Encore
Book

Encore

Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life

Marc Freedman
Public Affairs, 2007
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Concrete Examples
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Society may never see another demographic group like the baby boom generation – people born between 1946 and 1964. During the 1950s, their great numbers dramatically changed everything, from manufacturing and construction to education and health care. The boomers’ idealism and social activism branded the 1960s and 1970s. In subsequent decades, baby boomers changed the workplace and all other areas of life. Now, as this generation enters its retirement years, it is shaking things up again. Unlike previous seniors, boomers are not content to trudge quietly off the stage. Instead, many are choosing second careers in public service. In the process, boomers are redefining not only retirement but also work. Marc Freedman discusses this phenomenon and what it means for society by presenting profiles of baby boomers who took up second, service-oriented careers when they reached retirement age. Their stories are inspiring. getAbstract recommends this book to professionals in their late 50s and beyond who want to put their hard-won expertise to work on behalf of others.

Summary

“Careers 2.0”

Unlike most, the baby-boom generation enjoys radical change. As they have in so many other areas, boomers are now changing the nature of work. Instead of gracefully exiting the workforce when they reach their 60s, many boomers plan to continue to work into their 70s and beyond. And, rather than remain in their current occupations, a substantial number are adopting a Careers 2.0 approach. They enter entirely new professions, often in public service.

Beverly Ryder is a good example. One of the first African-Americans to graduate from Stanford University, Ryder earned her M.B.A. at the University of Chicago. Afterward, she joined Citibank in New York, where she headed the corporate finance division for 16 years. She then moved to Edison International, a California utility company, where she spent 12 years. In Los Angeles, her hometown, Ryder was dismayed to learn that the L.A. school system had seriously deteriorated. Fewer than half of all students graduate from L.A. high schools; more than 30,000 students drop out annually. To make a difference, Ryder moved from Edison, where she had become a corporate officer, to L.A.’s Crenshaw High School. Putting ...

About the Author

Marc Freedman, a social entrepreneur, helped create a national service program for Americans aged 50 and above.

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