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Today, making that jump is more likely to be a matter of following
the heart than it was during the throes of the economic recession,
when professionals caught up in corporate layoffs discovered they
were too old to find jobs in a poor market and too young to retire.
They started second careers, not to follow a vocation but to pay the
bills. "I'm glad to see the tide turning again -- especially for
all the baby boomers who don't want to retire but do want to do
something gratifying," says Betty Hechtman, who was on the eve of
her 60th birthday when her first mystery series prompted a bidding
war between St. Martin's Press and Berkley Books.
She has since published eight "cozy mysteries," including her
newest, "Yarn to Go" -- the first in her Berkley Prime Crime Yarn
Retreat Mystery series.
Hechtman has had a lot of practice reinventing herself. She has
volunteered as a farmworker on a kibbutz in Israel, waitressed and
worked in retail sales, and made connections as a telephone
operator, among a host of jobs.
"I've held jobs just for the paycheck and I've pursued my
passions, so I know how profoundly different it is to do one versus
the other," she says. "No matter what age you are, if there's work
you feel called to, you should most definitely give it a try -- you
may well experience a joy unlike any you've ever known."
Hechtman offers these tips for people considering an encore:
There's nothing
more disappointing than jumping into something new only to
become disillusioned and frustrated because you didn't take the
time to prepare. If your dream is to open a particular business,
research the market. Is there a demand for what you hope to
sell? Should you give it a trial run as an online business
before investing in shop space and other overhead? Start by
checking the resources at
Score.org, a nonprofit supported by more than 12,000
volunteers dedicated to helping small businesses get off the
ground. For other encore pursuits, you might take classes or
spend a few hours a week working as a volunteer to learn the
ropes.
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Join a group of
like-minded people. This is particularly helpful for
aspiring artists who want to paint, play music, write a book or
indulge some other creative talent. You can brush up on your
skills and make valuable contacts by becoming a part of a
community theater, joining a writers circle or finding a group
of hobbyists. You may find that your skills develop much more
quickly with the support and guidance of collegial peers who are
all helping one another achieve a dream.
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Consider working in one of the five
most popular encore fields. Most people seek their second
careers in health, education, government, environment and
nonprofits -- all fields expected to provide abundant job
opportunities in the next couple of years, according to
Encore.org, a nonprofit that supports second careers "for the
greater good." If you need training to qualify, now is the time
to get it, Hechtman says. "Invest now in the education, and you
can soon have a job that feeds the heart, the mind -- and the
body!"
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Betty Hechtman is the
author of "Yarn to Go," the first book in the Berkley Prime Crime
Yarn Retreat Mystery series, as well as the author of the
best-selling Berkley Prime Crime Crochet Mystery series. The eighth
book, "For Better or Worsted," comes out in November. She has also
written newspaper and magazine pieces, short stories and
screenplays, as well as a children's culinary mystery. She has a
bachelor's degree in fine arts and has been active in handicrafts
since she was a small child. Hechtman divides her time between Los
Angeles and Chicago.
[Text from file received from
News and Experts] |
