Career Resources >> All >> All >> Encore Retirees! Calling All Boomers - You're Not Over Yet
Encore Retirees! Calling All Boomers - You're Not Over Yet
Some say that the Boomers, known for igniting the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, may be remembered more for what they are now doing in their sixties.
Would you consider an "Encore Career"?
Encore Careers are "Dream Careers" started in the second half of life, that combine the need for continued income, more meaningful work, and a desire to give back.
Many 50-Plus workers are taking early retirement and launching second or even third careers. And they are thriving because they are doing something they love.
Others forced into retirement, are taking their severance packages and pensions and making new careers happen. The personal rewards of their new work are giving new meaning to their lives.
Encore Career Winners
Here are four of the social innovators who, in 2009, won the annual "Purpose Prize" of $50,000-100,000 each for their Encore Efforts.
* A psychiatrist, at 69, created an organization that helps soldiers and their families, by offering free, confidential, unlimited psychotherapy.
* A former NASA executive, at 66, began treating alcoholism in Native American communities, by reviving old customs and traditions. His efforts have even spearheaded a movement called "Wellbriety".
* A former Telecom executive, at 61, found a way to re-employ laid-off factory workers in profitable farming, by wiring an Appalachian county with broadband, linking farmers to online ordering systems that re-energized their industry.
* A previously homeless, drug-addicted man, who beat his addictions, at 62 created a non-profit to train ex-convicts, addicts and the homeless for work in the construction trades.
How Can You Give Back?
You too can join the ranks of this cohort of workers, from all sectors of society, numbering between 5 and 8 million strong. They are making the world a better place, feeling needed, and secure in the knowledge, that they're contributing, in a way they never could before. They are making life better not only for themselves but for others.
What Do Older Workers Have Going for Them?
* The kids are out on their own, and they can now single-mindedly focus on their own dreams.
* They have the background and experience in the work-world that younger workers don't have.
* They know how things work and have developed a network of contacts they can call on.
* They are seasoned and more stable emotionally.
* They know their strengths and their limitations.
* They have assets: a severance package, a house, land, savings, friends who can lend them money.
What have others done to transition into Encore Opportunities?
A woman, who spent years as the primary caregiver to her elderly mother, wrote a book on Elder Care. Then after her mother died, she started a research firm, that analyzes the market for technologies that help seniors remain at home, on their own, longer.
A media marketing executive, after retiring, founded a company that now makes diagnostic tools to prevent seniors from falling.
A 57 year old woman used her retirement savings to begin a non-profit Humane Farm for Animals. Her organization certifies that livestock used for meat, poultry and dairy products are treated humanely. She says, nearly 23 million animals are now being raised under certified humane standards, up from 143,000 just six years ago.
A retired technical writer 55, and a former marine-supplies executive 56, with a house and a boat, sold their assets and used the money to start an alpaca ranch and a yarn shop to sell the wool. They now sell pregnant female alpacas for $22,000 each. They love their new life.
One woman at 60, laid off during a downsizing, took a buy-out package and turned it into an exciting business. For most of her life, she had fantasized about creating Greeting Cards from her doodles. She now has a successful Greeting Card company called: "From Where I Sit".
An Internet Tech Salesman, who loved golf, quit his job in his 50's, to become a Golf Pro. He's never been happier. He said, you have to be a naturally good golfer to begin with to do this. Now he teaches golf clinics and earns close to $50,000 a year. Plus he gets to golf whenever he feels like it.
A Vice-President at Hewlett Packard, at 49 decided to take early retirement to give back to his native Kenya. He started a foundation that builds schools in Kenya and the Sudan. He can't wait to get to work each day.
A hospital administrator retired at 60 to become an Executive Coach to the Health-Care Industry. He will not be retiring from this one.
A former software executive at 62, moved into her own business, producing clip-on carryall bags for seniors to use on their walkers. She feels good about what she's doing, providing a needed product in a new niche. And her future is secure.
A couple 54 and 61, retired to spend their Golden Years in comfort, then decided to supplement their nest-egg by selling on eBay. They are now eBay-certified business consultants, using their expertise in computers and marketing to teach others how to find their way to economic freedom.
A High Tech Program Manager at 54, found herself unemployed when the company went into a tailspin. She knew she didn't want to return to the corporate world. Instead, she followed her instincts into teaching Math in the Public Schools. She feels energized and renewed in a way she never felt before.
A 42 year old autoworker, earning a good living, but dying inside, because his work didn't motivate him, found a new lease on life, after being bought out by his company. He went back to school, and is now studying nursing. Financially, it's a struggle, but he knows this is the way to his dream. His instructor recently told him his talents had been wasted in the auto industry.
A retail manager 55, struggled to get back on her feet after mass layoffs at her company. She tried working at other similar jobs, but there was no joy in it anymore for her. She cut the strings, and took the leap into non-profit work. She is now a Case Manager at a crisis center, teaching life skills to women in need. Sure, she misses the money, but she'd never give up the personal satisfaction each day brings to her.
What Does the Future Hold for You?
Making the move into a totally different field at 50 or 60, can take you into the best of all possible worlds.
Don't let a layoff get you down. When the door closes on the last 20 or 30 years of your life, it's time to rethink your priorities. Look for another path -- this time doing something that has a different feel to it --something that you can enjoy doing.
Decide now what you want to do with the next 20 years. Take stock of what you have going for you, and launch yourself into a new "Encore Career".
Mary Joan Coultas is a Career Counselor who helps people find their Best Career Match. Her Quick and Easy Career Guides match people, who are unhappy in their work, with jobs they love. They are invaluable to students and graduates, who are at a critical juncture in their lives, needing to get on track quickly, in making savvy Career Choices, to land the right job early in life. Find out what your Work Values are, what Work Environment is right for you, the kind of Personality Type that you have, what your Main Motivations are, and the Intelligences that come naturally to you.
Source / About the author: If you'd like to enter that special realm of people who love their jobs, who can't wait to get to work, check out these helpful Career Guides at: http://www.mjc-books.com/Finding-Work-To-Love Do What You Love: Time is Too Short to do Anything Else. Steve Jobs - Co-Founder of Apple (c) Copyright - Mary Joan Coultas. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Joan_Coultas
Posted On: 2010-02-08 04:38:33