I have a friend who hasn't missed a day of work in ages. He's 81. On the other hand, many people I know have been "retired" for years and are volunteering, grandparenting, traveling and playing some golf.

The beauty of all this is choice: being able to work longer if you want and/or need to, or being able to do other things if that's your fancy. More Americans are working longer, into their so-called retirement years. Some are setting up their own shops, others have changed jobs or even careers, and many are still at the same organization where they've been for decades.

Comedian Jimmy Durante once replied to the question "Who are you working for these days?" by saying, "The same old outfit-the wife and kids."

But not everyone who wants to work longer has it easy finding a job they want to do. It can be a challenge. Sometimes the problem is a lack of skills or education, or a limited or spotty work history. Other times it can be employers who think older workers have lost a step, can't keep up with the times or have little to contribute.

At AARP we're tackling the issue on both the employee and employer sides. On our Web site, you'll find information on choosing a career, finding a job, starting a business and many other topics. There's also a list of AARP's National Employer Team-businesses committed to hiring older workers.

We've started a pilot program, WorkSearch, that guides you through an online assessment of your interests and skills and connects you with local jobs where these skills are in demand. WorkSearch is still in development and at this stage is connected to our Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor and operated by the AARP Foundation.

Once we get the kinks out, we'll make WorkSearch available to all our members. Here's an example of how it works: An experienced industrial engineer in Harrisburg, Pa., came to the SCSEP office for help in finding a job. He had gone to plenty of job interviews in the past six months, but no luck.

Our SCSEP staff helped him enter his information into WorkSearch. He got new ideas for potential jobs after finding that his skills and interests also made him a candidate for a job in manufacturing, as another option. Our staff gave him a lead from a local manufacturing company, and he was hired and began work the next week.

Not everything is that easy, of course. Some employers are still trying to push out older workers. But a growing number acknowledge the value of mature employees. We recently recognized our 2007 Best Employers for Workers Over 50.

This program, now in its seventh year, honors employers that stay ahead of the curve by implementing innovative practices and policies to hire and retain 50-plus workers. These companies know that mature workers have much- needed skills and experience and that employing them makes good business sense.

Our goal is to bring companies and job applicants together and to promote older workers. A study we did with Towers Perrin, a human resources firm, showed that older workers do cost slightly more than younger employees, but the cost is offset by positive traits like reliability, loyalty and skills. People who work longer contribute to their own well-being, to their workplaces and to overall society. As more older Americans stay on the job, the trend is going in the right direction.