Test-Drive Your Dream Job

Journalist Larry Portzline, my co-author for DEFYING GRAVITY, TOO, is my guest blogger this week.  Note that Mark Peffers is one of the men we interviewed for the book.  

Imagine having the opportunity to "test-drive" your dream job for a couple of days.

Maybe you want to become a brewmaster like Mark Peffers, or learn how to run a B&B, or find out what it's like to be a sports announcer.  Or maybe you've always wanted to be a horse trainer, a music producer or a detective.

 
VocationVacations® can help you to explore these possibilities and many more.

Founded in 2004 by entrepreneur and author Brian Kurth, the agency offers more than 150 hands-on "career immersion experiences" with expert mentors around the U.S.  "It's ideal for anyone who's considering a career change," Kurth explains.  "You get to work one-on-one with a professional, see what they do up-close and ask a million questions."

Some of the most popular one- to three-day VocationVacations® cover the culinary, sports, design, animal, entertainment and hospitality fields.  "People are trying to figure out what they really want to do," Kurth notes.  "They want to find their true calling and pursue their passions, especially if they feel stuck in their current careers."

 
Past vacationers have included attorneys, insurance executives, teachers and clerical workers, for example.  "They come from all walks of life," Kurth says.  "It's a risk-free way for them to explore the 'road not taken' or audition a new career without quitting their day-jobs."

 
A former director of business development for a dot-com startup and a co-executive producer for the program "This Job's A Trip" on the Travel Channel, Kurth has pitched VocationVacations on CNN, MSNBC and "The Today Show."  He also authored the book Test-Drive Your Dream Job: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding and Creating the Work You Love (2008, Hachette Group).

 
"I always say, you test-drive a car before you buy it, whether it's a used Honda or a brand new Maserati," he explains.  "Well, it's the same thing with a career.  You should give yourself the opportunity to test-drive your dream job.  And see how it feels."

 
Visit www.vocationvacations.com for more information.

Intrigued?  Take a few minutes to view the above video.

Barbara Traynor

Barbara Traynor, author of Second Career Volunteer:  A Passionate & Pennywise Approach to Retirement, spends six months of every year volunteering at an organization of her choice in exchange for room and board.  

One year she worked at a small college in Alaska.  (See photo, above, of Barbara kayaking with some new friends in her free time.)  Another year she worked at a wildlife refuge in Florida.  This year she’ll be volunteering at Russell Cave National Monument in Alabama. 

Not bad for a woman in her 70s who depends on Social Security for her entire income and never thought she’d be able to retire, let alone travel all around the United States.

 This week I interviewed Barbara on “Ageless” and hosted her for the night at my place.  After she went to bed, I read her entire book from cover to cover.  It’s filled with inspiring stories of other volunteer careerists and a wealth of resources for anyone interested in exploring this lifestyle.  

Although the book is geared to retirees living on a fixed income, the financial crisis has made its content relevant to a much broader swath of people—recent college grads who can’t land a job, midcareer professionals who’ve been laid off, even affluent retirees who’ve grown weary of playing golf and want to give back.  

As Barbara herself says, “My volunteer lifestyle enables me to live within my limited…income without effort, travel to places only dreamed of, and network with an incredible group of people.  It does not get better than that!"

RSVP, Please

Today's post is by Betty Ruth, President of the National Association of Retired Senior Volunteer Program Directors (NARSVPD):

In the two weeks after floods ravaged the Midwest this past June, Larry Lyngstad (above photo, left) of Pierre, South Dakota, and his fellow volunteers with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) donated 1600 hours sand bagging and providing other emergency services to neighbors in need.  Lyngstad was quoted in the Pierre Capital Journal as saying, “These kinds of programs are important, not only for the people being served by the volunteers, but also those that provide the services. It is a win-win situation.”

Mary Brewster and American Flora

Sixteen years ago, at the age of 40, Mary Brewster took up ballet.  She’d taken lessons as a child, but it had been 28 years since she’d regularly done any rond de jambes or pliés. 

Soon, in addition to keeping up with her own lessons, she began teaching ballet and pointe to other adults at Pirouette, Pilates and More in Wilton, CT.  All the while, she kept wishing she could find leotards and other activewear that emphasized women’s “femininity, athleticism and beauty.” 

Unable to locate a manufacturer that satisfied all of her needs, Mary eventually decided to create her own company to fill the void.  A few months ago, her goal was finally realized when she launched American Flora.

