Part-time work during ER for book

[ESRBob]

Interested in thoughts form anyone out there who is semi-retired, in other words, who does a bit of paid work during ER. What do you do, how do you like it, what advice would you give others?

My own path in ER has sometimes involved a bit of paid work -- either part-time work for my old company or some independent consulting, and I still hope to one day be paid for my sculptures or to teach yoga. For the last year I have been writing a book on ER, which may also provide some income at some point. Always had wanted to be an author and ER has given me the time to do it-- lots of work for no pay -- an ER dream come true!

In fact, now the editor is looking for more stories about the kinds of part-time (paid) work other ERs do to round out their finances or stay active, so if anyone wants to be in a book on ER (pseudonyms or names, your choice) this is your chance. Any and all thoughts on the dreaded topic of part-time w*rk in ER welcome!

Thx

 

[parnass]

Interested in thoughts form anyone out there who is semi-retired, in other words, who does a bit of paid work during ER. What do you do, how do you like it, what advice would you give others? ...

I evaluated equipment and wrote monthly articles for a hobby magazine while working full time in industry. I continued this for 3 years after retiring from my main R&D job. Writing for a magazine was a good, creative outlet for a while and the few hundred dollars each month came in handy for "fun money."

However, the monthly deadlines were still -- deadlines. They seemed to loom over my head so I could never fully relax. I resigned from the writing job and enjoyed several delightful months without any obligations or deadlines whatsoever.

Now, I am considering a low pressure, part time job reshelving books for a scant hourly wage in a public library. I like to organize things and this seems like the kind of activiity which will get me out of the house more, without deadlines. If I don't like it, I can quit and try something (or nothing) else.

Being retired affords me the luxury of trying new things and leaving them without worrying about how it looks on my resume.

 

[tryan]

To the extent that managing rentals is "work" .. I'll be working part-time when I retire in Oct.

If there's a nice side to cleaning vacancies, exterminating pests and unclogging tiolets - it's the flexibility to hire someone else to do the dirty work. This way one can always cherry-pick the fun stuff: wood working, rent collection (POB trips), light plumbing and electrical, haggling with contractors, auctions .... Never saw myself sitting still.

Enjoy!

 

[Beachbumz]

I guess I'm a little guilty of that rental stuff too, but I'm winding that down, at least for now. I've also tried to get my wife to do some part-time work, so I could have some more spending money, but not much success so far.

Beachbumz

 

[renferme]

As I reported earlier, I am doing some part-time work (not professional work).
After I retired a year ago, I went into the local golf store and asked if they needed any part-time help. Then in January of this year, I applied for a job working for the Pittsburgh Pirates (game day work only). The golf industry and the Pgh Pirates are two things that I've had my eye on for years, just waiting until retirement to get into.
So, the Pirates hired me; I'll work approxiately half the games as a Greeter, that's a ticket taker. The money is really great, more than double the min. wage, although I'm not doing it for the money - it's fun! In the meantime, the golf store called and I told them I could work 2 days a week. To make a long story short: they hired me, and after 3 days of work I quit. All that standing for hours at a time was not good for my back, don't need a sore back.
I'll stick with the Pirates - it's enjoyable. Too bad the Pirate team is terrible.

 

[bow-tie]

Bennevis

That Pirates gig sounds great. You get to stay and watch the game, right? Even if they aren't that good, I still think that job would rule.

 

[ronin]

I still hope to one day be paid for my sculptures or to teach yoga.

These sound like very interesting endeavors.  Curious as to your yoga experience.  How do you think you'd go about getting into teaching it?  I taught qigong for a little while thru the local adult school.  I've been teaching Aikido a few nights a week and plan on continuing that after I hang up the day job.  Don't think that I want the responsibility of running a school as a business.  The adult school route works pretty well as a compromise.

 

[Janie]

While riding the exercise bike yesterday, I watched the Food Channel... need motivation to sweat! They had a story about a woman who quit her job as a scientist for the USDA and was working as a pastry chef, her lifelong dream. Not an ER story, because her husband still works full-time. She earns $12/ hr but is very happy.

 

[DrJDoe]

job working for the Pittsburgh Pirates (game day work only). ...... I'll work approxiately half the games as a Greeter, that's a ticket taker.

Hey! Did you happen to work the April 16th game (we lost to someone-or-other -- Cubs maybe?)? I was in the Community Band that played the "Star Spangled Banner" for that game.

