International Communication’s Research 2006 telephone survey, conducted on behalf of AARP, queried 800 boomers born in 1946 and asked them about their thoughts on turning 60! Here’s what the new 60 year-old respondent’s said about work: 54% were still working. And, 54% of those still working planned to quit as soon as possible but 37% planned to work “until they dropped.” 14% of those not working planned to go back to work in the next few years.

Hope those who need (or want) to work plan ahead! The likelihood of working later in life takes planning and action not wishful thinking. As the late Johnny Carson once said: “Talent alone won't make you a success. Neither will being in the right place at the right time, unless you are ready. The most important question is: Are you ready?”

It is time to plan… to act… to create! If you want to work “then” – you must plan “now.”

Or, to continue musing in my own late autumn frame of mind, I recall a conversation with Goethe who said to me: “An unused life is an early death.” I agree with my old pal, Johann.

Use yourself up… Do some meaningful work. Life is much more interesting when you do!

In the autumn of their lives, and by the year 2010, mature workers will make up nearly 25 percent of the work force.

As the fastest-growing age group, people over 50 are playing an important role in the economy, a vital trend if employers are to avoid shortages in the pool of available qualified workers. As more Americans remain active into their 70s and (some) into their 80s, it has become harder to justify forcing them into retirement.

It may be September, in your much longer lifetime, but opportunity still knocks. Do any of the following jobs appeal to you? Why ask yourself this question about these particular jobs? Because, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that these 10 occupations will add the most new jobs between 2004 and 2014:

Retail sales, 736,000 new jobs
Registered nurses, 703,000
Postsecondary Teachers, 524,000
Customer service representatives, 471,000
Janitors, 440,000
Waitpersons, 376,000
Food preparation and serving, 367,000
Home health aides, 350,000
Nursing aides, 325,000
General and operations managers, 308,000