I was at a quilting class yesterday and the woman next to me was speaking about working on a Master’s degree in administration on the web. She looked to be just a few years younger than me. Ok, I thought, why not? Then, in her next breath, she stated she was going to “retire.” Now that’s interesting. She said she wanted to do something different and make more money in her “second career.”
Never before in history (prove me wrong, if you can) have so many people had so many career options so late in life (if you consider 45-62 old, which I don’t). Never before have there been so many people considering “encore” careers. The place I got my PhD in my 50s was full of people the same age as me. Talk about “non-traditional.”
I don’t plan to spend the next 30 years in a rocking chair, nor to I intend to out-live my retirement income, which could happen if I retire soon. 
That’s why many baby boomers are looking at small businesses as “encore’ careers. This article from the Charlotte Observer discusses the phenomenon and raises the possibility that many boomers might think about work in non-profit organizations, where there are several jobs that need to be filled.
What do you think? Are you considering an “encore” career? Is that career a small business venture? What community service activities would you take into account?
Photo: iStockphoto
Tags: baby boomers, careers, community service, small business
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