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

Finally, the trend to give back to society is gaining momentum. People moving through mid-life and beyond often want to contribute to the greater good.

The combination of these factors is prompting many people in their 40s, 50s, and older to seek out alternative ways to spend the second half of their lives. But it's not always an easy journey. Older people who want to stay in the workforce, move into a new career, find volunteer work, or pursue a passion can struggle to know where to start.

That's where this book comes in. "The Encore Career Handbook" provides a roadmap for anyone who's looking for purpose, a paycheck, or both, in their later years. It's a practical guide that will help readers discover the new career that's best suited to them and will show them how to go out and get it. It will also help them navigate what can be a tricky transition period and avoid common pitfalls.

So who's this book for? Well, it's most suited to people who are in mid-life or older and who want to stay in the game, carry on earning, and give back in the second half of their lives. It's especially relevant to people who find themselves at a crossroads – after an unexpected redundancy, the death of a loved one, following serious illness, or after the children leave home. But this book might also be of interest to younger readers who want to switch careers, combine professions, or make a mark.

We should note that while "The Encore Career Handbook" addresses societal shifts seen in many parts of the industrial world, it's clearly targeted at an American audience. International readers will have to search out information and resources relevant to their countries and will want to skip some passages. Nevertheless, much of the author's advice is generic and universally applicable.

The author is ideally placed to advise us on career shifts. Marci Alboher is vice president of Encore.org, a nonprofit organization that guides millions of people into new careers or projects for the greater good.

She's also the author of a column and blog for The New York Times called Shifting Careers, about the changing nature of the workplace. You can hear an interview with Marci in the Expert Interview section of the Mind Tools site, where she talks about her previous book, "One Person/Multiple Careers."

So keep listening to find out how to discover your ideal encore career, how to prepare for the tricky transition stage, and how to work out whether you've got what it takes to be an encore entrepreneur.

If you're thinking about joining the millions of people around the world who are pursuing encore careers or thinking about what they might want to do beyond mid-life, you'll probably have a lot of questions. How do I get my foot in the door at a voluntary organization? How do I manage my finances as I move out of full-time employment and into a less stable profession? Do I need to go back to school? How do I juggle my encore career with caring for a partner or health complaints? And how will I cope in a workplace where most people are half my age?

The great thing about this book is that it anticipates pretty much every question you're going to have – and it answers them, by sharing the experiences of those who've trodden this path before, and by including frequently asked questions at the end of every chapter. "The Encore Career Handbook" is also packed with practical worksheets, planning tools, and lists of websites, books, and other resources.

So let's explore the author's tips on how to discover what kind of encore career is right for you.

Whether you're looking for money or meaning or both, the author suggests a set of exercises that will help you work out what motivates you, what skills you can offer, and what you want to get out of your new profession.

The author asks nine big questions to help you come up with the top three contenders for your encore career. We haven't got time to go into all of these in detail but here's an overview.

Firstly, you'll want to write down any ideas already on your mind – this clears the way for new ideas to come up. Once you've done that, it's time to work out what makes you tick and why. This is about getting in touch with what the author calls your "internal guidance system" – or your intuition, perhaps. It's important to listen to this. If you don't, you might end up on a particular path because others – your peers, family, or partner – thought it was right for you.

The author suggests you go to a certain place, which could be your backyard, a local park, a favorite spot in your city or town, or a room in your home. Then scan the environment for something that draws your attention and attracts you. It doesn't really matter what it is – it could be a flower, a piece of furniture, a bird, a painting, a drink, or some food. What matters is why you were drawn to that thing. Do you feel something or sense an internal shift? Do you feel happy, excited, or experience clarity or peace? Maybe you got goose bumps or tingles?

You might find it hard to put the feelings into words, but do your best – and write them down. This gives you a clue to your internal guide and once you have a sense of it, you can start to use it in your daily life – for small decisions like which movie to see or what to wear – and, once it's more developed, to work out the career direction you want to move in.

The author also suggests you dig down into why you want to pursue an encore career at all, and offers a list of possible motivating factors. Maybe you want to leave a legacy, help others, be creative, feel productive, stimulate your mind, have fun, or make more money. We're all motivated by different things so it's vital to know what gets you out of bed in the morning.

You'll also want to create an inventory of your skills and ask yourself what the most important aspects of an encore career are for you – is it the people you'll get to work with, the location, the schedule, or the level of income?

