As millions of people in their 50s and 60s exit the corporate world, many will search for "encore careers" in the public and nonprofit sectors.
This could result in the biggest transformation in the U.S. workforce since women began pouring into it some 30 years ago, says Mark Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life (PublicAffairs, $24.95). Freedman, founder of San Francisco think tank Civic Ventures, discussed this trend in BusinessWeek (December 17, 2007) with Toddi Gutner.
How do you define an encore career?
It's when someone can earn income, find new meaning and use accumulated experience in ways that have a positive impact on society. They represent the best use of the accumulated experience of the Baby Boomer population.
Despite boomers' claims of wanting to help society, is it possible most would rather retire to a life of travel and golf?
Baby Boomers could be blowing a lot of hot air. I think whether they retreat into another round of selfishness or can respond to JFK's challenge--to ask not what the country can do for me but what I can do for the country--will have to do with whether we as a society call them up to a higher purpose. We need to create the on-ramps to work that matters and embrace the talent.
Does their romanticism blind them to the trade-offs?
There is definitely a lack of realism over what it means to do this work. That's why, if you think you might be interested in a give-back career for your encore, you should get as much experience as possible before making the leap. Boomers will do these jobs if they feel they are making a genuine impact or if their time isn't wasted and their experience is put to good use.
If these things aren't there, it becomes a question of grinding it out in a nonprofit for less profit versus working for a corporation. I don't think many people will make that choice unless they are masochistic.
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