Is an “encore job” right for you?

If you’re a baby boomer nearing retirement age, and have been fortunate enough to be able to put aside a substantial nest egg, you may be in an “in between” place: ready, willing, and able to leave your job and try something else, but not ready to give up working entirely.

In the past, people in this position often did volunteer work, and that’s still a viable option. But more and more baby boomers are pursuing a different option: a new job that often involves public service, and usually doesn’t pay as well as one’s career job did, but that provides a deeper level of satisfaction. Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life, calls these occupations “encore jobs.” Richard Leider and David Shapiro go even further, and talk about “putting your whole self into the second half of life.”

A recent article at TwinCities.com gives several examples. You can find thousands more real-life stories of people who have created meaningful encore careers at encorecareers.org.

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