Workplaces and job searches have changed drastically since Baby Boomers started their careers decades ago. Technology has driven many of these changes. Every generation gets, well, generalized—and Baby Boomers are generalized as being technologically inept. This can make it harder for people in this age group (those born between 1946 and 1964) to find a job or start an encore career. Baby Boomer career changers also must face the obstacle of age discrimination.
“Encore career” is a term coined by Marc Freedman, an author of numerous books and founder of encore.org. It refers to a career’s second half, or second act, when a person still does paid work, but focuses on work that has a positive social impact. Education, non-profits, and government agencies are just a few common choices for encore careers. Many people who launch encore careers choose to work with youth in some way.
For career advice related to navigating today’s workplace and job search, or to learn more about launching an encore career, start with these three Baby Boomer blogs.
1. Career Pivot
Career Pivot is a career resource firm helmed by Marc Miller, author of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers. It’s aimed at people who are interested in making career moves—but not interested in leaps of faith and drastic changes.
“Career Pivot helps you move toward your new career in small, practical steps that land you where you want to be,” according to the site.
The Career Pivot blog is an incredibly useful combination of original content and round-ups of relevant stories from numerous sources. The curated posts are called “BoomerJobTips,” and each one is broken out into clear categories. If you’re pressed for time, start with these.
Career Pivot also features resources such as book recommendations, white papers, and evaluations.
2. Next Avenue
Next Avenue is a site produced by PBS, created especially for Baby Boomers. It was founded by Jim Pagliarini and Judy Diaz, who both have been with PBS for decades. Next Avenue includes content on a wide range of topics, with one channel—called Work & Purpose—devoted to all things Baby Boomer career-related. The Living & Learning channel also has some relevant content.
The blog both covers current events and developments and provides advice on a range of issues, including tips on time management, job searching, and using LinkedIn effectively. The posts are written by a range of experts.
In addition to the blog, there are special reports, and an e-newsletter you can sign up to receive.
3. John Tarnoff, Boomer Reinvention Coach
This site was launched by John Tarnoff (as you may have guessed), a former entertainment executive and film producer. After the dot-com bubble burst, he went back to school and earned a master’s degree in spiritual psychology and became a career educator and coach.
“My mission is to help my fellow Boomers not just weather the storm, but fulfill the potential of our generation and make a lasting contribution to society,” he writes.
His psychology education comes through loud and clear in the blog, which covers a wide range of topics—and provides both reality checks and encouragement.
In addition to his blog, he offers free coaching consultation calls, as well as more in-depth consultation programs and workshops.
Career advice is not one-size-fits-all. And it shouldn’t be. Baby Boomer career advice needs to account for the challenges, opportunities, and considerations unique to the generation.
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