Posted on 10/05/2001 11:02:39 PM PDT by B4Ranch
If you were 53 years old and hadn't worked in 25 years, then your husband died, what would you do.
I have a dear friend whose husband is significantly older than she is. He is 71 and in good health. The cost of life insurance for her husband is more than they can afford. Consequently, he does not have any. Her previous employment was in the fashion industry as a model. She has lifetime healthcare insurance from this employment.
Her income would be 70% of his Social Security, $1200 a month. His retirement payments stop upon his death. This is frightening, isn't it.
Currently, they live in a nice home with nice furniture and own one recently manufactured car.
Her eyesight will not allow her to drive on the Freeways or on heavily trafficked streets. She has a very pleasant, cheerful personality and is well spoken. She would be great as a secretary, except driving to and from work would be dangerous for her.
What type of education should she get to pursue work from her home earning $3000 a month? Is this possible. Do large companies hire employees to work from home. I am thinking of steady work not contract employment.
She is only down on one knee, not down and out and she has a lot of fight left in her. That's why she asked me, "What should I do to get get ready for the bad times that are sure to come.?"
Do you have any specifics as to what she might need to do regarding business school classes or such things? Where does one find out the occupational needs of an area?
She needs some type of job so that she can pay into social security for her own retirement.
A friend, years ago had the same situation coming up. She was one of the first people to buy word processing equipment. She became an expert in doing thesis works for masters and Doctoral works. She prepared mine. She tool some special course and the word spread. She did this for twenty years after her husband died, until she died.
I know that a lot of law firms now send their work out to outside legal secretaries, and these ladies do very well!
Thanks Dave, hope the fishing is getting better for you.
So, I suggest that if she does not have word processing skills or Excel skills or basic graphic skills, she get a take at home course. There are lots of them now. Then I would suggest she put a resume together, with a cover letter, and send it to every company everywhere via the internet. It does not matter how far away really. But avoid the HR departments. They are dead ends. She should send her resume directly to people in the legal departments, public relations, finance, government relations, marketing. Names can be obtained from an internet search and by going to company sites. The toughest part is coming up with a mailing list.
I would be glad to help her put together a resume. I was a recruiter for Merck and Coopers & Lybrand for many years.
If she's a good writer, the word processing idea is also a good one. Better yet, combine both of these and she could write children's books.
The key here is for her to get into something she enjoys, not something she does just because she has to do it.
If she has good word processing skills, she could consider medical transcription. Local schools often have classes in medical terminology. And lots of experienced medical transcribers are on the lookout for "trainees" to help them out.
I think it is unrealistic of her to expect to earn $3000 a month to start with no skills or job experience. The local school district is a good place to look also. School ground monitors, cafeteria help, whatever. Any entry level job just to get her foot in the door.
And local motels and hotels are always looking for people to man their reception areas at odd hours.
And one more idea and I will shut the heck up and stop using bandwidth, she could be a live in housekeeper/nanny type for a Yuppie family.
You don't have to live in a university town to do this. It makes it easier, but not necessary. A lot guys who got their MBA from Pepperdine sent their basic stuff to gals that were recommended by the Deans at Pepperdine!
Re fishing. Today, I caught the best California native Rainbow I have ever caught. He was not fat but very big, beautiful, he looked like a Deshutes Redside. It took 5 minutes to get him in. When I lifted him up by the leader to release him, he broke a six pound tippet. So he was at least 6 pounds. I have caught bigger trout in the Williamson, but this guy fought like an 8 to 10 pound trout!
Gray Davis is still running the water out of Shasta Lake, the river just above Red Bluff is about twice as high as it should be. That screws up the fishing and makes it dangerous to wade!
I caught this great fish in my home waters Putah Creek, only an hour from my driveway!
I think she might want to start by doing an analysis of her interests and aptitudes. What does she do in terms of hobbies? Is she involved in any charity work? How has she been spending her last 25 years? What skills are associated with what she has been doing? Did she do any other work besides modeling prior to marriage? Has she thought of modeling?? There seems to a lot of demand for older models as the baby boomers mature. What would she like to do? What would she do if she could do whatever she wanted? WHat did she dream of doing when she was a child? These all could point in her the right direction for her.
As far as surveying whats needed in a particular area, she could check the classified ads for a start. She could drive around time and see what kind of employment signs were still up. She should network with her friends who are still working and get ideas from them on what companies are in need of. Remember the purpose of these visits is not to hit them up for a job but rather to do research. She could visit her state unemployment office and check the boards of jobs listed.
I think she may want to pick up a copy of "What Color is Your Parachute" which is available at any bookstore. It will tell her mroe about what I mentioned above.
If she really needs something at home, I think she should look at transcription, especially medical transcription as a possibility. What about retail sales? Could she get a job at Wal-Mart or the local grocery store or convenience store.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.