BOSTON -- Many Americans long to work in the job of their dreams after they retire from their first career. But what do these "encore" jobs look like and how does one find one?
Those are the questions that millions upon millions of pre-retirees must answer if they ever hope to find work that matters in the second half of their life. Or at least so says Marc Freedman in his new book, "Encore."
According to Freedman, the founder of Civic Ventures, all is not yet rosy for those who want to keep working after they retire. Age discrimination still exists, there are not enough flexible jobs in the nonprofit or public sectors, and continuing education and retraining is neither commonplace nor affordable.
That said, the best way to find an "encore" job is to ask some basic questions. Those include:
- How would you like to spend the next five, 10 or 20 years?
- What community or national or global problems motivate you to act?
- How much income do you need to earn?
- Do you want to stay in the same field or explore something new?
- Do you want to start your own organization or work for an existing one?
- Are you willing and able to go back to school or get other training?
Freedman says pre-retirees must also consider whether they want to be a career recycler, career changer or career maker. In addition, he says pre-retirees should think long and hard about their own motivations and what makes them happy.
Resources to do that include such books as "The Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warren, "What Color is Your Parachute For Retirement" by John Nelson, and "Don't Retire, Rewire" by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners. The latter book can help you explore the reasons for working, beyond salary.
Merrill Lynch has an abbreviated version of Sedlar's and Miners' reasons-for-working checklist on its Web site (http://askmerrill.ml.com). And then there's the more expensive version of discovering yourself called My Next Phase. That site (http://mynextphase.com/public/index.php) offers a range of services, including an online assessment, telecourses and private coaching. Costs for services range from $39.95 to $395. According to Freedman, older Americans have to sell their "experience" as an asset when seeking an encore career. "Stress your reliability, good judgment, problem-solving ability, ability to navigate a crisis, experience in negotiating compromise, ability to listen, ability to assess cost-benefit trade-offs, comfort level working with all types of personalities, sense of responsibility, established identity, and sense of purpose," is just some of the advice Freedman has to offer older Americans on selling their experience. For those who have trepidations about landing an encore job only to have it be the wrong one, Freedman suggests the following: "Try a few things before leaping into a commitment." He suggests finding an internship, working part-time as a temp, or volunteering into a paid position.
For those who plan to work for the greater good, instead of the greater salary, Freedman suggests taking a gander at the salaries being offered in the nonprofit world. Resources include: The NonProfit Times Annual Salary Survey, Compensation in Nonprofit Organizations and the Guidestar Compensation Report. Still having trouble figuring out where to find an encore career? Consider where some of the top job growth is, such as health care, education, the aging field, the federal government and the nonprofit sector. For instance, the American Hospital Association is actively encouraging hospitals to recruit midlife career changers, according to Freedman. And you don't have to be a doctor or a nurse to work in health care, he says. In fact, there are more than 100 areas of specialization all generally known as "allied health professions." Learn more about opportunities in health-care industry in the American Medical Association's Health Professions Career and Education Directory and at the Health Care Workforce Web site (www.healthcareworkforce.org). The nation is also in need of educators, says Freedman. The demand is most acute in cities, but everywhere there is a need for teachers in math, science and special education. Given the commitment required, he suggests signing up with a local school district as a substitute teacher before diving headlong into teaching as a career. Source: Virginian - Pilot. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. Powered by Yellowbrix.
