Adift

[Teacher Terry]

I didn’t enter the work force for a career until my late 30’s due to having kids young, working shitty jobs, etc. I retired from the state at 58 due to rules,!bureucracy. For the past 6 years I have my dream job teaching a online college class with no boss for great pay. It’s over in a month due to hiring full time staff. The volunteering I tried sucked and teaching somewhere else pays horrible and you get micro managed. I am lost.

[Simplemind]

It's tough when you lose a sweet deal. I was making great money and lots of time off but a new manager was changing all the rules. I could have fought it but I just didn't have the battle in me so I retired with a reduced pension at 55. I do have two volunteer jobs that I really like and they are polar opposites as far as client interaction. I work just as much as I want and can take off for travel without having to ask permission or worrying about staffing levels. I'm happy I found my niche because that was a worry for me when I retired. I knew I had to have something to put my teeth into.

[Teacher Terry]

Also what are your 2 volunteer jobs?

[Chicken lady]

TT,

i’m sorry. I know how hard it would be to have my job taken. Is the money an issue, or are you in a position where you can do as you wish, paid or not? (I’m not clear, because you talk about volunteering, but also sight poor pay)

what were your three favorite things about this job?

[rosarugosa]

I'm sorry too, TT. I had read some info last year about opportunities for teaching English classes online to students in Asia. Here is a link I had saved. I forget where I got the info, but it was from a source I considered reliable; it wasn't a "get rich working from home" ad or anything like that. It didn't seem like it was something I wanted to pursue, but it might be for you, or at least worth taking a look at. Good luck in finding something you enjoy.

https://t.vipkid.com.cn/?refersource...ereeId=8564857

[razz]

That is an unfortunate development as teaching an online course that you like is a real joy. Volunteering requires one to leave the comfort of one's home and cost of transport, never mind the politics of it all.
I do volunteer with Big Brothers and Big Sisters mentoring a child onsite at a school for an hour each week. I have been with the little guy from Sr Kindergarten to Gr 4 and watched a very hyperactive child develop into a delightful very smart being. Very little politics.

[iris lilies]

I am sorry you are Adrift. I don’t have an answer about Developing a life outside of work if there is not already seeds planted in your brain of stuff you’d like to do.


But I do encourage people to think about hobby groups rather than the highly exalted thing most people think of in “volunteering.” My world as everyone knows revolves around plants, so I work in hobby groups that focus on ornamental plants. I have a dozen jobs for various organizations and could take on a dozen more if I wanted—the need is immense.

I think you—the generic you—have to define your core interest or interests and work from there.

The dog rescue world for instance—if You don’t want to actually foster dogs there are many jobs that help out foster groups such as Planning and working at their fundraising events, administrative work doing record keeping, inspecting potential foster homes and reporting findings, etc.I do think it is a trick though to find foster groups that are not batshit crazy.

[catherine]

So sorry to hear about this loss in your life, Terry. You seem to have many interests and are engaged in life, so hopefully, you'll be able to use this vacuum to expand something else: volunteering in social organizations, tutoring, pet volunteerism as IL suggested.

Hey, how about setting up a YouTube or seminars on decluttering! There is a guy in my area who started an organizing business for senior citizens a year ago and he's been amazingly successful.

[Float On]

I'm feeling very adrift too... or stuck. Yep, I'm stuck. I've given 15 years to my church... part-time. I get vacation and sick days but there isn't retirement or health benefits. Now I'm 52 and feeling my age when I apply to jobs. I'd never gone through not being offered a position until I started looking 2 years ago. Now I can't seem to get an offer for anything that is full-time/benefits package.

[Teacher Terry]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. CL, we don’t have to have the money but we used it for travel versus our savings. The online courses I have found only pay 3k/semester and tell you how many times you have to contact students, etc. I taught one class a semester including summer for 22k and my class was capped at 39 students and summer 20 students. I have volunteered with a dog rescue group and got frustrated but I probably just need to find a different one. My husband won’t foster because he gets to attached. Catherine, I like the decluttering/organizer idea and maybe I can start a business doing that. FO, sorry you are having trouble finding a full time job. At 65 I won’t be looking for one)