Retirement no longer means what it meant to our parents. According to T. Rowe Price, about 20% of retirees are working part- or full-time, and the trend likely will continue. According to some analyses, as many as 82% of Americans expect to continue working past age 65…52% plan to work after retirement…and 42% envision a “phased retirement,” where they roll off their full-time job onto something different.

Finding a perfect post-retirement job is different from job hunts you’ve done in the past. On the positive side, when we reach retirement, most of us are done raising our kids and have more elbow room to find fulfilling work. But on the negative side, ageism is a real thing. Some employers will doubt your long-term commitment, question your comfort with technology or wonder how you will fit in with the younger workers.

Here’s how to approach finding work as a retiree, along with some ideas for fulfilling, or lucrative jobs for senior citizens.

Do Some Self-Assessment

Before you start searching for retirement jobs, ask yourself a few important questions…

What is your financial situation?

Are you looking for work because you can’t survive without the additional income? Will you be working for health-care benefits while you wait to reach Medicare eligibility?

What is your family situation?

Will your spouse still be working or perhaps trying to live a retirement lifestyle while you remain anchored to a job? Are you taking care of elderly parents? Expected to babysit grandkids?

What does your heart tell you?

This can’t be overemphasized, since purpose and passion are enormous motivators. Within the context of the answers you gave to the first two questions, where does your mind go when you let yourself dream about how you’d like to spend your days? For some, this means simplicity after a career of hustle. For others, it means starting their own business. Some seek the kind of fulfillment that comes from work that gives back to the community. Some want to try something they always thought they’d be good at, while others want to continue working in the field they always have, just on different terms.

Combating Ageism

The best way to circumvent discrimination is to job-hunt within your network. Former colleagues…even from decades ago…view you not as an age, but as a whole person and worker. They’re a great resource for finding work and not just in your old field.

A World of Opportunities

Any list of best jobs for senior citizens is going to be woefully incomplete, because the possibilities are endless and dependent on your own purpose and passion. There are lots of approaches to take as you brainstorm opportunities, but one way to think about it is to break post-retirement career choices down into the following categories…

  • Same job, just different. If you aren’t burned out on your career, you probably have the lowest barriers to entry and the highest earning potential by staying with it as a consultant, freelancer or part-timer.
  • Starting a business. This may be something you’ve never tried before, or it could be related to your main career. Someone who retired from an accounting job might open a tax-preparation shop. Someone retiring from financial services who has always wanted to get his hands dirty might buy a carwash. Or a retired schoolteacher might purchase a house-cleaning, fast-food or convenience-store franchise.
  • Part-time and gig work. If you just need to pay the bills or secure benefits, why not look for work in retail or the gig economy? Becoming a barista at Starbucks, being a cashier in a clothing store, driving a school bus or Uber, substitute teaching or tutoring, freelance writing—all of these are ways to pull in income, and they might be refreshingly different than the way you’ve spent your career.
  • Quirky, fun and fulfilling. For people who are financially secure and seeking work that will simply be interesting or provide them with social opportunities, the world is their oyster, especially since ageism is less of a factor in many of these areas. There are part-time jobs for retirees as bartenders, bookstore workers, ushers, greeters, umpires or referees, tour guides, fitness trainers, gift-shop employees, dog walkers, security guards, shuttle drivers, museum docents—the list truly does go on forever.

If finding the right path after retirement feels overwhelming, talk to a retirement coach. They can help you with your self-assessment and guide you toward jobs that are a good fit for you.

You might even decide that you’re done working forever, in which case, good for you! Your retirement should be exactly what you want it to be, whether that means finding fulfillment in your hobbies or your work.

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