- Andrew Middleton, 65, is not ready to quit working anytime soon.
- The dad of three juggles consulting, mentoring, working as a TV extra, and wedding registrar.
- He plans to work until at least 80 and runs “I’m Not Done Yet,” a support group for older adults.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Andrew Middleton, 65, of Southern England. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I don’t have a conventional retirement model. My father, who worked as a social worker, became a carpenter in later life. He was a wood-turner well into his 80s.
At 76, My grandfather was still an”office messenger boy.” He’d run up and down London delivery parcels.
It had quite an impact on me. Now that I’m 65, I have no intention of slowing down. Sometimes, people say that I’m a boomer with the mentality of a millennial. I don’t disagree with that.
My motto is, “Have fun. Get Paid. Do some good.” I no longer earn $160,000 a year in the corporate world — I worked for American Express and British Airways before entering the charity sector — but I make enough to get by on top of my investments.
At the moment, I’m doing some consultancy work on reviving my local town center. My side hustles include paid and unpaid mentoring and officiating marriages as a registrar. I’ve also done work as an extra in films.
I mentor younger people
One of my motivations is proving people wrong. A friend my age was made redundant from a finance position in London. He’d been quite a decent, professional manager but wound up working at a supermarket.
“There are no good, interesting jobs for those over 60 because you can’t get them due to ageism,” he told me. I thought for a moment. “I’m sure there are,” I said. It’s a case of knowing where to look and using your background to your advantage.
I became a wedding registrar after seeing the position advertised in the newspaper. I’m employed by the government and bring experience to the role. People typically don’t want to be married by someone in their early 20s.
Public speaking comes easily to me. For example, I don’t have a problem addressing 100 people at a hotel. Skills like effective communication never go away.
It’s one of the things about which I offer advice as a mentor. I’m mentoring a radio presenter in his 20s for no charge. It’s rewarding. He doesn’t see me as an old fogey and values my input after 46 years in various professions.
I founded a digital support group for like-minded older people
As for the extra work, I joke that my biggest role was “man walking past church.” My second best role was “man pushing supermarket cart.” I meet interesting people and operate at my own pace.
I’m much happier pulling the strings I want to pull rather than having them pulled for me.
There are a lot of mature, like-minded people out there. I set up an online networking group, I’m Not Done Yet, of 100 members who are all over 50. Some are in their late 70s. They share my philosophy; we have much to offer in our second careers, and enjoy the challenge.
Meanwhile, I keep myself in shape by regularly exercising on the treadmill and following a vegetarian diet. I’m healthy, and if I continue on the right track, I feel like I have more than 15 good years as a worker in front of me.
Do you have an interesting story about working in later life that you’d like to share with Business Insider? Please send details to jridley@businessinsider.com
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