25 Best Jobs for Boomers

Attention baby boomers - If you're not ready to spend the rest of your life golfing, traveling or doing anything else that comes after retirement, good news awaits -- you don't have to. Today's retirees are defying the stereotypes that surround retirement by changing careers, rather than ending them. ) K4 \( C4 B, m7 M- _/ p9 k
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Clarence "Nic" Nicodemus, 64, is living proof. At the ripe age of 61, Nicodemus graduated from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM) and was preparing for a one-year internship, according to a 2004 press release from Michigan State University. Nicodemus joined COM at age 57, after spending a decade teaching classes and doing orthopedic research at the University of Texas. He said going to med school was the next logical step in his career and a lifelong dream.
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"I feel like I can relate to patients of any age," he said. "A patient can bring up any subject -- grandchildren or a death in the family or a disease in the family -- and I can relate to them."; q; s! P! m( O) |1 f
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Like Nicodemus, many baby boomers - the chunk of our population born in 1946 through 1964 - haven't been able to work in highly fulfilling jobs. Working lackluster, draining, even hazardous jobs just to bring home a paycheck was the norm for boomers just trying to get by. But times, they are a changin'.
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3 N& U+ _1 v+ c5 b) o"The chances are good that you [baby boomers] are better able than at any time previously to choose work that will be fulfilling," Michael Farr and Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D. write in their new book, "225 Best Jobs for Baby Boomers." For reasons that vary from being under less financial stress to being able to consider part-time work for the first time, boomers now have the option of making another career move instead of retiring.2 ]6 {0 C$ n9 K. T! R7 \; q& q
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Farr and Shatkin analyzed data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to formulate lists of jobs with a high percentage of baby boomers -- specifically, the jobs for which 40 percent of the workforce is age 45 or older. The jobs listed had the best combination of high salaries, fast growth and ample job openings. 6 E1 j- J% I* K9 u/ M' U% b

" C: g5 N( Q; T; BOf the 225 jobs highlighted in the book, here are the 25 best of the best according to Farr and Shatkin.1 X$ B' G" S# b
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Management Analysts
; a7 A: \( n; ]What they make: $67,800
& N( d0 D/ K2 g! [" _# h* k6 J9 T: XProjected annual openings: 78,000
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- a( o9 Q6 _/ ?! I" zTeachers, Postsecondary$ L4 J1 Z" A2 n. s, Z
What they make: $66,000  r8 \2 H" ^  ^2 F8 o% t
Projected annual openings: 216,000
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5 U7 k3 b" B9 Z4 V0 s3 cLogisticians
; P+ s1 P) G; b1 H& pWhat they make: $56,300/ I& r0 D) R2 l4 A& v9 u
Projected annual openings: 162,000
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General and Operations Managers) \, q' v6 K7 E
What they make: $68,700
( z) O. w, Y2 r4 r( @$ H. mProjected annual openings: 260,000
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Registered Nurses+ n0 @8 R: }, h0 Z' D; X- v: j% w
What they make: $58,600. a# \' u6 D0 J2 D6 X4 G" k: L6 }
Projected annual openings: 215,000% Y1 I7 J7 f8 q  p& g$ r
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Anesthesiologists  R* B1 Y4 Q% }7 G% Q: t1 r
What they make: $250,200
* g- x1 E) B. l2 n6 RProjected annual openings: 38,0001 s! H; S- E, o2 F$ t! o4 S
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General Internists2 G) }) d! N0 Y8 y/ V9 j
What they make: $152,700# D. p/ I( b+ \4 ?; N4 }& ~- `/ |9 c* O
Projected annual openings: 38,0001 [2 g+ L/ O: N3 H9 L
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Obstetricians and Gynecologists( L. Q% D0 y1 k9 L! P  H! M
What they make: $193,500
, ]& L  K, A/ ?( L3 x- GProjected annual openings: 38,000; D! C4 q+ j- L/ V9 n8 m3 `

) T( i3 Y2 l# r( Z  t8 [Psychiatrists5 M/ A& P& B2 \
What they make: $140,200' h/ Z1 F( t1 P/ a* N1 {8 S
Projected annual openings: 38,000
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, ?3 C3 J* f8 i: ^; z% ZSurgeons
' `" U* w, J1 I- KWhat they make: $198,200
7 ~9 d  i  c2 m- _Projected annual openings: 38,000
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Family and General Practitioners
$ o/ r) U, n! P7 t( gWhat they make: $131,000. i( c# Z( z8 {* }% u9 w, \
Projected annual openings: 38,0006 ?+ \. C$ s& z

