What do you think about when you hear the words “encore career”?
According to the website Encore.org, an encore career is work in the “second half of life” that combines “personal fulfillment, social impact and continued income, enabling people to put their passion to work for the greater good”.
The idea is to be able to use your gifts and your interests in order to make a difference. To help address the many social challenges we face today, and still bring in a paycheck.
Even before this recession, several studies had already shown that most baby boomers want to continue doing fulfilling work that benefits their communities rather than retire in the traditional sense of the word.
A Call for More Flexible Encore Career Options
But not everyone in the second half of life (whatever that means) wants a full-fledged, full-time career. Many of the people I talk with want work that’s flexible, so they can combine multiple interests in their lives. They may take part-time or temporary positions, or start their own small or home-based businesses.
I hope employers start getting it – that many people do want (and need) to contribute rather than retire. It would be a shame to see all that talent wasted! But to attract these experienced and motivated workers, employers will have to offer more flexible work alternatives.
Earlier I asked what you think about when you hear the words “encore career”. To me, it sounds like the last curtain call. I like to think the phrase will one day be unnecessary. My hope is that people, no matter what their age, will have the opportunity to continue to share their gifts and passion with others in whatever way that works best for them.
Free Get Started Guide
If you’d like to find out more about encore careers, Encore.org is very generously offering a free Get Started Guide on their website. It includes tips, resources, and links to related websites and articles. Some of the topics covered are:
- making a career change
- job search tips
- personal finance/budgeting
- returning to school
- volunteering as a possible route to employment
- transitioning into nonprofits, education, health care, green jobs, government, and social entrepreneurship
And if you want more inspiration for your own encore career, be sure to check out Marc Freedman’s book, Encore: Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life.
In what ways would you make the world (or your own community) a better place?
Photo credit: puliarf / CC license
Related posts:
- One Person Can Make a Difference: Encore Careers’ Launch Pad Contest
- Making a Difference: Growth in Encore Jobs Expected
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