I realized I shouldn’t have gone quite this small, since I’ll still have kids around, at least for holidays and extended breaks, and the family gatherings are usually at my place. I still have a way to go before retirement but I’m starting to see it on the horizon and I’m looking forward to it.
I changed jobs about four months ago after nearly 20 years at my former employer. I’m in my late 50s. There were many trade offs: New job is much less stressful and busy, a more financially stable organization, and has much better benefits, especially for retirement. It is also more boring, has a more difficult commute, and I’m among only a handful of older employees. I had not been looking for long, and the interview for this job was the only one I had after applying for eight jobs.
It’s not financially feasible for me to retire until I’m 67, so I may be back in the job market at some point, but the learning curve for this job (subject matter and assorted apps and computer programs with bizarre names like Glip, rather than the actual mechanics of doing the job) has been steep, so I’ll likely stay for a while.
Great perspectives. Any methods that can be used to walk through the different options? I’m using pros/cons, but am curious if there’re any other decision making tools that could be used.
Your gut.
I am also changing jobs at 59 - my first day is tomorrow.
It was very, very difficult to find a new one, but I’m sure much depends on one’s resume, profession, etc.
@sabaray Thanks for that article! I usually can’t read Washington Post articles. Wasn’t that doctor amazing? Loses husband to suicide, 4 kids, goes to med school at age 50? I found her story by far the most impressive.
As for me… 
My last job ended when I was 53 and I didn’t even try to get another job. So during the past 13 years I have dabbled in many fun things (more like hobbies than 2nd careers) and do lots of volunteer work.
@NJres , that’s interesting. I don’t mean to pry, but how did you take care of medical, mortgage and the other mundane expenses that enslave us?
@GtrLtr We had a lot of equity in our home in NJ.I told my wife if we stayed in place we would be bankrupt in 3 years. Sold that house and moved to NC. Bought a house with no mortgage.College money for 2 sons was already put aside. We had savings, but probably not as much as people think you need to live on without working. For the first year we had COBRA - which I hung onto out of fear. It was expensive. I was very pleasantly surprised when we finally went to the private market in 2009 there were reasonable policies available; under $1000/mo which was my personal point of pain.I think deductible was $2500 back then, but doctor visits were subject to copay and I had things like Mohs surgery (maybe $5000 worth) where I paid a $35 copay only. The deductible only came into play for a hospital stay, which we avoided. When our premium went up to $1000 we increased deductible and copay and that dropped the monthly premium again.Then along came the ACA, and we were eligible for subsidies. After 2 years of going for the “best” plan and paying small subsidized premiums we figured out that the best deal was the lower level plan with a fully subsidized premium.Now we are both on Medicare and we provide financial support to a local free clinic that serves people with no health insurance.
Meanwhile, as you probably noticed, since 2008 the stock market has bailed us out and our investments have more than doubled. At the time I thought one of us would have to get a job at some point. My wife looked for a while but got very discouraged in 2008/2009 (remember the job market then?). So as it worked out neither of us needed to get a real job. Now we are on Medicare, we still have savings, just started social security and we are in a very different stage of life than we were 12 years ago. I felt very financially insecure back then, with so many unknowns.
Thanks for sharing @NJres. Appreciate it.
I changed jobs at age 54 after working at the previous job for 17 years. I knew people at the new business and that was my “in”. I did have a lot of fear rumbling around in my monkey brain about jumping ship.
I’m making slightly less money, but the QOL is much better.
I’m not a high-earner and never have been, so I figure I can always piece together some mediocre jobs and make it work. Maybe. 
However, the cost of health insurance on the individual market is a big buzz kill.
I “worked” with my husband in his solo medical practice; I didn’t get paid, but we didn’t have to pay someone else to do the same work. Two years ago when he retired from private practice and went to contract work, I found a new job. While the salary isn’t great, I technically am working for the insurance; mine is covered, and his is no where near the cost we were paying when running his own practice. Due to the coverage, that plus my salary make it very doable for us. While I have more skills than required for the job, that they were willing to hire a 60+ year old, instead of a young person without skills, and pay me more than the starting salary, and it is a mile from my house, I went with this job.
Having graduated with an MSW at age 70 on May 24, I was hired as a therapist in a mental health clinic two days after my 71st birthday last week. I will start late in August after my license comes through and after a previously planned trip.