As I learn more about passion projects as encore careers, I was intrigued by this article I came across in the Concord Monitor. The headline reads: “More older Americans starting their own businesses to supplement incomes, pursue passion projects”. This wasn’t because the story wasn’t meaningful, because it is always affirming to read about other people who have come to this conclusion. What intrigues me is that working out what to do with the second half of your life is still considered newsworthy and/or exceptional.
For several generations now, women have had the time, education, energy and resources to build their post children/first career lives. With the average life expectancy of women to be approaching 90, it makes great sense for us to build on the knowledge we’ve gained, and turn it into something that benefits us. I also find it interesting that from this decision, many people choose to go into ‘softer’ fields, dispensing information and advice, as well as turning a hobby into a source of income.
What is also fascinating is that Boomers are apparently using skills learned from their WWII parents to find ways to turn a need for retirement funds into an opportunity for themselves. There are many reasons why retirement funds are no longer adequate, but the good news is that a shortfall is proving to be a great motivator for people to use their ingenuity and knowledge to build not only work, but a life that is satisfying.
I am thrilled that people are being credited for the effort it takes to build their own Passion Project businesses, and it is wonderful that there are organizations both on and offline to help. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if taking what you know and love and creating an income form it became the norm? An option given to you as you leave the corporate world? Maybe soon instead of asking one another, “What do you do?” we will be asking, “What are you planning to do next?
With the recent recession and slow economic return, many of us are looking at encore careers – that is, working far beyond the usual retirement age of 65. For some this means staying in a job for a few more years, but for others an encore career can be the opportunity to start work on a project that has been waiting in the wings for many years.
An article by CNBC shows that encore careers are a surprisingly common scenario among Boomers, with long lost passions bubbling up to the surface or the opportunity to use skills that have been honed over many years to help others. As Boomers have long been seen as a generation that has done things their own way, this trend towards successive careers is in some ways an inevitability!
I have been thrilled to be able to help many Boomers get their encore careers moving forwards. Often getting a website is seen as a huge hurdle, but after listening to goals, hopes and fears, have been able to get a number of Boomers relaunched – and delighted to find that they are perfectly capable of adding things to their sites and maintaining a social media presence.
Maybe I could help you too? Get in touch, and lets talk!