Cool Jobs for Encore Hustlers

One of the great things about planning to be an encore hustler that we do not necessarily need to be  bound by what we did in our "real" career.  Also, not all encore hustles have to be limited to the sharing economy jobs, or "gig" jobs, that always come to mind: Lyft, Uber, TaskRabbit, PostMates, etc. Instead, we can let our imagination flitter across the possibilities that are there for the taking only if we have the courage to try them.

For example, would you jump at the chance to work on a cruise ship in exchange to free accommodations and a small salary?  The cruise industry is booming, with 13 new ocean going ships were launched in 2018 alone. Name a niche or interest and the cruise industry tries to cater to it.  Many cruise ships are virtual floating cities and they need armies of people to work these ships as photographers, nurses, shop personnel and instructors for crafts, bridge and golf. There is also my personal favorite gentlemen hosts hired to be dance and social partners for woman passengers.

If cruising is not to your liking how about being a caretaker of luxury houses on an island on the Australian Great Barrier Reef?  Check out this article about Bedarra Island that is advertising for a caretaker to maintain a cluster of seven luxury vacation homes while the owners are off island.  In exchange you will receive $450 a week and a one bedroom cabin.  The 15-hour work weeks should allow you plenty of time to enjoy the pristine beaches and tropical rainforest the island is known for.

Another great site to check out for the outdoor enthusiast is the Older and Bolder section of CoolWorks.com which goes by the motto If You Rest, You Rust! Spend a minutes pursuing scores of jobs that range from Grand Denali Lodge in Alaska, Mt. Rainier Park in Washington and the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and imagine nights spend under a dome of stars and clear mountain streams waiting for you to drop a fishing line.

One of the activities I love to indulge in when visiting new cities or historical sites is taking tours.  Well, have you considered working the other side of the microphone and being a tour guide yourself? Imagine having a captive audience that will pay to listen to you tell stories and appreciate your vast trove of trivia. It is true that many tour guides are unpaid volunteers  but there are thousands of paid positions that are just a Google search away.  For example, I did a quick search on Indeed.com and found part-time tour guide jobs at the New York Power Authority, the City of Aurora (CO) Naturalist Program, the Minnesota Historical Society and the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston.  I am sure that there are similar opportunities where you live.

Over the last few years I have met many people who have pursued cool encore careers.  It takes planning, guts and a dream, and I'm giving a thumbs up and a hurrah to:

• The Air Canada pilot who now owns a beachfront hotel in Honduras
• The steel mill scheduler who took a buyout package to join the Texas Seniors golf tour
• The Wendy's shift manager who is now a flight attendant on a regional airline in California
• The engineer who started his own wine label in the Columbia Valley in Washington state
• The university professor who runs a coffee business in Shanghai
• The procurement manager who retired to join a Search and Rescue team in Bend, Oregon

If you have encore career or are planning to take the leap I would love to know more about it.  Please contact me at Mr.EH@encorehustle.com and share your story.

Happy Hustling!