So after 20 years in the industry my heli gig is coming to an end. Family is now established in area so no desire to do the 7 on away from home. 401K returns have been very good so saving for retirement is covered. I'm a civilian trained helicopter ATP/CFII with no employment history outside of aviation, and about 12 years left before full retirement. Looking to take a low stress job with decent pay. Everyone needs employees, but most only pay $15-$20 per hour. Besides taking a job at Lowes/HomeDepot etc what have others done when faced with a similar challange?

UPS delivery driver. Basically the same job you've been doing and similar pay/benefits.

Forty eight years in aviation, my second job was as a National Guard Aviator, my 401K, now IRA, is doing very well.  Right now I'm rebuilding a old Jeep for offroad fun.  Life is good. 

FedEx or UPS. Above average pay and all the hours you want.

There are some good trainnig programs out there which provide an IT career as a trade, focused on various aspects. Doesn't mean a coder but could be process oriented e.g project Management, knowledge management, IT support desks etc etc. 

It's not for everyone but with more and more data they have to move it - networks, secure it - cyber, and analyze it - big data. A lot of moving pieces and career paths to make that happen. Best thing is that tech has proven to be well supported and implemented remotely across all of those discplines or in the IT realm in general - have laptop will travel :)

Good luck.

After 30 years piloting, always kept up the electronic skills. Was chasing the 121, EMS gigs then realizing I like coming home every night, stayed with my avionics repair gig. Living comfortable in SAN. I know, corruption, corruption! We're all living in cardboard boxes. Stay away, absolutly brutal conditions here..

you can have it. I suspect most of us in the proletariat are ok with that. ;)

I've been in and out of real-state since I got my license 8 years ago whilst flying EMS. It's allowed me to bounce between the 2 careers and I'll always have that option.

You didn't indicate where you live.  That makes a big difference.  Small town USA vs Big City will determine what and how many jobs are out there.  You stated that your 401K is set for retirement, so I assume you need something for the next 12 years to pay the bills, and you want to be home every night.  And a low stress job.  OK.  If there is a Costco in your area start there.  Great medical benefits and generally, outside of management, low stress.  You will probably start part time and the pay won't be great to start, but it will get better.  

What did you do prior to flying?  Can you do that again?  How about a trade job?  I know of folks who are Real Estate housing inspectors for resale homes.  Set your own schedule, work as hard as you want.  Or not.

If your base is being closed (as you inferred) try to become a relief pilot for your company.  If you work for AMC become a part time/per diem pilot.  I did that for two years.  Set my own schedule, only worked 9 days a month (usually consecutive days) and took the rest of the month off.  Worked well for me.  YMMV.

After 40 years of flying, the last two being part time/per diem, I am now fully retired.  The trick to that is pay everything off prior to retiring.  No mortgage, no car payment, etc.  Learn to live off of your potential 401K payout.  Having a fixed income of $100,000 p/y and no debt is much better that a fixed income of $80,000 p/y and a mortgage payment, car payment, etc.  Good luck 

I've been fully retired for two years. I was worried to death about a fixed income. Truth is between Social Security, my wife's retirement, and my 401K we still save money every month. I didn't realize how much it costs to work, even when you're not paying for room and board on the job. I have'nt spent a cent of my 401K and I'm loving not having to be at the beck and call of an employer. 

My advice is, be realistic about how much you need to spend and retire as soon as possible, it's a great life. Although I loved flying, I haven't missed anything about what went with the flying.

I'd been flying or in an aviation relaated position since 1983.  Last July I'd finally had enough of my then employer and gave notice.  My retirement and VA disability (100% P & T - Getting an aircraft shot out from under you and wrecking your body a bit in the forced landing can do that to you.  BTW, keep everyone alive in the landing!) are working out OK.  The VA said I was qualified for SSDI so I'm going for that too.  It'll be a nice bridge to full SS in a few more years.  The point is, if you can make it money wise, why work?  The only reason I can think of is health insurance for you and yours.  If that's the case, check with a Healthcare Marketplace insurance rep in your area.  BTW, you don't pay them, the insurance carrier pays them a commission.  I've read that the coverage haas gotten better and the rates have gone down too.  Be sure to check out the customer reviews of the rep you see, not all are created equal and you want a good one!   

From all sorts of jobs say the same thing - they don't miss their work life at all.   Same for me after 54 years of aviation, including helicopters, ASMEL, gliders, jets, etc.  

Have to say the industry has become a PITA for pilots.  Good thing kids grow up with the digital world and are very comfortable with it.  They may not have a fuss over all the paperwork and computer/FMS skills required these days.

Hey, isn't that what the Sky Crane guys do?  Work fire season, make a decent 6 figures, then hunt and ski until the next fire season!  Great gig, if you can get it.....

There is life after flying. First, and I've mentioned it before, get a professional financial advisor to guide your future. 401K's are great but are very limited. A professional advisor will diversify your money to protect you for the inevitable ups and downs. Best move I've ever made and I wish I'd done it many years earlier. Several of the people I worked with signed on with him and completely agree. First step is get rid of all debt. 

So many jobs out there. Costco is great. This may sound funny but a friend of mine drives for Uber in the morning and later has an Amazon route. He works 4-8 hours a couple of days a week. Said he can make $600 a day. He doesn't need the money. He does it because he stays busy and loves interacting with people. He's one of those guys you instantly like.

Finally, get a hobby. I built a real plane for travel and do model planes. We golf and travel too. Again, congrats. Embrace your new found freedom from the BS

make 600 a day.

So you know the guy better than I do??? Don't be an AH. The $600 a day is a good average. He said sometimes more, sometimes less. Bottomline, it is something to do to stay busy and not spend time finding things to criticize.

but he sure as hell ain't making no 600 a day doing Uber and amazon. Half that on a good day.

 your career and u'll probably recognize some hidden talents that cross feed to other careers.  If u need help with figuring that find a counselor, they're good at it.

Good counselors may well have you back in the aviation related business at a ground job dispatching, sales and marketing, management, or whatever.  I'd avoid the management thing.  Mgmt is always SSDD and it gets older than old yesterday.