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Never dismiss an employment opportunity

One of the things that the Nifty50s continually suggest to job seekers over 50 is the need to be flexible. Today’s economy and workforce are vastly different from what your parents experienced, what you were promised and what you expected.

You absolutely have to be flexible and to keep your options open for new, different and maybe even unexpected ways to round out your working career.

Just another new world

Admit it, since the pandemic, we’re living (and working) in a Zoom world. One of the concepts that emerged from Covid is remote work. Once thought of as being far fetched, it’s now common place. Consider:

• The average remote worker is 46 years of age or older, has at least a bachelor’s degree, and many earn a higher median salary than an in-office workers.

• Roughly the same population of women and men work remotely.

• Remote work is more common among employees over 35 years of age and accepted and sometimes preferred among Baby Boomers.

• In more than half of the top U.S. metro areas remote work out paces public transportation as the commute option of choice. It has grown far faster than any other commute mode. Sorry scooters.

In today’s work world, it’s not uncommon for individuals to hold combinationi jobs where they come into the office one or two days a week and spend the remainder of their time working remotely. There are instances where those gaps span cities and even states.

Of course the whole concept opens up a bevy of other issues. Not the least of which are showing up for a Zoom call in pajamas, fighting for attention with kids and pets, questionable backgrounds, staying focused on work, getting work done without direct supervision (i.e. discipline), etc.

Depending on your job, your industry and possibly your geographic location, remote work may take on several different forms. The advice is threefold: do not reject the concept out of hand; don’t believe that no one would permit you to do this; and don’t think that you can’t make a decent living working this way.

Whether this trend has any permanency or is just a temporary fad, no one knows. But for the mature job seeker, it’s an option that demands consideration.

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