Transcript
Speaker: Hey, stop, I caught you again, refreshing your job board. Come on, we talked about this already. Instead, I'd like you to hear this. What if the the smartest move that you can make right now for your finances, for your sanity and for your future has nothing to do with your past career?
Speaker: What if the that the bridge that you're looking for was never on that job board the way that you imagined. That is what we're getting into today.
Speaker: And by the end of this episode, you're going to have a concrete playbook, five specific types of jobs that will stabilize your finances right now while you build up for your next big move.
Speaker: Stay with me.
Speaker: In our last episode, and I'm going to drop a card here so that you can find it again. We talked about something that it doesn't get said enough in the community.
Speaker: Stability is not surrender. It's the the platform that you can build from for everything else. Here's the reality for workers over 50. The average job search it can take six to twelve months and unfortunately sometimes even longer and the enemy it's not the job market the real enemy is cash depletion and the spiral that you get in once the savings drain desperation sets in and you start to make decisions that are not based on strategy that spiral it's entirely avoidable and today
Speaker: We're going to talk about one of the most powerful tools to avoid that. Real quick, if this series is helping you, if this is giving you you know some ideas that you're not finding anyplace else, please do me a favor and hit the subscribe button now, just so that you don't miss anything in the future. Because this is a community where people are are done being invisible, we're done being written off, and frankly, we're done doing this alone.
Speaker: We're going to do this showing up together. So again, please subscribe, hit the button down below and let's keep going.
Speaker: Here's what we're covering today. They're going to be five different categories of bridge work, you seasonal work, temporary work, short term income that it doesn't ask for your loyalty in it. And you don't have to apologize for that either.
Speaker: We're going to talk about why this strategy works, the real advantages for workers over 50, and because I'm always going to be really honest with you, the real disadvantages as well.
Speaker: And then we're going to talk about how to use all of this as your launch pad, not a landing pad, a launch pad. Just think of the recent Artemis II.
Speaker: Let me define something first. Bridge work It's income that you you don't have to be loyal to. It's short term, it has a specific purpose, and best of all, there are no golden handcuffs.
Speaker: The goal is not a career. The goal here is short term, medium term financial stability. Think about it this way. Six months of stable income means that you can be selective about what you're looking for. You don't have to be desperate and you can walk away from a bad offer because you're not bleeding out financially. It means that you have time to find the right thing instead of grabbing the first thing.
Speaker: And here's something that doesn't get talked about that much. Working, even if it doesn't look like the job or the career that you're used to or done before, it preserves some essential things in your life.
Speaker: Structure, identity, and social connection. These are not just benefits, but after 50, all of these are quite frankly, survival tools.
Speaker: So let me reframe this for you right now. And I want you to really hear this. You're not stepping down. You're stepping sideways strategically while your real opportunity is waiting in the wings.
Speaker: The first category that we're going to talk about today is one that people probably immediately will dismiss and that's why I want to start with that one first and that one is seasonal retail.
Speaker: the The big peaks are generally November through January for the holidays, the back to school July through August and the springtime and such for the the home and garden and the the home improvement centers. We're talking places like Walmart, ah REI, Home Depot, Kohl's, Amazon fulfillment centers, all of them recruiting aggressively during these periods of time.
Speaker: And here's something you probably need to sit down for first, for just a second. It's a giant irony alert because the retailers that in their you know, corporate hiring process who overlook your resume, they they love your presence on the sales floor because your reliability, your cool under pressure, and you can actually talk to to customers and and solve their problem.
Speaker: Those are 50 plus strengths. You should own those. One practical tip here is to apply early. Most of the holiday retail roles are filled by October. So if you're thinking about this, then you need to start in August. Seriously.
Speaker: and And some of these roles, they they could change into permanent part-time. So you want to check into that up front. Okay, this one here This is my sleeper pick on the list, so don't scroll past it quite yet.
Speaker: It's tax preparation. So tax preparation season, it typically runs from January through April, the middle of April. Yes, it just it just finished. It's predictable, it's contained, and it's repeatable year after year after year.
Speaker: Companies like H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt and local CPA firms, they recruit seasonal staff every year. And here's the thing that that most people don't know.
Speaker: you know Companies like H&R Block, they're going to educate you and they're going to certify you to pass this class. There's a relatively low barrier to entry here if you bring some financial literacy with you to the table, which Let me ask you something. who Who in the room has been managing a household budget, a 401k or running ah a business expense account for the last 20 years? Right?
Speaker: You've got this. you You have the foundation that they need and then they'll give you the credential that you can use. And this one has genuine long-term potential as well.
Speaker: Many seasonal preparers, they they actually build a loyal client base in return year after year. And some of them even start their own small practice. It takes real skill. You get real income and you have real dignity.
Speaker: So again, that's my sleeper pick here.
Speaker: This one I would like you to think about differently than you probably ever have before. Tourism and hospitality work is absolutely seasonal, right?