Art White: Part 3

I've been busy this week creating a new website for the TV show I do (www.ageless-tv.com) and uploading clips to it.  Here's one of me interviewing Art White, the 99-year old I've been blogging about the past two weeks.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is priceless.  Today I'm meeting with an equally active 99-year old woman.  Stay tuned!

Art White, 99

Art White changed my life last week.  How?  By replacing my mom as my primary role model for aging.

As loyal readers of this blog know, my mom is now 88.  She still lives alone, still walks every day, still reads voraciously (she just finished Ann Patchett’s newest book State of Wonder), still laughs at the slightest provocation and still has a killer wink that melts me every time I see it.  She sounds amazing, right?

But that’s only part of the picture.  Besides fighting breast cancer and a brain tumor, she’s also increasingly frail and unsure on her feet.  Everywhere we go, I hold her hand to keep her from toppling over.  Oh, and did I mention that she’s almost totally deaf?  I see her practically every day and invariably think to myself, “Is this what I’m going to be like in 30 years?"

So when I interviewed Art White last Monday for my TV show, he gave me needed hope.  Yes, I might end up being as deaf and frail as my mom, but it's also possible that I could remain as active as Art.

Here's a sampling of Art's responses, some given on-air, some in the Green Room before the show.

Almost Seventy-Five and Still Going Strong

My friend Bonnie Orton, the Peace Corps volunteer who hosted me on my 2007 Africa trip, is nothing short of amazing.  At one point, we even hitchhiked across Botswana together.  We didn’t plan to.  We'd hoped to take a bus.  But when the bus didn't arrive, we were up for the adventure.  At the time, Bonnie was 69 years old.

Today she's almost 75.  I recently received a letter from her that shows exactly what I mean when I say she's amazing.  Here’s an excerpt:

....In addition to planning for my 75th next year (I can't believe it, either), I am going to do a 2-week volunteer project with Global Volunteers this summer in South Africa before going to Botswana for a friend's mom's 90th birthday celebration.  I also signed on for the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Albuquerque in October (it's been on my bucket list for a few years), and possibly another get-together with my childhood buddies....   

You may be wondering if I hit the lottery? No, I just decided that I am going to spend all of my remaining time on the planet doing things I didn't or couldn't do before I retired.

Note:  The above photo of Bonnie and me was taken in NYC two summers ago.  

The Big Shift

If you’re a boomer contemplating a life change, Marc Freedman’s newest book The Big Shift:  Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife is a must-read.  Not only is the writing unusually clear and compelling for this genre but Freedman presents a provocative idea.  As the press release I received with my review copy states:

Freedman's book is an impassioned call for breaking free from old habits like clinging to lost youth ("60 is the new 40"), or prematurely aging people long before their time (senior discounts at 50 or 60).  It's time to accept the decades opening up between midlife and anything approximating old age for what they really are, Freedman says--an entirely new stage of life.

A boomer himself and the father of two toddlers (yes, you read that right), Freedman isn't just spewing hot air.  As the founder of Civic Ventures, cofounder of both The Purpose Prize and Experience Corps, and author of several other books including Encore:  Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life, Freedman is a towering expert in the field of midlife transition.  The New York Times calls him "the voice [emphasis mine]of aging baby boomers who are eschewing retirement for meaningful and sustaining work later in life.”  

This book shows why Freedman deserves this kind of praise.

The Legacy Project USA

How many people do you know who are opting for traditional retirement, the kind where one plays golf, enjoys the grandchildren and travels?  

Fewer and fewer, right?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the sociological factors at work.  First, we’re living longer than previous generations, looking at 20 or 30 years post-retirement where our grandparents typically had less than ten.  That’s a lot of golf and a lot of travel.

That’s also a lot of time to go with no new income, which turns out to be the second factor.

And, finally, for many of us, sixty or seventy just doesn’t feel that old anymore. Boomers want to stay engaged--that's the bottom line.

The easy part is finding something to keep you occupied.  Look online or in any newspaper and you’ll see plenty of volunteer opportunities.  What’s harder is discovering something you’re passionate about that also pays.

Launch Pad

Civic Ventures, the non-profit think tank on boomers, work & social purpose that coined the term “encore careers” and sponsors the Purpose Prize, has started another contest called Launch Pad aimed at “helping people over age 45 turn creative ideas for solving problems in their communities into working solutions.” 

Online voting for the twenty-five finalists began yesterday.  The contest ends February 25th.  The five winners, who will be announced in early March, will each receive $5,000, plus resources and support from the larger Encore.org community.

Click here to vote.   Even if you don’t care to select a winner, consider taking a moment to skim the following list of finalists and their pet projects.  You never know.  Maybe one of their ideas will spark one of your own.

