Posted by CathyG on Feb 14, 2010 in
relocation,
retirement Relocation is one of the greatest stressors that most people experience in the twenty-first century. Often people move specifically to reduce expenses, especially in difficult economic times.
However, as a career consultant, I urge my clients to be very suspicious of cost of living reduction promises. Many people decide
to scale back their expenses by moving to a small town with lower
housing costs. However, there is usually a reason for the lower cost of
living.
“Bob” thought he could establish
his career as a freelance writer by moving to a state with a lower cost
of living. However, his new city did not have a strong public library
and the nearest large bookstore was 100 miles away. He would spend time
and money driving and invest considerable sums in creating his own
private library.
“Christine” planned to retire in a charming mountain town. She found she had to drive 200 miles or more to get medical services, such as appointments with a contact lens specialist who could get her prescription right the first time. She realized if she had serious problems requiring a specialist, she would have to get someone to drive her to a big city hospital or hire an ambulance. Some rural towns don’t even have medical services; residents have to be flown to a facility by air ambulance when they have heart attacks.
These challenges may not bother you at all. Many people live happily in these towns. But do your homework first.
Learn more about relocation at http://www.RelocationStrategy.com
Tags: relocation, retirement
Posted by CathyG on Oct 21, 2008 in
retirement Roland approaches retirement with what a healthy nest egg: three houses, a seven-figure retirement account, and a pension that covers most monthly expenses.
Rosabelle just sold her retail business, after two years of coming to realize that, “This is not where I want to be.” A combination of increased competition and her own disinterest lowered the sale price and she faces bankruptcy. She owns nothing except a used car, a few clothes and some odd bits of books and furniture.
Roland rarely talks about his future. He talks about saving fifty dollars a year on his car insurance by spending 8 hours listening to a “safe driving over 60” class. He spends hours negotiating with a real estate agent to save a few hundred dollars when he sells a house he inherited. He wonders if he will run out of money in his lifetime.
Rosabelle reminds everyone she will be free to do whatever she wants once the business is gone. She might get a scholarship to study in a natural healing program or take a few months to explore her options. She wouldn’t mind a job in just the right place. She knows she will bounce back.
Rosabelle smiles when she talks about her relationship with her current significant other. She doesn’t know where it’s going but she’s enjoying the ride. Roland’s friends have begun to avoid him: they don’t want another dose of financial doom-and-gloom.
Most of us fall somewhere between Rosabelle and Roland. We’re not ready to be as free as Rosabelle and we tell ourselves we wouldn’t fret if we had Roland’s money. We can all be owned by fear, no matter how much money we have. And there’s no way to buy the gift of waking up with a feeling of anticipation: “Another day to do what I want!”
Tags: mid-life career change, retirement
Posted by CathyG on Mar 22, 2008 in
career tests,
retirement,
testing Today’s WSJ includes a retirement living section. It seems that some of the over-60 set can’t handle all that leisure and they need help figuring out what to do.
One woman sought help from a career counselor who administered the Strong Interest Inventory and the notorious Myers-Briggs. The WSJ article included helpful tips on taking the test: you can pay $100-$300 to work with a counselor and discuss results.
The article failed to note that Myers-Briggs has been largely discredited (despite widespread use). You might as well check in with a good astrologer.
Frankly, I can’t believe so many organizations (including universities) continue to use Myers-Briggs. See
http://www.skepdic.com/myersb.html
Responding to some of this criticism, a person associated with a university says, ‘It is perception-based and is therefore subject to threats to validity…”
http://world.std.com/~lo/95.07/0081.html
The Strong Interest Inventory may be a better test…but I remain skeptical. Before paying anybody to take tests, I would invest in a copy of Annie Paul’s excellent book, The Cult of Personality.
A while back I wrote an article about how people really change careers. Read it here.
Tags: career tests, myers-briggs, wall street journal
Posted by CathyG on Sep 2, 2007 in
mid-career,
retirement Marc Freedman’s book, Encore: Finding Work That Matters In The Second Half of Life targets baby boomers who want second careers that “matter,” i.e, that make a difference. These days, as people live longer, retirement no longer makes sense.