Speaker: Summer is at the beach, at the coastal areas, at national parks. Winter, ski resorts. And spring, you have a whole range of of different travel destinations. Roles could include visitor center staff, tour guides, hotel concierge, transportation, some sort of a camp host program at a national park service or even at a state park.
Speaker: and Here's what makes this category unique. Some of the positions actually include housing. So think about what that means to your cost of living.
Speaker: It can have a significant impact. This is a double financial gain. You have no housing cost and you get paid at the same time. And let me ask you this, and please be honest with me.
Speaker: What if you could get paid to spend three months in a place that you've always dreamt of going? No, it's it's not a fantasy, actually. For workers over 50, if you have a flexible timeline, this could be a great strategy.
Speaker: The National Park Service, for example, it's it's always actively recruiting mature, experienced workers for years. Your knowledge, your patience, your ability to connect with with visitors at the park.
Speaker: That matters in this environment. You know i had an uncle who worked at the National Park Service deep into his 80s. Event staffing is Probably the most underrated one on this list. and And here's why I love it for this community of people.
Speaker: So you have concerts and sports events, conferences, trade shows, galas, festivals. Staffing agencies like Encore, Adia, and ADECO Events, they fill these roles constantly. And the process is fairly simple.
Speaker: You sign up once, you pass their vetting, and then you start to get called for the different events. Roles, they can be at the registration desk. Could be an usher, a brand ambassador, catering support, some sort of coordination. And best of all, these are a single day or sometimes weekend events.
Speaker: They're always booked in advance so you can plan your other life around them. But here's the part that I really want you to hear. Every single event is a networking environment.
Speaker: You're in the room. You didn't need a connection to get here. You didn't even have to to purchase ah a ticket. You're sitting right there. elbow to elbow with decision makers, executives, industry professionals, and the others that that are a fantastic network for you to find something in the future.
Speaker: I want you to think about about event staffing not just as income, but as as paid access, because that's exactly what it is.
Speaker: okay This one i need to be the most honest with you about um because the the gig economy, it it gets sold to workers over 50 as a lifeline, and and indeed it could be, but it also comes with traps that are specifically dangerous to us and they don't get talked about that much.
Speaker: So I'm going to be very honest with you here about these. the The appeal is certainly real. You have immediate income, complete scheduling control, and there's usually a low barrier to entry. These could be things like rideshare, or delivery, TaskRabbit, Upwork, Fiverr, or even some tutoring platforms.
Speaker: Things that you could be signed up for and earning within days. But here are the caution flags that I need you to see before you start. First of all, there's no benefits.
Speaker: And at 50 plus, a health coverage gap, it can be more than a minor inconvenience. It can cause a financial crisis. You need to plan for this one before you start.
Speaker: Also, gig income, it can affect your unemployment eligibility. This varies state by state, so you need to check in your state first. There's also a social security risk that that people don't know about.
Speaker: So, for example, low income years, they can actually pull down your lifetime average and that impacts your ultimate payment. That needs to be discussed with a financial advisor.
Speaker: And then there's the algorithm, the ageist algorithm. Uber, DoorDash, they they quietly prioritize faster workers. The system, frankly, it's not geared towards our cohort.
Speaker: Finally, and I want to name this one very specifically because it's it's real.
Speaker: People find gig work isolating, demoralizing. You know, going from leading a team to sitting in a car 12 hours by yourself, it's it's tough.
Speaker: It's a big, heavy burden to carry. And if you if you feel that, you're not weak. you're You're just human. Here's the thing.
Speaker: Gig work, it's not bad in and of itself. It's just that unplanned gig work can be bad. Use it for a defined window with a defined income target and a defined exit time.
Speaker: Don't let it quietly become your default. That's the trap that I mentioned at the beginning. Let's talk about what's working in your favor when it comes to bridge work.
Speaker: because the list is longer than people realize. I think hopefully none of these came as a surprise for you First, we're talking about income without the so-called golden handcuffs. You can walk away the moment that the right long-term opportunity comes along. There's no guilt and there's no long notice periods. You you owe them absolutely nothing.
Speaker: Second, there's what I would call the resume currency. You were employed. You stayed active. You stayed current. That means something to future employers, especially when they're staring at a gap on your timeline.
Speaker: Third, there's skills transfer, things like leadership, communication, problem solving, emotional intelligence. You walk in most of these environments more qualified than any anyone around you.
Speaker: That's not ego. That's experience that they're looking for. Fourth, and I always want to stress this one, mental health. You have structure, you have purpose, you have social contact.
Speaker: These are not just soft benefits. When you're over 50, these are really survival tools that you need. You can't underestimate those. Fifth, this is all paid intel.
Speaker: Every environment teaches you something about an industry, a company, or or a culture. You're doing market research all along, and you're also being paid to do it.
Speaker: Not bad, right? And six, this one surprises people. Some workers over 50, they find their next big chapter accidentally, you know, through bridge work, ah a conversation at a visitor center, a connection at an event, ah a a client who becomes a long-term relationship. and And that truly means something. Because remember, we've discussed this before in a previous video.
