Boomer Who Doesn’t Want To Retire Applies To 100 Jobs A Day Because It’s ‘Therapeutic’
"It's become this weird treasure hunt for me. Each time I try to stop doing it, I go, 'Well, now I have nothing to hope for.'"
RDNE Stock project | Pexels It seems baby boomers are choosing to spend most of their later years still in the workforce, much to the despair of younger generations trying to establish their careers. One boomer in particular, 65-year-old Scott Thomas, penned an essay for Business Insider, claiming that the idea of retirement is not something he wants to subscribe to; instead, he spends most of his days actively seeking more work.
It's hard to imagine not wanting to retire. It's what we all work towards after all. But boomers in particular are choosing to stay in their jobs, and for some, they don't really have a choice.
A boomer who doesn't want to retire said he applies to 100 jobs a day because it's 'therapeutic.'
Andrea Piacquadio | Shutterstock
"I spend about four to six hours a day completing job applications. It's become this weird treasure hunt for me. Each time I try to stop doing it, I go, 'Well, now I have nothing to hope for,'" Thomas admitted to Business Insider.
He explained that every single day, he has this drive to keep on searching for jobs, and it's gotten to the point where he has 75 to 100 emails filled with job postings. Every morning, Thomas will go through his inbox, and by the time he's done, he's cleared it out and applied to 100 more jobs. He admitted that it gives him FOMO to see job listings on his computer and not apply.
"I can't retire. I lost my businesses just before the pandemic. I owned two fitness centers. I basically have already used my retirement money, and now I have to go back to work during everyone else's retirement. My buddies say, 'Oh, I just retired.' I'm like, 'Well, I'm going back to work for the next 15 years,'" he continued.
The boomer admitted he doesn't have 'any capital left,' which is why he has to keep working.
Unfortunately, Thomas isn't the only boomer who can't afford to retire. According to a report from the National Council on Aging (NCOA), millions of older adults remain financially insecure.
Over 19 million (45%) older adult households do not have the income needed to cover basic living costs based on cost-of-living data from the Elder Index. And 80%, or about 34 million households, are unable to weather a major life change such as widowhood, serious illness, or the need for long-term care.
Similarly, according to the Pew Research Center, the number of those who have continued to work past 65 has quadrupled since the 1980s. Almost 20% of Americans 65 and older are employed, nearly double the share of those who were working 35 years ago.
"Applying is therapeutic. Otherwise, you can fall into a deep depression with this number of rejections. I've tried to be fearless about keeping going. It's part insanity and part ambition. I think now I'm going for the world record," Thomas said. "Not many people have done the two things I've done: One is not getting a job, and the other is not giving up."
The reality is that many boomers not only can't afford to retire, but they are choosing to continue to work even when they don't have to. For some, it's not even about the paycheck but the purpose.
But the problem is that it's not giving younger generations, like millennials and Gen Z, the opportunity to rise through the ranks. Instead, they're stuck in place, waiting for the boomers to finally retire and pass the baton.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
