Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy ... And Pays the Bills

CHAPTER 10

Great Jobs to Ride the Age Wave

As the 50+ population explodes, so do the number of jobs that serve them, from fitness experts and retirement coaches to home health aides and geriatric nurses.

In Warrenton, Virginia, Terry and Tina Ross, both in their mid-50s, run a shop called Simple Comforts that sells a panoply of products that cater to the older crowd. The shop sells literally thousands of items that promote healthy and active aging.

I’m talking everything from pill organizers to large-print crossword puzzle books to ramps and rose pruners. “These products make everyday activities such as gardening, cooking, travel, golf, exercise, and just plain gettin’ around a little easier,” Tina says. “We have items for boomers who might have an aching back and for their parents.”

Bingo—a small business that caters to an aging population.

By 2050, according to Pew Research projections, about one in five Americans, 20 percent, will be over age 65, up from 13 percent of the U.S. population now. And the number of those 85 and older is expected to more than double to about 5 percent.

This demographic shift is already creating a wave of new fields and opportunities for workers of all ages. It’s just a tease of what’s to come. To get in, though, you might need to bolster your resume with new skills, preferably added while continuing to work full-time in your first career.

True, some ...