We have been interested in health span and life span here for some time. There is another span though that needs attention, and that is wealth span. There is something not quite right with the math that says one can work for 40 years and then be fully retired for another 40 years. Maybe that works out, but maybe it doesn’t. There probably needs to be a rethink around the whole concept of retirement. We are not suggesting that we have the answer, as there really isn’t any single answer for everyone’s circumstance, just as there is not a simple health solution for each individual circumstance.
One thing that has come up on our radar is the surprising mismatch between supply (not enough) and demand (vast and growing) of skilled tech people- especially in the now expanding areas of blockchain and Web 3.0. What does this have to do with retiring? Well say you want to move to Portugal, live near the beach, still want a good income, and only work a few days a week? Maybe think about learning a programming language, especially around blockchain. You can go to an online school, it will take you some weeks or months of work part-time, and you will be able to write your own ticket. Programming is a language skill, just like French. There is no math involved. It can be done anywhere. It pays quite well, and if you are living in a low-cost country your USA-level income will go even further.
One of the benefits of this massive supply/demand mismatch is that the companies could not care less, about what your age, gender, physicality, or the location you are in. They just need people who can do the work- pure meritocracy. Can you learn something like this? Absolutely, if you want to. You don’t have to be impoverished making sand candles for the tourists. You can make bank, if this sort of gig is your jam.
I co-hosted an event at WITI, Women in Technology Intertional, today with around 60 women mostly ages 45-81, and they were fired up. Web 3.0. Virtual Reality, anything to do with blockchain…game on. Imagine getting involved with the Internet in 1990 and working for Amazon or Apple back then. That is what this is like, except now, you can work anywhere you want if you have the skill set. Then you can fund almost any life you want. All this makes us wonder, what are the other new opportunities out there that we have yet to consider that could help one earn a good and satisfying income which one could do for a long time to come? The world is changing fast, opportunities abound, we just need to see them within the framework of the present and future, not the past. If you’re interested in learning more, we put together a document of Current Technology Career Resources.
Onward and upward,
David