Once you've completed these steps, along with a few others, you should be able to come up with your top three encore careers. And if you're still struggling, the author provides what she calls the "Encore Hot List" – a string of professions that offers what people tend to look for in an encore career, from flexible working hours to opportunities for self-employment, and roles that are predicted to be in high demand in coming years.

The author's exercises on discovering your passion and purpose are really thorough and we think they'd benefit people of all ages and at different stages in their careers.

Another thing we like about this book is that the author doesn't pretend the transition period between professions is an easy one, or that the path to an encore career is obstacle-free. The second half of our lives can be a fun and fulfilling time but it can bring its challenges – poor health, financial insecurity, loneliness, and caring responsibilities, to name but a few.

The author addresses these issues and many more, with a wealth of helpful information but also through case studies which bring the book to life. One of these is about Betsy Werley, who left a 27-year career in banking without any idea what to do next.

She recalls going through a period of confusion – walking down the street and looking at everyone else on their way to somewhere, envying their apparent sense of direction and purpose. But Werley came out the other side and is now the executive director of a nonprofit called the Transitions Network, which helps women over 50 face all kinds of life challenges together.

So how can you make the transition period as painless as possible? The author says you first need to get comfortable with uncertainty – and there are many ways to do this.

They include turning to others for support, appreciating that everyone goes through uncertain periods in their lives, and finding ways to communicate your status to others in a positive way, focusing on your interests and hopes for the future, rather than on what you used to do or the fact you don't know which way to turn. This kind of major transition also takes time and you're going to want to set aside some hours every week or every month to think and plan.

You may also want to consider hiring a career coach. Coaches don't come cheap but some work pro bono and offer a sliding scale of fees depending on income.

Finally, try joining a group or a class. Support groups for people with common interests or goals or for those facing similar challenges are popping up all over the world – the Transition Network you just heard about is one, and the author suggests other similar organizations.

Let's now look at her tips on becoming an encore entrepreneur. The author discusses the growing trend of social entrepreneurship – using business techniques to achieve social change – suggesting this mix of money and meaning is perfect for people at mid-life who have decades of expertise and want to make a difference. In this part of the book, she focuses almost entirely on social entrepreneurship, rather than how to set up a mainstream profit-making business, although some of her advice is relevant in both areas.

Social entrepreneurs can be engaged in a whole range of businesses with diverse aims, from reducing climate change, to helping the homeless, to mentoring schoolchildren. But social entrepreneurship isn't for everyone – it takes a particular personality type to be your own boss. So how can you know whether it's for you?

Start by asking yourself if there's a social problem or issue you feel passionate about. Having an interest in a problem is different to feeling inspired to do something about it. Next, ask yourself if you have an idea that could have an impact on that problem. If you've answered yes to these two questions, you're on the right track.

You'll also need a good network of potential partners and a willingness to go to people for help. In terms of your personality, it's good if you're comfortable with rejection and you're willing to stand up in front of diverse audiences to explain your vision – from potential financial backers to the media. And you'll also need to be comfortable taking risks.

If this last question leaves you in doubt, don't give up straight away. There are ways to minimize risk and you could also take your entrepreneurial skills to ventures that are already up and running.

In the rest of this chapter, the author offers practical tips on how to proceed if you do want to start your own business, from educating yourself about a social problem, to figuring out the financials to sketching a business plan. It's clear a budding entrepreneur will need more support and advice than this book can offer in order to get started, but the author does a good job of planting the seed and ensuring readers know the challenges they'll face.

This is just one of many examples in "The Encore Career Handbook" where the author strikes the right balance between inspiring people to pursue their purpose or an alternative income and highlighting the obstacles they'll inevitably come across. We really like this approach and think it offers readers everything they'll need to start planning a new future or working toward a new profession, while also giving a healthy reality check.

Another big plus is the book's structure, which makes it appealing and accessible. You can either read it cover to cover or use it as a reference guide – flicking to the chapters that are most relevant to you. Maybe you need to understand the minefield of health insurance, find out what kind of grants are available to fund education, or get some tips on how to network. It's full of this type of information, and it's all easy to find.

Our one criticism is that the book could have been written for a more global audience, with case studies from other parts of the world. Even so, the bulk of the author's suggestions translate easily across borders.

"The Encore Career Handbook" by Marci Alboher is published by Workman Publishing Company, Inc.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.