The “encore” title creates an appealing metaphor – the idea that we’ve finished the plan performance and yet are not ready to leave the stage. At first I thought, “Wow – I wish I had come up with that title for some of my own work.”
But think about it. Performers give encores to please the audience. Encores are gratuitous extras – we love getting them but we don’t feel cheated if the performers simply pack up and go home. Symphony orchestras typically choose crowd-pleasing pieces that send everyone home with a smile.
I love encores myself. But performers know they’ve got another “real” show tomorrow and the day after that. To think that you’re nothing but an encore for the rest of your life…an extra, a crowd-pleaser, but with no real show tomorrow?
Books like this one are actually dangerous because prospective employers think, “Oh, they’re older boomers. They don’t care about rewards and promotions. They’re not forward-looking.”
For his Encore, one former teacher put away his graduate degrees and decided to be a greeter at Wal-Mart. Is that a career that “matters,” as the subtitle promises?
Thanks but no thanks.
Posted by CathyG on Dec 29, 2006 in
career change,
career coaching,
retirement
| Some time ago, Wall Street Journal featured a long article about starting a business at retirement age.
The article took a cautious tone. Don’t gamble all your life savings on a business. You won’t have time to recover from a massive failure (as you would at 20 or 30). And so on.
But as the article itself pointed out, sometimes you don’t have much choice. When we turn sixty, fifty, or even forty-five, the job market begins to fade.
Career articles try to convince us we’ll just love working in a bookstore, serving burgers or working long hours at a “part-time” job with no benefits and no path to promotion. Our number one goal, they would have us believe, is flexibility so we can go see the grandchildren whenever we want.
Now it’s fine with me if you have grandchildren and love volunteer work. But if you don’t fit the mold, you’re probably on your own.
When I was feeling restless while living in New Mexico, a well-meaning neighbor suggested, “Why not become a Pink Lady at the hospital.” Since my relationship to hospitals can be summarized as, “They’ll have to carry me in feet first,” I realized it was time to get serious about growing my business.
Here’s what I tell my own career-changing clients.
(1) Plan early for self-employment.
You have a window of opportunity from age 40 to age 50. Use that time to get credentials, move as high as you can in your professional field and grow your financial net worth.
From 50 to 60, plan what you’ll do for retirement – your post-career career.
You may want to spend thirty years with golf and fishing. You may choose employment rather than self-employment – and you may get lucky with a career you love. But I recommend creating a Plan B just in case you get frustrated, bored and/or restless.
(2) Rehearse for the Real Show.
While you’re still working, begin a self-employment sideline in a playful, “no big deal” spirit. And while you’re earning a good salary and stashing your cash, now’s the time to find mentors and hire resources. Take classes. Read books. Conduct informational interviews. Explore.
In my experience, choosing the right resources (and losing the losers) is what creates success.
(3) Count on the long haul.
I’m no medical expert, but I keep reading, “Fifty is the new 30. Sixty is the new 40.” Since I joined a weight training class at my local gym, those claims seem even more plausible.
Twenty or thirty years is a long time to set your brain on cruise control. When I talk to retirees, many seem bored, although they make fervent denials.
I vividly remember a former neighbor who claimed to be enjoying a comfortable retirement, living in his dream house with a view of the mountains. But he kept asking everyone about their lives (“What was the plumber’s truck doing outside your house? ”) and offering free advice on everything from finances to fertilizers. After awhile, we’d run when we saw him coming.
Another former neighbor became a recreational shopper. She had been a business dynamo and now her energies turned to retail. Her large home filled with souvenirs, books, clothes and memorabilia.
Me? I’d rather be working.
You may reprint this article in electronic media if you make no changes, use the following resource box and inform me of use.
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., coaches midcareer professionals who want to transform career breakdowns to career breakthroughs. Learn why most career change doesn’t happen and how to make yours a reality.
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html |
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