College, COVID-19, and Careers of the Future

As college students return to school virtually or in-person, they face an educational and professional outlook that is enormously uncertain. Many colleges will remain virtual for at least the next semester. COVID-19 has upended the job market, and many experts forecast a long road to recovery. Major employers have frozen hiring, and others have cancelled their internship programs.

But amid this litany of bad news, the pandemic has underscored one area where opportunity is actually growing: the silver economy. COVID-19 has drawn attention to the importance of maintaining healthy, active, and fulfilling lives. The prospect of 100-year lives remains alive for us all, and for savvy, purpose-driven college students, a career in aging should be at the top of their list.

COVID-19 has spotlighted the need for an array of professionals focused on aging and older adults. We need healthcare providers, elder care professionals, and gerontology experts who understand healthy, active aging and the impacts of age-related diseases. We need finance pros who get the income needs of 100-year lives. We need innovators who can design and implement the next generation of remote care technologies. And we need private-sector experts who can create the products and services that connect, enable, and improve the lives of the consumers in this enormous market.

We need a national service corps focused on aging. That’s why Home Instead Senior Care created Champions of Aging: an organization that offers paid-service opportunities to college students and recent grads who are interested in exploring the aging field. Modeled on high-profile programs like Teach for America, Champions of Aging offers valuable development opportunities to students and grads, as well as critical talent to aging-focused organizations.

Those selected as part of the Champions of Aging program spend a year working part- or full-time with a local organization focused on aging. The program is open to students of all disciplinary backgrounds, from medicine to engineering to urban planning. In the course of their service year, they develop expertise, knowledge, and skills that will serve them for the entirety of their career.

This is an ideal opportunity for a number of reasons:

· A diverse set of careers. The aging field spans caregiving, financial planning, technology, healthcare, small business ownership, policy, legal, and more. And unlike many other fields, careers in aging are growing and likely to keep growing, as the number of older adults soars in countries around the globe. By developing foundational knowledge here, college students can set themselves up for a secure, meaningful career that also delivers critical benefits to society.

· Purpose-driven work. In a recent survey by Deloitte, nearly three-quarters of Gen Z respondents said the pandemic has made them more sympathetic about the needs of others and that they plan to take action to positively impact their community. A career in aging is an ideal way to tap into this purpose-driven work, with a wealth of opportunities to help older adults stay healthy, active, emotionally well, and connected to their communities.

· The importance of a multi-generational approach. Young voices and aging-focused organizations are the perfect match. Students can provide fresh ideas and an outside-the-box perspective that enables innovation. And older colleagues, constituents, or clients can provide a student with lessons from decades of experience, an informed perspective, and connections in a well-developed network.

· A valuable asset for every field. If students choose to enter the private sector after a year of service, their experience will provide them with valuable knowledge and skills for the $15 trillion silver economy. This immense, fast-growing market has enormous potential, yet it remains largely overlooked. For students who want a competitive edge, expertise in aging can help them to stand out from the crowd, win over future employers, and shape ideas that serve both older consumers and the bottom line.

While we don’t know what will happen next with COVID-19, we do know that the global mega-trend of aging will continue long after the pandemic has subsided. And we know that the next generation of talent will need a more multi-generational perspective than ever before.

These trends underline the benefits for individuals and society if we help more young people to explore the diverse, vibrant, and opportunity-rich field of aging. For the class of 2021 and beyond, this can provide a critical jumpstart towards a successful, purpose-driven career in a world defined by long lives.