DrLLLong

...who is still 19 years from RE goal of 50 but thinks that she would like a part-time job at the post office after retirement...the library idea is appealing too (if I don't open my own used-book store) -- I also like organizing things and I think I would really like putting the mail in the PO boxes

 

[ESRBob]

Thanks for your replies, keep 'em coming. I think people can start to understand that, if you don't feel a lot of pressure to make the big bucks, there are some things out there (pastry chef, Pittsburg Pirated Greeter), that can be fun and lucrative, too. And real estate remodelling/flipping seems like a classic ER-friendly activity that could be considered a type of part-time work.

Ronin, am actually teaching a kids' yoga class tonight at our church, but as a volunteer. In our NY suburb, there is an active market of morning yoga classes for moms, (with up to 40 students each paying $15 for a 75 minute class) but I may go into something like yoga for the elderly (most of them are pretty stiff) or teaching yoga classes at a prison nearby. I agree that running your own dojo sounds like a full-time job, but teaching at someone else's might not be bad.

 

[Zipper]

As a favour, I backed into a job last year.

I'm a pallbearer.

Now before you laugh, there is a genuine need. 

Many families have no one to call upon. Their relatives may be all too old.

Perhaps there is just nobody to serve in life's final destination.

At 61, I'm the rookie.......

The others in the group are all over 70.

I average about 2 or 3 a week and feel I am doing a service to the community.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Hello Zipper. I'm a"pall'ed. Was your post a subtle joke?

My story is that I did tax prep. and accounting work for about 4-5
months (20 hours a week). Then I went back to full time
(financial and general management) for 2 years, then part time
at the same company for about 40 hours a MONTH. That was a nice gig and it lasted until June, 1998. It was then that I decided
I could make the big leap.

JG

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I was one second away from saying "appalling"...and decided not to.

You're picking up stuff I wont touch JG...be afraid

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I was one second away from saying "appalling"...and decided not to.

You're picking up stuff I wont touch JG...be afraid

Now that is scary!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

indeed.

 

[Beststash]

Since leaving my job of 33 years at 53, my summer job for the last two summers has been custom baling (usually June-Sept). I always did my own hay cutting, baling but somehow progressed into doing it as a full time job these last two summers. I enjoy the work - but do not want to continue at this pace for much longer. If you have heard the old adage, "Make hay while the sun shines" it true - it is from the time the dew dries (around 10AM until dark) and almost any day that it is not raining. The money is really not that bad - usually 20-30K for the season but I did not retire to do this. I find the problem of working part-time is that it tends to turn into full time very rapidly. If my healthcare benefits continue to erode - I might change my mind in the future.

 

[charlie]

Hey Parnass,

Shelving books at the library was one of my part time jobs in
high school.

The most vivid memory I have of that job was watching a male
pervert come in about the same time each day to sneak a peek
at the girls through the stacks as they squatted down to get a
book. Maybe that's more than you wanted to know.

Cheers,

Charlie

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Hey Parnass,

Shelving books at the library was one of my part time jobs in
high school. 

The most vivid memory I have of that job was watching a male
pervert come in about the same time each day to sneak a peek
at the girls through the stacks as they squatted down to get a
book.  Maybe that's more than you wanted to know.   

Cheers,

Charlie 

Well, it's surely more than I wanted to know

 

[ESRBob]

Zipper,
Is the pall-bearing a volunteer activity or is it paid?

Beststash; baling hay sounds like hard work! But earning 20-30k a year could certainly round out any ERs financial picture. Is it sustainable or was it just something to do for a few years?

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Zipper,
Is the pall-bearing a volunteer activity or is it paid?

Beststash; baling hay sounds like hard work!  But earning 20-30k a year could certainly round out any ERs financial picture.  Is it sustainable or was it just something to do for a few years?

That baling hay really caught my attention also. I did that when I was young. Some of the hardest manual labor I ever did. I wouldn't last an hour now. Even if I was in a bind I'd have to find some other way to
bale myself out.

JG

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I could do it while the sun was shining.

 

[Zipper]

The pallbearing service pays $25.

The driver, 1 of the 6 (boss) gets an extra $30.

I did one Tuesday, overcast and drizzly, solid oak, weighed a ton!

Did one today in brilliant sunshine and blue skies, and medium weight. :

 

[rsboone]

My dad retired from his full-time job at the phone company at age 65. He then began pallbearing for a local funeral home (1 mile from his house) and worked his way up to limo/hearse driver and continued working there for 15 years until age 80 and only quit because my mother was ill and he needed to be home. He thought it was a great job, the money was good, he met alot of people (some famous) and could basically work when he wanted.

 

[Nords]

Too busy to work...

... he met a lot of people (some famous) ...

But how many of them were alive?

Sorry, I'm still too busy working for myself/family to take a job. And frankly the idea of having to be around (live) people makes work seem even more onerous.