AARP Eye Center
DALE KLCO, 68 | $15,000 a year
"People will sometimes stop me and say, ‘I want your job."
Dustin Cohen
Home: Hobe Sound, Fla.
Previous life: Electrician
How he did it: Don’t be afraid to start by volunteering. At the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge and Nature Center, I assisted in animal care and as a docent. When there was a job opening, my manager encouraged me to apply.
AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal
Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP The Magazine.
What he does: I collect visitor fees, and at Hobe Sound I patrol in an ATV. I educate visitors about shore dynamics, ecology, and about the sea turtles and shore birds that nest here. During nesting season, a team guides people onto the beach at night to observe female loggerhead turtles filling their nest chambers.
What you need to know: It’s been an adjustment transitioning from private industry to the bureaucratic constraints of the government. But between savings, Social Security and my earnings, I’m doing great.
