Job programs can help you find work during the pandemic

There are other ways than going back to college to sharpen job appeal. New York–based Older Adults Technology Services teaches tech skills at more than 100 partner locations and has spun off

“Senior Planet” centers in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, upstate New York, Denver, San Antonio, Palo Alto, California, and elsewhere. Young hiring managers want to know that

candidates for jobs will take direction and are technologically proficient, says Tom Kamber, the program's director. “Updating your tech skills is an answer to both of those

questions." The FabLab, with two locations in Santa Fe, New Mexico, runs four- to six-week classes that teach people 3D printing, an in-demand skill. Nearly 30 percent of the

participants in the program are 50 and older, its director, Sarah Boisvert, says. In addition to the short length of a course like this, another advantage is that designing for 3D printing

can be done from anywhere, Boisvert says. And “when you're virtual, people aren't going to ask you about how old you are. It's about the work you do." There are also

online courses that are comparatively cheap, flexible, let learners go at their own pace, and result in credentials that employers want. The online education collaboration between Harvard

University and MIT, edX, for one, reports enrollment is up tenfold since the start of the pandemic, including for people 50 and older, who make up about 1 in 10 of its students. The number

one course they're taking: Introduction to Computer Science, which is free (though it costs $90 for a certificate to prove you passed it). Another option: starting a business. Contrary

to the stereotype of startups being the exclusive realm of 20-somethings, the average age of entrepreneurs who start small businesses is 42, according to researchers at the University of

Pennsylvania, MIT and elsewhere. In short, says Heidkamp, there are ways back into the workforce for people at any age, even in a midst of a recession layered on top of a pandemic. "By

nature, I try to be optimistic,” she says. “We run a program like this because we believe there is a better future ahead."