Post-retirement work for fun

secretwealth · Post by **secretwealth** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:36 am

I'm looking for ideas of part-time jobs to do after retirement for fun and profit.
It may sound weird, but I have fantasized about working in a cafe for over a decade. This may be because I socialized a lot in coffeeshops in the 90s before the internet made social interaction obsolete.
What other fun, part-time jobs are there to do to fill up some time and provide a social outlet?

DividendGuy · Post by **DividendGuy** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:19 am

I've often thought that I'd like to work at a beach side resort. Maybe some kind of tiki bar or cabana or something. It'd be fun to be by the beach all day long and getting a chance to socialize. The pay, at that point, wouldn't matter.

aussierogue · Post by **aussierogue** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:22 am

hollywood extra

gawping · Post by **gawping** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:38 am

I've thought about starting an apprenticeship in welding/carpentry/something more exotic, becoming an interpreter in Southeast Asia somewhere, driving a truck, horticulture, bartending at some dive bar, postman...

mikeBOS · Post by **mikeBOS** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:34 am

I've always thought crafting something in a home workshop would be fairly enjoyable work. -Like carved wooden furniture, or piano building, or luthiering.
I met a guy once who lives near my parent's house who makes birch-bark canoes for a living. He harvests the birch from public forests and builds them in his yard. They're beautiful and he can demand a good price for them.

m741 · Post by **m741** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:32 pm

Two things that appeal to me:
One is doing the exact type of work I did before retirement, but just on a part-time basis. There's a huge difference in quality of life between working 20 hours a week and 55 hours a week. In retirement it's also possible to basically quit or telecommute for a long time. I enjoy programming after all, but I just don't like doing it all day every day in a stressful environment.
Another is working as a cook/waiter. I wouldn't mind working for minimum wage if it was part-time and I was learning how to cook a cuisine I enjoy, such as Thai or Indian. I think these places are usually looking for a few people who have fluent, unaccented English.

GandK · Post by **GandK** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:16 pm

I've written short stories and novels since I was old enough to hold a pencil. Once I'm ERE, I'd like to throw all my time and energy behind writing and see if I can get published.
That wouldn't provide me with a social outlet unless I go write in a cafe, but it's my dream.
I could see G maybe picking up some FINRA licenses and becoming an investment adviser.

FrugalZen · Post by **FrugalZen** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 4:59 pm

Really it comes down to what your hobbies are...meaning things you enjoy doing that you don't get paid for.
When you are FI and don't HAVE to work it makes a big difference in your attitude...and employers notice.
Im my case I Drive a Bus for a very large company...gets me out of the house and I enjoy the socialization with the (same) people I cart around every day and the interaction with my fellow employees.
The senior management knows I don't have to work like the rest of the drivers and because I do my job diligently and show up when I say I will I truly believe I'm cut a lot more slack than the others are.
They have an Annualized Employee Turnover Rate of nearly 120% (in a 11% unemployement market yet) but because I'm FI I can ignore most of the BS that the others have to put up with.
And I have to admit since I don't have to play the office politics game its a lot of fun to stick my oar in and "Stir The Pot" and see what floats to the surface....it can be very entertaining watching the Ants when you've turned the Anthill over...

S · Post by S » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:27 pm

I'd like to be a dog trainer or perhaps just a professional handler. I could also see doing a market garden or hobby farm sort of thing. Both of those are things I already enjoy at home on a smaller scale.

LiquidSapphire · Post by **LiquidSapphire** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:37 pm

I'm pondering this for myself too. Something I can do 10-20 hours per week, get out of the house, be around great people. If I could find a job working at a nonprofit I care about I would probably do that. I have also considered working at a board game store. I have a personal dream where I'd like to fund spay/neuter for all domestic pets city-wide (and maybe expand further one day). Make it free, no questions asked. I'm a terrible salesperson/fundraiser but maybe that. What are you really passionate about?

Eliza · Post by **Eliza** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 5:48 pm

I've been seriously considering piecing together some part-time opportunities once I've reached FI. I'd love to be able build a little buffer and get some perks that will allow me to do expensive things I love (TRAVEL!).
I'm thinking a part-time job with an airline (maybe flight attendant....maybe gate agent). I spend WAY too much on personal travel as it is -- even with using travel hacking techniques. I'm either going to have to raise my retirement budget by a ton or find a way to drastically cut the costs of jetsetting. I dont' see myself ever giving up the travel habit.
And even though it is utterly commercial and completely the antithesis of ERE, I sort of LOVE Disney World. But, you can work for Disney as a "seasonal" employee for 80 hours per year and get a free season pass and other park priveleges...so I might do that too.

akratic · Post by **akratic** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:18 pm

My current dream is to work for Khan Academy after I "retire".

palmera · Post by **palmera** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:45 pm

-famous novelist

-bartender/cocktail waitress

-helping my friends producing their films
I'm pretty much doing those right now, PLUS the full-time 9-5. I always fantasize about only focusing on the writing thing, and the bartending thing would keep me social and pays my expenses.

chenda · Post by **chenda** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 7:43 pm

Art, I want to become a competent oil painter. I've loads of subject ideas, I just need to learn the technical skills. I might make some money from it, and I would try for some commercial success, but it would'nt matter either way once I'm FI.

flyer2009 · Post by **flyer2009** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:20 pm

As an INTJ I want to socialize less rather than more, so I can't comment on that part but upon FI I'd like to explore woodworking (crafts), write & publish more (I do some now but my brain is mush after 9 hrs at work), gardening, travel, and part time language or technology instruction.

George the original one · Tue Nov 22, 2011 10:13 pm

"Work for fun" ideas that have appeal to me after retirement:

1) Camp host (Forest Service, BLM, and Oregon all have programs)

2) Creel/spawning survey (Oregon and US Fish & Game)

3) Farm market stall

4) Library or bookstore
I'd do these if I needed a change of pace or just pocket change... notice how they are part-time or seasonal.

tac · Post by **tac** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:11 pm

I currently do some freelance writing which is semi-profitable. I'll probably start spending some more time on that as I currently have way more ideas for cool writing projects than I have time to spend on executing them.
I spent a summer working as a receptionist and I'd actually rather like being a PT receptionist in a nice office environment--it provides some social interaction and the work is not especially demanding (in my previous position I was actually able to spend a lot of time reading on the job, nice!).
Tutoring is another potential money maker, though I think I would rather spend that kind of time volunteering than making $$$ but having to deal with spoiled entitled brats.

gawping · Post by **gawping** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 12:42 am

I've always wanted to work in a library too. Might require a bit of paid study but I think it'd be worth it.

carpe_diem · Post by **carpe_diem** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 1:08 am

Many things to try out! One of the things I enjoy is running an organisation / a cause, so anything from politics (in a part of the world where this is not too equal to business lobbying) to NGO to small relaxed entrepreneurship would be a pleasurable very-part time, which hopefully would also be socially helfpful

Post by **jacob** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:15 am

Something that ideally involves NO marketing, NO politics, NO support services, NO repetition, NO proposals, and NO managing [of people]. Also, ideally, progress would be measurable, have a clear separation between the person and the product, involve a considerable amount of research or learning, benefit from efficiency and strategy, and involve numbers, programming, or some other hard non-fakeable skill.