There seems to be a notion that no one “older” can really expect to find a job – other than maybe as a Walmart greeter. The assumption was that employers were wanting to get a newbie out of school that they could pay less and mold them into a company asset.
Or perhaps an older person may be able to “consult” in an area they had years and years of experience in, but they certainly wouldn’t be able to start a different career.
Is that still true?
Last week there was an article on Forbes.com about an Encore 2013 conference that was held in San Francisco.
Encore.org is all about – a new stage of work and life – “purpose, passion and a paycheck in your second act.” So it is about find a way that you can do something that makes a difference in the world while still earning a paycheck.
[box type=”note” align=”alignleft” ]There are a lot of people that aren’t ready to go sit in a chair when they retire – and studies have shown that health tends to be better when people are involved with something that give them purpose and meaning in their life.[/box]
There are a lot of people that aren’t ready to go sit in a chair when they retire – and studies have shown that health tends to be better when people are involved with something that give them purpose and meaning in their life.
While there is more and more awareness that people are interested in doing more after they retire, there is still a lack of resources available to those that may be interested.
More would be interested in these kinds of options if there were more awareness around it. For one thing, few financial advisers talk to their clients about “working” options – it is more about needing x dollars to live on after retirement and how to meet those goals.
There are also not a lot of places for “midlifers” to acquire new skills that may be needed to pursue one of these options. NextAvenue.org did publish a list of community colleges that have courses for students over 50 to brush up on resume and interview skills, as well as some refresher courses in computers, math and English and various workshops.
There are classes both online and at a physical location.
The Plus 50 Initiative was started in 2008 and initiated by the American Association of Colleges and seed funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies. 80% of baby boomers express the intention to work after retirement either due to the need for personal fulfillment or necessity, depending upon their circumstances
Colleges currently participating in the Plus 50 program are located in Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Washington, Florida, Montana, Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Wisconsin, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Alaska and Georgia.
The goal of this initiative is growing, and there is more planned:
The Plus 50 Encore Completion Program aims to help 10,000 baby boomers earn high-value degrees or certificates in key fields that give back (education, healthcare, social services) by 2014. The initiative will triple in size colleges’ participation by involving 100 community colleges from 2012-2014. New funding from the Deerbrook Charitable Trust supports this expansion. The grant funding will provide these new plus 50 colleges with tools and resources, funds and expertise needed to build successful plus 50 programs.
