As for my last resort list, I put those jobs that would mean things have gotten so dire, I'm considering having to move in with my 76-year-old mother. These include any job that involves a toilet brush, answering a phone, or being cheerful 24/7. That pretty much nixes all customer service occupations and working for Disney. I prefer jobs where my consternation over having to work until I have one foot in the grave won't be inflicted on any innocent children.
I do believe, however, that being able to choose to work until whatever age you decide you want to stop is close to a human right. My previously mentioned mother still does some paid work. The former colleague who called me confessed that most of the reason she's looking for work is because "there's only so much gardening you can do." The truth is, work gives us purpose and gratification, and aging doesn't lessen our need for being a useful member of society. And there are tangible benefits that fewer and fewer of us can afford to have without a job that helps ease the burden.
I hope to hold onto my job for as long as they let me keep it. I hope I'm the one who delivers the news that I'm moving on to new experiences and happily relinquish my position to an ideological young person who will work really, really hard, but feel as if their work matters. I hope the next chapter of my work life is by my design, and not the result of greed, economic necessity, or an unreformed health care system that forces me to choose between food and insurance premiums. Actually, it seems like I need to start a new list: this one I'll call my "everything-works-out-my-way" list. For starters, I'll never have to take a job that requires me to wear a uniform and ask, "Would you like Mild, Medium, or Hot Sauce with that?"
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