Speaker: Most jobs are found through people's networks. Now, and this is where I'm going to hopefully earn your trust. Let's talk about the real downsides, because I'm not here to sell you some sort of a fantasy.
Speaker: The benefits gap is probably the biggest real risk. If you're between employer coverage and Medicare eligibility, this is not a trivial issue. It it can truly be catastrophic.
Speaker: You need to plan for this one before you leave your old job, if you can, and get yourself all set up for this. There are real physical demands in some of these different opportunities, and these are real.
Speaker: in retail, in event staffing, in hospitality, you know, these are body intensive environments. You need to know your limits. You need to honor your limits.
Speaker: and And there's no amount of income that's worth an injury. And the emotional weight is is real as well. So again, let me be honest with you.
Speaker: Going from leading a team or a department to working behind a registration desk, it's a big change and it's a big burden to carry. and if And if you feel that, again, you're not weak, you're human.
Speaker: But I'm going to say something now extremely directly. Don't make decisions with your ego. The goal of all of this is your runway, your financial runway, the runway that protects your future.
Speaker: So you need to keep your eye on the future and never take your eye off. Then there's one other point I would call it. income unpredictability.
Speaker: Seasonal work, it ends. Every role by definition has an expiration date. So before you start in any kind of bridge work, you need to know a couple of numbers. You need to know how much you need to earn, you need to have a timeline, and you need to know your next step.
Speaker: You should never start bridge work without having those three defined. There's also employer perception and how how you can perhaps fight that. Some hiring managers will undervalue bridge work on your resume.
Speaker: That is real and frankly, it's unfair. And here's how we handle it because we're going to call it what it is. So in interviews or on on your LinkedIn, you need to frame this as strategic bridge employment during a planned career transition.
Speaker: You're not hiding, you're building. And for the gig economy specifically, there's also tax complexity. Self-employment taxes, quarterly estimated payments, deductions, these are all real. I i have to deal with this stuff.
Speaker: So before you go that route, you need to talk to a tax professional so that you understand how it works. No income is worth it if the tax just wipes it all back out.
Speaker: Here's where I want to leave you with the frame that that kind of pulls all of this back together. Bridge work is a tool. It's not the destination.
Speaker: Before you accept any bridge role, these are the three things you need to know. A time limit. How long are you going to do this? An income target. How much do you need?
Speaker: And you need to have a primary goal. What is this serving? Is it paying down debt? Is it helping you to extend your search? Or are you just investigating a new industry?
Speaker: Write these things down before you even get started, because ultimately they're going to be your compass, your your guiding star. And while you're in this, you need to network actively.
Speaker: Hand someone a card, have ah a 20 second elevator pitch about yourself if somebody asks, what do you do? you You don't have to apologize for any of this because you're actively working towards your future and you need to keep your LinkedIn active and updated during this entire period.
Speaker: Bridge work plus ah a presence on LinkedIn, it's a message to whoever's looking that you're a person who is not sitting still, you're moving forward and you are.
Speaker: Youth runs fast, but age knows the terrain. I say that all the time. And part of knowing the terrain is knowing when you should take the scenic route, a detour, on purpose and not the direct route.
Speaker: All right. I want you to do one thing this week. Just one. OK. Again, here I am with the homework assignments again. Pick one of the categories from today's conversation and and depending on your situation, your energy, your location, and and figure out who's hiring in the area near you.
Speaker: Pick one category, not all five, just again, just one. because that's how momentum starts. You take one decision, you have one search, and you have one application. and And then what I want you to do is let me know which one of these categories is interesting for you. I'd love to know which one you move towards and and tell me what you found.
Speaker: My guess is people are going to come back with the tax preparation because that one I think really is a sleeper with a lot of opportunity. But again, don't make a rash decision. Sleep on it.
Speaker: And then let me know when you get a chance. Now, if you've been doing this series with us all along and you and you want to continue to get deeper into the conversation, you can do that with other people in the room who can walk alongside you.
Speaker: With that, I want to invite you to our Discord server. The community can be found at the link, which I'm going to have down below in the show notes. It's a place where people show up, they talk about what works, what doesn't work, they ask questions, and they ultimately hold each other accountable.
Speaker: And if this episode really strikes a chord for you, then please, again, I remind you, please subscribe down below that button is down by the show notes and send it to somebody who might need to hear this message as well. Somebody who's going through a challenging time after having lost their role.
Speaker: And next time we're going to do something actually very different. I've got a guest who's going to be on the show and this guest is a very well published author, a speaker with many speaking events every year.
Speaker: Great conversation about age, about the workplace, and about what companies are frankly failing to see and how that's going to cause some pretty significant issues in the future.
Speaker: You definitely don't want to miss that. So again, hit the subscribe button. With that, I'll say it as I always do, youth runs fast, but age knows the terrain.
Speaker: See you next time.