# @. a7 G; ~& E4 KGeneral Pediatricians
' t" U% h6 K# U/ D, UWhat they make: $128,300
+ \, F) |+ @( m' T& {4 U& ~5 T$ TProjected annual openings: 38,000
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Medical and Health Services Managers1 ?, Y' C) G1 W9 _5 R
What they make: $75,000$ E1 D' G- g0 J) e- T
Projected annual openings: 33,000
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. E# o+ x! U5 z5 iFinancial Managers, Branch or Department* H8 [- o5 Z9 B& G
What they make: $73,600
* q/ V4 o( t7 W* Z, t5 t$ mProjected annual openings: 71,000
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Treasurers, Controllers and Chief Financial Officers
' Y) }: i* \: k* k/ YWhat they make:$95,200-$119,700
) G! T  j4 Y! d$ }4 a9 v! o% S  OProjected annual openings: 71,0005 g% n  `9 b4 y' @
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Chief Executives6 s& H$ F7 t2 S, `* T5 ]- V) w, M
What they make: $168,100
8 B; k0 g' g- S+ hProjected annual openings: 63,0004 B) L' F  R- K

$ ]% P( a. p/ \/ DGovernment Service Executives
1 N% p. Z4 j( N) AWhat they make: $72,9009 h1 r7 i: v* a
Projected annual openings: 63,000& P6 M/ G3 W) H6 @  O  u  T5 _7 z

: u; O4 P% z& |: M- b5 l* N9 [; WPrivate Sector Executives; z; Y' U; |0 ?# X  [6 ]
What they make: $113,000-$123,600$ j9 S5 U, X/ v9 z
Projected annual openings: 63,000
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, e0 S$ D2 s; X* ]Pharmacists1 a1 ]* u) F; |1 m, _7 Z" `1 j' ]0 o
What they make: $93,600! r0 t% z3 Z" e7 B' N; ]
Projected annual openings: 23,000# L4 ]' ~  I' b3 b. S9 h# C- c' x
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Lawyers
* M0 g# j  e, ~, O8 ]4 b) ~. wWhat they make: $110,200# e" B5 r) Y$ |: w6 D. F% k3 X
Projected annual openings: 53,000
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: Y) ]! {% A8 E2 G/ h' H$ p7 ]3 YEducation Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School
/ n  i2 c  P$ L% {& _What they make: $59,8001 k/ k! C0 m8 `7 S' y0 L0 ]7 s9 q8 R3 Y
Projected annual openings: 31,0005 O( Z/ _! f: j7 [3 M
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Administrative Services Managers$ d9 I3 f' F1 v8 G" m
What they make: $41,100
/ E* F4 ]9 b, K; O/ S# ?Projected annual openings: 40,0005 V# p& G4 J  E( D; I% c

8 S& t& V4 F- i4 rSales Representatives, Agricultural
& r: |* r. }; q# A& J% `( G' gWhat they make: $60,900* (wholesale and manufacturing)
7 V7 {' y* }8 p. j. b' V  hProjected annual openings: 44,000
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Sales Representatives, Chemical and Pharmaceutical
+ C1 `+ c' b' I! [: F' b9 s: LWhat they make: $90,700
3 [" l) _* @) l* Q% Z4 aProjected annual openings: 44,0009 T; {( n3 ^9 E) P0 _4 q

2 I. Z! T  R" o' ^Sales Representatives, Electrical/Electronic
* D" z5 ~% o8 a+ x' [. YWhat they make: $81,600
: P$ b0 m8 h3 Z4 V4 F4 R# eProjected annual openings: 44,000
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; Q) Y/ V  }3 A- T/ RSalary data provided by PayScale.com for CBsalary.com.- \5 m8 g$ b; e& _2 F" v+ H
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All salaries are total cash compensation: includes bonus, profit share, commission, and base salary, but does not include equity compensation. Salaries are for experienced (>5 years) employees: pay varies substantially with experience for all positions. Salaries are for experienced (>5 years) employees: pay varies substantially with experience for all positions. For executives, pay varies widely based on scope of responsibility: company size, budget managed, etc. Salaries above are typical for small- to medium-sized companies (20-200 employees).