Plan for your retirement career

 No matter what the circumstances, it always seems that people accept the next available job offer. Whether they are just tired of the current job or jump at the first higher offer, it never fails to amaze me. As a result, at the age of 55 or so, people are finding that they are working another job that they hate with no chance for starting a new career and little chance of getting on with a company that offers great retirement benefits.

Put a stop to it

Now is the time to take a stance and put a stop to the endless rollover of one job after another. Now is the time to start planning for a career that you want to work at until you retire. Whether you are 20 or 50, you have got to start sometime and now is as good a time as any.

Look at what you want to do

First off, decide what it is that you want to do. If you want to sell pencils or drive a taxi in the Virgin Islands, so be it. If you want to count beans or be an IT geek, go for it. No matter what you are doing now, decide what you would like to do tomorrow. Decide on a career that you think you could do until retirement.

Assess your skills

Once you decide on your career, assess your skill set to see if you qualify. If you are already working in your chosen field then you are one step ahead. If not, you need to figure out how to get the necessary skills. Go ahead and start working towards attaining the necessary skills by signing up for training, finishing college or taking a lower position in a company that will provide the necessary skills.

You may need to re-invent yourself at your current job to get a promotion. Or, you may need to start looking for another job to help you get where you want to be. While one company may offer the skills you need to attain, they may not offer the benefits you need to support your family. Make changes accordingly while continuously providing for your basic needs.

Assess your current situation

If you actually do want to sell pencils in the Virgin Islands then you need to

About the author:

Scott Brown is the author of the Job Search Handbook (http://www.JobSearchHandb ook.com). As editor of the HireSites.com weekly newsletter on job searching, Scott has written many articles on the subject. He wrote the Job Search Handbook to provide job seekers with a complete yet easy to use guide to finding a job effectively.

 Scott Brown

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