The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life

At a concert, an encore is the additional music played at the conclusion of the performance in response to the demand by an audience. It’s time to applaud for a similar follow-up to traditional careers, says author and New York Times columnist Marci Alboher. And we should applaud loudly, she argues. In the workplace, the encore may well surpass the achievements of the original performance.“The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life,” suggests there is a new development—the encore years—between midlife and traditional retirement. With this change, concepts of retirement have been abandoned, supplanted by a second or third career.This encore career movement is reshaping the workforce, the author says. Rather than the drudgery of working longer in unlikeable positions, it has the potential to reshape our lives and build a better society. It can help people find meaning and purpose in their work during the second half of their lives.Alboher’s book is a primer on how to structure this new career. It is equal parts inspiration and practical “how-to.” Along with the story of her own encore, she shares the experiences of dozens of people who have moved to encore careers in a variety of fields. The result is a superb reference that is personal as well as practical.The author begins with a list of reality-checking questions. The first is the most asked: “Can I really make a living doing something I love?” That depends, is the answer, on what you love doing. If you love playing the ukulele and want to make a living at it, this could be more of a challenge than if you love fund-raising for a cause.“Bonus years don’t come with a prepaid gift card,” the author states. The current recession and the decline of pensions are among the motivation for developing an encore career that provides a continued income in later years.Other realities include factors such as age discrimination. Of the later, the author is blunt: “Age discrimination is real. Many employers just don’t consider older people.” To counter this, she suggests making sure skills are up to par, particularly those dealing with technology. Also, creating a resume that emphasizes strengths as an advisor and mentor can be helpful.There is actually evidence showing that we are hardwired for big accomplishments, as we get older. Neuroscience research shows that abilities such as empathy, connecting disparate ideas, and solving complex problems improve with age.Going back to school or education in some form may be a necessity for an encore career. The author suggests talking to people in the field about the skills needed for specific roles. Often, taking classes may be the way to discover what focus an individual wants to take.There is now a preponderance of high-quality, often free, online courses, often referred to as open education or open source. Organizations, community colleges and universities offer such courses. Recently, MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses) have been in the news. Top universities often offer these free online courses.The book includes an “Encore Hot List,” of in-demand jobs for those looking for an encore career. It includes a description of jobs that include health care, education, social services and nonprofits as well as average incomes for each.For those wanting to start a business, the section on encore entrepreneurs is particularly helpful. Social entrepreneurship, the use of entrepreneur techniques to achieve social change, is appealing to many—and big business. According to statistics, U.S. consumers are estimated to spend over $220 billion on “goods and services related to health, the environment, social justice and sustainable living.”Encore entrepreneurs often have a different sense of risk as well as urgency. “When you’re young, you think about risks in terms of health, safety, or financial aspects,” says David Bornstein, a writer on social innovation. “As you age, you realize that the biggest risk is dying without having really expressed who you are.”That risk is one of the major factors driving the encore career movement. The encore career is living your legacy, rather than leaving one, Alboher says. More and more individuals are thinking in terms of an encore career that will help improve society or the world in some way. Whatever the reason, The Encore Career Handbook provides an excellent guide to start the journey.

Former New York Times columnist ("Shifting Careers"), author, and now VP, Encore.org, Marci Alboher's "Encore Career Handbook" was a creative response to her own search for an encore career. Alboher's search resulted from a downsizing at the New York Times and increasing difficulty finding a place in the rapidly changing world of journalism. She openly shares relevant parts of her story and serves as our guide in "Encore Career."What is an encore career? The culmination of a mid-life "search for purpose, passion, and a paycheck that coalesces into a new career that allows you to continue to work while integrating meaning and social purpose." Embracing life beyond 50 is a distinct chapter in life. It is characterized by new perspectives, new priorities, and the capacity and desire to do something important with your hard-earned insights.Alboher calls this the "Encore Career" a movement. The aging of the baby-boomers provides ample fuel - we are about to undergo a major societal and workforce transition due to the greatest influx of human capital since millions of women joined the workforce in the 1960s and 70s. Finding new ways to use your talent and experience to do something useful in the world delivers on three promises - to make an impact on the world, to experience a sense of renewal by doing something different and significant, and help change expectations about mid-life for future generations.How long does a typical encore career last? It can last a few years to twenty or more depending on your aspirations, health, finances, and energy. What is the right age to get started? There are no hard and fast ages, but disruptions on your life's journey may provide the catalyst. Reasons considering an encore career include: burnout, a nagging feeling, a dream deferred, a loss, or crisis of conscience.Developing an encore career is a personalized process. As such, this book has been designed to be used as a course (read the chapters sequentially) or as a reference (pick and choose chapters based on where you are and your personal needs). "There is no one destination, no one path to follow."Alboher outlines the encore career in Chapter 1; the "whats and hows" of encore work in Chapter 2; help to identify what your encore career could look like in Chapter 3; how to create time and space for a an encore career in Chapter 4; the "nitty-gritty" of encore transitions in Chapters 5, 6, 7: ideas on how to fine tune your thoughts so you can move forward in Chapter 8; help on whether or not you should go back to school in Chapter 9; and the bigger issues in Chapters 10, 11.You will find an "Encore Hotlist" (emerging opportunities in a changing world), sample resumes and bios, a personal budget worksheet, a business plan builder, and extra resources (books, associations, web sites) at the end of the book.The author emphasizes that "encore pioneers" are on the vanguard of change and urges us to set in motion our encore career to insure our last chapter is significant. With this handbook, you can find how to become a leader as a pioneering participant in this movement.(Reviewers Note: I have been co-leading a ministry focused on executive, managers, and professionals in-transition since 2001. I have reviewed many other books to help those in-transition and will add that this book addresses a void in the market - that of the over-50 professional. I will be recommending this as a resource to those who are over 50 years of age. We presently serve 800 executives, managers, and professionals from ages 30 yrs to 70 yrs.)

I was struggling after losing my job to a Covid-induced restructure and this book really spoke to what I was feeling and why, then motivated me to figure out what was next. Unfortunately some of the resources are a bit dated. I’d love to see an updated version!

As a person in their late 50s who has been forced into a transition by an unexpected lay-off (had been considering retiring anyway), I think this book provides a useful, well-structured approach to figuring out what’s next. That said, it is in pretty dire need of an update: constantly couching advice in terms of the recession of 2008-2011; reflecting a world in which the Obama recovery, its continuation in the Trump years, the covid pandemic and the rise of Zoom are not yet even imagined; and addressing itself explicitly and constantly to “boomers,” even though 7+ birth-years of Gen Xers are now over 50.

This book is focused on the American job marketStill some bits but not as good as I was expecting.

I have read it cover to cover. The excercises in particular are excellant.

Prático, objetivo, mas sem muitas novidades. Bem no estilo guia de viagens com dicas e resumos salientando o mais importante de cada capítulo