<p>I was forced to resign from a liberal arts admin position after almost 40 years in the same field with different employers (5 years with the last). The work I did was highly specialized and is no longer considered to be of value. I am not able to consider early retirement because I am a single parent with children still in school. There is no possibility that I will find equivalent employment in my present location; and due to one childs disabilities, it would be better not to consider moving for at least the next 3 years. The question is whether to consider going back to school for retraining if I will be 65 when looking for an entry-level job in the new field. And if going back to school is a good choice, what field of study for someone needing 8 more years of employment tapering off into consulting work? My volunteer work with a disadvantaged population is not paying the bills or leading to anything remunerative. The main employers in my region are education and healthcare. Please help this old dog figure out a new trick. I am running out of treats fast.</p>
<p>Do you do your own tax return? Do you understand where the numbers on the forms came from and went to? Do you reconcile your own bank account? Are you reasonably good at picking up new stuff on the computer? Tax and accounting work doesn’t necessarily require formal classroom training (although an evening class in QuickBooks helps a lot, and walk-in tax shops usually have their own training programs), and there’s usually a lot of flexibility for accommodating older people or people with kids in school. Flexible jobs often have lower pay, because of supply and demand issues, but that’s true of many fields.</p>
<p>If I were in your position, I wouldn’t start out with coursework more expensive than community college or vo-tech - you don’t have enough working years to recoup that investment in tuition.</p>
<p>allyphoe’s suggestion is an excellent one. My own tax-accountant/bookkeeper (recommended by a CPA) is a 65+ year old lady who’s basically self-trained (a couple community college courses, online courses, etc.) She works out of her home.</p>
<p>Zuleika2-
I don’t have any great ideas yet, will keeping thinking though. It’s sad that a position/field you have worked in for so many years is no longer an option. I guess that’s happening to many others as well. </p>
<p>You seem to be open to something new so that is great. Sending hugs and wishing you success.</p>
<p>Although the work you did was highly specialized, try to break it down into skill sets that you have as a result of that job. Did you have to do project management? Did it require technical/report writing or writing grants? Did you use computer software programs and gain skills with them? Did it require problem solving? Did it include customer service or managing a team? Did you manage a budget for your department/division? Did you facilitate trainings of any kind? Make a list of skills, not specific knowledge. You can search online for resumes that are organized by skill rather than specific jobs and set one up that way. THEN look for jobs that might use those same skills.</p>
<p>I’d start by networking with people you know. Tell your fellow volunteers that you’re looking for a job and what you’ve been doing. A lot of jobs out there don’t require extensive training, they just need a responsible person with common sense and decent problem-solving skills.</p>
<p>Have you talked to your community college about in-demand skills?</p>
<p>If you have a child with a disability, does that mean you have exposure to/experience with special education? That’s still a growing area in many places.</p>
<p>Are you good a fixing things? Can you sew or cook?</p>
<p>Is there a retirement community in your area? They often like to hire older workers to work with their older residents and prospective residents.</p>