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Indians aged 60 and above need not contemplate a life of inactivity and declining economic opportunity as the twilight years begin to stretch ahead of them. To those who have just turned 60, a time when they are at their professional prime, and still physically capable of doing everything they did from when they were in their twenties right till the present time, the decades ahead might appear quite disconcerting.
Yet, they are or at least can be on the cusp of the most fulfilling and satisfying time of their lives- both personally and professionally. With their children all grown up and settled, their loans repaid and their finances in top shape, they can for the first time in their lives prioritise themselves, with their no longer having to make sacrifices and delay gratification on account of familial reasons.
Besides, age is literally a number these days, with many sixty-year-olds being fitter than those in their forties and even younger. The advent of the digital age has opened a world of opportunity, both from the point of view of leisure and work, for those just entering the world of seniors.
This article concerns itself with the latter by listing out the side gigs that Indians aged 60 and above can take up to make a fair bit of money on the side in their golden years.
- Content Creation
People aged 60 and above can share a world of knowledge and insight about matters like finance, investment, travel, business ideas, philosophy, religion, raising children, managing relationships, buying and selling property, cuisine, fashion, and what have you. They can write blogs and books or come out with podcasts and YouTube videos about areas that interest them, hobbies they are passionate about and fields of expertise they specialise in, and create a lucrative income stream for themselves.
2. Consultancy
People aged 60 and above have decades of experience behind them, which they can leverage by offering their unique expertise to businesses that can benefit from their deep insights. This can prove to be a very highly paying proposition, given that corporates are willing to pay very well for advice which helps them enhance their business prospects in a substantial fashion. Online platforms like Wisdom Circle, SCOPE (Senior Citizen Opportunities for Productive Engagement), and Flexing IT provide myriad consulting opportunities to senior professionals seeking consultancy projects and gigs.
From finance & accounting and business & management to healthcare, technology & IT, and taxation, there are consulting opportunities galore for senior professionals aged 60 and above.
3. Online Tutoring
Those with the requisite skills can go online and teach academic subjects or impart professional skills on platforms like Urban Pro, Chegg and Vedantu, making a fair amount of money in the process. What is great about this is the fact that it doesn’t require much by way of investment to get started.
4. Creative Home-Based Businesses
If you are a senior with creative skills like painting, woodwork or carrying out other kinds of craftwork, you can both indulge in your passion and make money on the side by selling your work on sites like Facebook, Etsy India and Amazon Karigar.
Another lucrative business opportunity lies in the home-cooked food space for those with a yen for cooking. Young professionals across urban India are increasingly turning to home-cooked food tiffin services, instead of eating restaurant food, which is often quite unhealthy. Food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato can be tied up with through their home-chef arrangement to take care of the operations and business parts of this home-based setup.
5. Tour Guide
India’s cities and towns are a treasure trove of history and culture. If you are a senior with intellectual inclinations and love the history and heritage of the city and town you live in, you could get yourself registered as a local guide and help conduct heritage walks or walking tours. This would help you get more intimately acquainted with the past of your city, as well as help others discover it. While keeping you occupied in an interesting avocation, it would also earn you a fair income.
Conclusion
Indians who have made it to 60 are in a great position to embark on yet another successful innings in their lives, both personally and professionally. With longevity on the rise and the ability to live a fairly active life for at least another two decades, there is no reason why the years ahead cannot be the happiest and most fulfilling ever. The advent of the digital age has made it possible for seniors to both connect with the world at the click of a mouse and avail of a fairly large number of economic opportunities. Life at 60 and beyond was never better
