Charl Reineke's acrylic studion has given him a new lease on life.
Image: supplied
Gone are the days when you worked for a company your entire life and then sobbed at your retirement party when they presented you with a gold watch.
The shifting work landscape where contracts are increasingly the norm, the gig economy and remote working make it vital for mature workers to remain abreast of trends to survive.
The rising cost of living can also eat into well-laid out pension plans, creating further insecurities around how to survive and not become a burden on your children, or others, when you go on pension.
Add to that the fact that people are living healthier and longer lives, and a picture emerges of Baby Boomers and GenXs facing a conundrum - do I carry on doing my job or do I reinvent myself?
The past is littered with people who pivoted later on in life, leaving behind dreary but well-paying jobs to take on something completely different.
American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to study architecture but circumstances forced him to study engineering, but in his 50s he redirected to his first love, becoming one of the world's most renown architects, famous for designing Fallingwater residential property.
Closer to home, Cape Townian Charl Reineke, 62, swapped his advertising rates card for acryllic paints and canvas, after taking early retirement from Independent Media late last year.
After doing a course in teaching English online, he became disheartened to discover that wherever he applied, they insisted he must have past experience, or they never bothered to respond.
"I thought to myself: 'what am I going to do? How am I going to cover my monthly costs?'
"One night while watching TV, I got thinking about art at school and how much I loved it, and decided to look at painting in acrylics.
"My first attempt in February came out looking like mud!
"But the next two were magnificent, and I sold them straight away.
One of Charl's many paintings.
Image: www.charlsacrylicstudio.co.za
"From those two, I have developed my own pouring technique, a unique style of my own which allows me to express myself in an abstract way.
"I am so excited about this and I am already on my twentieth painting," he said.
Sharon Shadrach turned her passion for baking into a business.
Image: Supplied
Sharon Shadrach, 63, of Southgate, north of Durban, found herself in a predicament when her husband died soon after she took a package from Pick n Pay where she'd worked for 28 years, so she could take care of him after he'd been injured in a work accident.
"The company offered me a package to return, but instead, I did some travelling and thought about what I was going to do.
"I was home alone now, and pension does not stretch very far, so I set up Shazo Creations, baking and supplying wedding cakes, novelty cakes, cupcakes and Indian sweetmeats, which are very popular at Diwali.
"The income I get from it is not a lot, but it certainly helps because living off a pension is very difficult these days.
"But you can't put a price on the smiles on the faces of clients when they come to pick up their special cakes."
Shadrach is proud of the choice she made to venture into a small business and credits her self-motivation for its success.
Ron Keschner went back to his teenage love of radio and music to see him beyond his pension.
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"Me, retire, you must be crazy!"
These are the words of Ron Keschner, 67, of Sandton, whose career was mainly in media circulation and marketing, before he branched out into renting out IT hardware.
Then a chance meeting with someone from MixFM in 2017 got him fired up about his first passion as a teenager - music and radio - and that is how he became a radio DJ.
"The guy remembered me from my school days when I set up a pirate CB radio station called "Ronnie's Rubbish" featuring rock and blues, and he invited me to join a slot," he said.
These days Keschner has Urban Edge streaming radio which has also highlighted how many people are stressed over their finances and work insecurity.
"There are so many people in this boat ... guys who are panicked out of their minds and even considering ending their lives. They call in, and share their stories.
"That is why I needed to set this up, because what happens when you are too old to work and companies don't want you?
"So my advice is that people find their passion and follow it, rather than sticking to a job you hate," he said.
Lucia Mthiyane has reinvented herself seemlessly over the years, and is already on her next career pivot.
Image: Supplied
Well known Johannesburg singer and actress, Lucia Mthiyane, 62, has reinvented herself countless times in her life, starting as a high school teacher, moving into television in soapies such as Rhythm City and stage acting, and then wearing a chef's hat.
"There was no definite time that I can identify when I moved in a different direction. Everything in my life moves fluidly and smoothly like a little engine with lots of clogs, influenced by where I live and who I get to see.
"People said 'why don't you write a cook book?' and the next thing I am a pioneer offering cooking classes, which was not a black thing at all, back then.
"But then came (Covid) lockdown and everyone started cooking, and now everyone is a chef," she laughs.
Her latest pivot is helping restaurants select dishes from her Kitchen Queen cookery book, teaching staff how to prepare them and then presenting them to the owners for testing before they end up on the menu.
Mthiyane's advice for people who feel perplexed about pension age approaching, is not to panic.
"I don't believe that there are people who don't have passion.
"They need to tap deep into themselves, find that little flame of passion and turn into to something.
"Look around you. See what is happening in your community, see what is out there, including online training courses.
"But most importantly, don't lose hope."