CAREER PLANNING FOR AN "ENCORE"

"Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life" (Public Affairs, 2007), a new book by Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures, was developed from interviews with people who are finding new ways to use their skills in work after age 55 or older, sometimes decades older.

The Baby Boomers in large numbers are seeking the "freedom to work," in Freedman's words. He looks primarily at health care, education and the non-profit sectors as areas welcoming older workers given their current and forecast labor shortages. The book describes the competing visions for work and Baby Boomers' search for a calling in work as well as continued earning power. Freedman says that their energy could transform what work means for all Americans.

Freedman is a very fast talker, seemingly without breaths or punctuation, who crams lots of stories and ideas into interesting narrative with extensive knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject. A new movement to transform the meaning of work is an exciting prospect (for all generations, in my mind).

Phyllis