Finding a second career after retirement

From rock star to golf reporter, the side gigs bringing retirees back to work

November 29, 2023 10:47 AM

Retiree Donna Brown and her husband Gary perform in a rock band.

Making the switch from employee to retiree can be challenging, both financially and mentally. Increasingly, older Americans are turning to side gigs to keep a little money coming in and their interests peaked.

Fifty-seven percent of employees plan to work either full- or part-time into retirement age, according to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. A survey from Bankrate found that 21% of baby boomers aged 58-76 work a side gig, making around $500 per month.

While the added income may be a necessity for some retirees, remaining engaged in work is beneficial for mental and physical health in older age, too: Various academic studies have found connections to better cognitive health, fewer major diseases and physical limitations and a greater sense of community for those who continued working over the age of 50.

While retirement is often viewed as an end point to a long career, it can actually be the start of a new and exciting era of personal rediscovery, says Ibrahim Taha, chief information officer at Roowaad, a business management platform.

"Retirement is a golden opportunity to chase passions that were sidelined during the hustle of a career," Taha says. "Retirement isn't the end of work — it's the beginning of work that truly reflects one's passions and interests."

EBN spoke with three retirees on how they started new projects, rekindled old passions and contributed to their community through their side gigs.

Side gig: Genealogist and freelance golf reporter

For Colleen Gilbert, 70, a lifelong fascination with genealogy has led to a post-career side gig of tracing family trees and writing genealogy reports for up to $500 apiece, since retiring from her previous job as a bookkeeper.

"This work is incredibly rewarding, especially when I help reconnect long-lost family members," Gilbert says. "Driven by this sense of purpose, I'm motivated to continue blending my passions with impactful actions for as long as possible."

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In addition to genealogy, Gilbert also uses her writing skills to contribute to a golfing publication, blending another life-long hobby into a fulfilling side gig — with some added perks.

"In retirement, I've discovered a delightful harmony between my writing and my love for golf," she says. "My role allows me the flexibility to balance writing with playing golf, my own way of staying fit and connected. This unique position also gives me access to golf tournaments, where I can meet and learn from players I've respected for years."

Side gig: Rock musician

Donna Brown and her husband Gary, playing in their rock band, Medusa, in 1973.

Whether pursuing new passions, or re-exploring much older ones, side gigs can pop up in unexpected places. Donna Brown, 72, is a retired nurse who now plays in a rock band with her husband, after leaving those dreams behind decades ago.

"I abandoned doing what I love — playing music — to pursue making a steady income to survive," Brown says. "But our music was eventually rediscovered forty years later, after a producer of a prominent Chicago record label found an old 45 of our original music at a record convention, and informed us that he wanted to release an album of our music."

Brown and her husband reformed the band for a two-year tour, where they were able to play for a new, younger audience. Today, Brown and her husband play in assisted living facilities, combining her nursing background with the fulfillment she gets from playing comforting tunes.

The duo performing at an assisted living facility.

"We were amazed to see people with dementia and other physical and mental handicaps singing right along with our music and even dancing," she says. "We weren't prepared for the bonds we would create with the residents and staff, and how our music would impact them so positively."

Brown says they get paid around $360 a month to play gigs, and they have no plans to hang up their guitars any time soon.

"I never got standing ovations as a nurse," she says. "We will continue to play our music until we can no longer play."

Side gig: Artist and craft class instructor

Carol Gee teaching a class at her local library.

Side gigs can be an opportunity for retirees to share passions, hobbies and necessary skills with others, something Carol Gee discovered after turning an interest in arts and crafts into a fulfilling post-professional calling.

A former teacher, Gee now teaches a "Trash to Treasures" class at the local library, teaching people how to make home decor. She also sells her own creations at pop-up markets and shops, though like many other retirees, this income is secondary to the joy she gets from sharing with her community.

"I have always done crafts to relax, but a chance conversation with a librarian at my neighborhood library morphed teaching others how to transform items people typically throw in the trash into beautiful and useful home decor," Gee says. "I frequently teach my classes for free, as a service to my community and for my own gratification, as I love it."

Gee says class participants often remark on how beneficial crafting is for their mental health — something Gee gets to experience first-hand, too.

"With a husband with several chronic health issues, my creative outlets help me to exhale for a couple hours, several days a week," she says. "Moreover, 'doing something to help their mental health' is one of the reasons my attendees say they attend my fun classes."

Whether fun, fulfilling or for a financial boost, a side gig is an important way to prove that life goes on beyond a 9-to-5, Taha says.

"These side gigs can be a testament to the idea that one's value and contributions to society don't have an expiration date," he says. "Some may never want to stop because their work is now intertwined with their joy."