 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!"
___
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]
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