What is an encore career?

Your career, or the one that you just got laid off from, could best be described as ‘making a living.’ If you were ever asked if you liked your job you probably told them that it ‘pays the bills’, not exactly a ringing endorsement of your occupation. Well, now the economy has freed you from you mundane job it is time to step it up and find something with meaning. You are looking for an encore career.


The term encore career is attributed to Marc Freedman who wrote the book ‘Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life.’ The general premise is that your second career in life will have more social value; you will be helping others and in turn finding more value in your own life. Encore careers are also to be considered instead of retirement although now a days retirement is being pushed back for more and more people.

This seems like a great way to end your working career helping others. Unfortunately, with today’s economic reality it might not be that easy to work at a lower salary that you might receive from an encore career. But money isn’t everything; the personal gratification of helping other people is something that you can’t put a price on.

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