Our community faces unique hurdles in the workplace. Therefore, Ozma Social Club is committed to providing access and information on modern solutions to the age old problems of how to generate income in your golden years.
There is a lot in the news lately about seniors participating in the gig economy. By some reports those who do, earn about a quarter of their monthly income through one of two ways: selling / renting something or by providing a service.
For anyone who takes a close look the benefits are obvious: flexible hours, ability to choose your activities and making money from stuff you already own are just the start. And for people who understand the risks and plan for them, the gig economy can be a real win for seniors.
But how does a person actually start finding this kind of work?
Well the good news is you’ve already started, just by being on this website proves you are tech savvy enough to make money through the internet.
Next up, you need to decide what you want to do, the possibilities range widely, but fall into two main categories. Ask yourself do you want to sell or rent something, like renting out a spare room or selling collectibles online or do you want to perform a service, like driving a car or pet sitting?
Thumbtack, Airbnb, TaskRabbit, postemates, DogVacay, HomeAway, HopSkipDrive, are all great places to start your search for the right gig. But because new businesses are popping up everyday, this would be a good time to start searching the internet for recent articles on companies that match your interests, like this piece from after55.com: "Gig Economy Jobs For Seniors"
Once you’ve done your research, determined your direction and found a company that sounds like a match, there is no better way to learn than to jump right in. Keep your expectations low and look at your first foray as an experiment.
If it turns out you don’t like that particular company or activity, don’t throw the baby out with the proverbial bath water, instead sit back, take stock of what you’ve learned and try something else.
As mentioned there are risks, but most of them can be avoided simply through planning. For instance, keep in mind that gig economy jobs are by definition “on demand”, that means there will always be a natural ebb and flow instead of a steady paycheck.
One obvious way to deal with the fact that some weeks will fall short, is to save a regular percentage of your gig earnings each payday. Another is to diversify the types of gigs you participate in. So if you can cat sit, drive a car and sell your old stuff on ebay all at the same time, you have a better chance of weathering the ups and downs.
In fact, working a combination of different types of gigs, could help to make life interesting, keep your brain sharp and make extra income all at the same time.
SOURCES:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-seniors-are-tapping-the-gig-economy/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gigs-are-becoming-lifelines-for-seniors/
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