Turning Retirement on Its Head

Some kids know early on what they want to do when they grow up. For David Hull of Atlanta, Georgia, broadcasting seemed to always be part of his life. “I started listening to the radio at an early age,” he says. “When other kids were playing football or cowboys and Indians, I was in my room spinning records and pretending to be a disc jockey.”

After spending almost 25 years as a radio news anchor, in 2008 he found himself without a job as his company laid off thousands of employees nationwide. “I’ve always enjoyed cooking and discovered that it was more effective than walking my dog in the park for attracting dates,” he relates. “But I never envisioned doing it professionally.”

That changed when he started interviewing local restaurant owners for a weekend radio show he hosted. It was so enjoyable that he decided to go to culinary school and become a chef himself. He prepares meals at clients’ homes or other venues.

“Since starting Hullskitchen, I’ve spent 15 years cooking in beautiful homes, meeting cool people and never regretting my decision to change course,” says Hull.

The classic notion of what retirement looks like is being turned on its head as older adults are deciding to return to the workplace at an unprecedented rate. A recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that 38.4% of American workers are aged 55 and older. Men over 70 who are still working now number more than 3 million.

Reasons for this “unretirement” trend vary from financial needs to a desire for personal fulfillment. While many people return to their previous field as employees or consultants, others, like Hull, decide to turn a passion or side hustle into a business.