Baby Boomers in Bloom

Last week, I reviewed Kay Marshall Strom's newest book The Second-Half Adventure: Don’t Just Retire--Use Your Time, Skills & Resources to Change the World.  This week, she's my guest-blogger.  To find out more about Kay--for starters, she's the author of 36 published books and an in-demand speaker--check out her website (kaystrom.com) and/or her blog (kaystrom.wordpress.com). 

Baby Boomers in Bloom

Inside every baby boomer zipping toward senior-dom is a thirty-five-year-old asking, “Hey, what happened?”  

Curt Rosengren

Looking to find a purpose? Want more passion in your work life? Here’s one of the best blogs I’ve came across so far on this topic: The M.A.P. Maker: Meaning, Abundance & Passion in Your Career and in Your Life.

The brainchild behind this site is self-described "Passion Catalyst” Curt Rosengren, author of The Occupational Adventure Guide: A Travel Guide to the Career of Your Dreams and 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work.

Rosengren, who’s frequently quoted in national newspapers (I heard about him in USA Today) and whose first blog, The Occupational Adventure, was chosen by Forbes.com as one of the Best of the Web, has built a career around asking three simple questions:

1. What lights you up?
2. What difference do you feel compelled to make in the world?
3. How do you create a livelihood based on that?

The Importance of Finding Purpose

Finding a passion in life is a critical part of staying young and healthy.  "It has about an 8-year effect,” say Michael Rozien and Mehmet Oz, America’s most trusted television doctor team. 

Ten exceptional individuals who are pursuing their passions have just won the 2009 Purpose Prize.  Among them are 69-year old Ann Higdon (above) of Dayton, OH, who "grew up homeless, was inspired by a teacher and helps dropouts earn diplomas while training for jobs in various sectors"; and 73-year old Henry Liu of Columbia, MO, "an engineer who creates 'green' bricks out of fly ash, the residue of coal-fired power plants."

  
An initiative of Civic Ventures, a national think tank on boomers, the Purpose Prize provides five $100,000 awards and five $50,000 awards each year to innovators over 60 who are dedicating their creativity and talent to addressing critical social problems.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2010 prize.

A Second Shot

74-year old Ken Mink first played college basketball when Eisenhower was President.

Now he's playing for Roane State.

A former newspaper editor who retired in 1999, Mink kept active doing a variety of sports—golfing, skiing, even hang gliding. The six-footer had been away from organized basketball for 53 years (he was kicked out of school in '56), but still had NCAA eligibility when he enrolled at Roane State in Harriman, Tennessee last year.

According to a 12/9/08 New York Times article, Mink decided he still had what it took to play after shooting hoops in a neighbor’s driveway in 2007. Wanting to resume his education, he ended up sending e-mail messages to eight colleges near where he lived, thinking maybe one of them could use a “guy with an old-school push shot."

Today Mink is college basketball's oldest player. The runner-up is 27!

Leannette, Age 107

The oldest woman I know turns 107 this week. Her name is Leannette, and she was a mere 106 when I met her two weeks ago at the Watermark, a Connecticut retirement community where I was giving a talk.

(In the photo above, which was taken that day, Leanette is the one sitting in the foreground.)

Although her teeth give her trouble and she’s hard of hearing, Leanette still knits, still gets around on her own two feet, and is still an active member of the Watermark.

What most impressed me about Leannette, though, is how forward thinking she is. When I asked the 50 or so women in the room to take 30 seconds to jot down as many things as they could think of that they'd still love to do in their lives, Leanette had the longest list.

The 2009 Purpose Prize

Civic Ventures is accepting nominations for its 2009 Purpose Prize through March 5th. According to the Purpose Prize® website, the Civic Ventures organization provides five awards of $100,000 each to people over 60 who are pursuing encore careers and “taking on society’s biggest challenges.”

Past winners include:

Jock Bradis, who is improving the lives of farmers in 17 countries with his organization, The Fully Belly Project."

Arlene Blum (see above), who is mobilizing scientists, consumers, and industry to limit toxins in household products.

"Encore Careers"

Great column in today's NYT by my secret crush Nicholas Kristof. Kristof writes: "If we boomers decide to use our retirement to change the world, rather than our golf game, our dodderdom will have consequences for society every bit as profound as our youth did."

The article ("Geezers Doing Good") is worth reading in full. Click here to access.

The Age Advantage

The other day I received an e-mail from Tony Ferngren, who hired Evelyn Gregory back in 1999. (Evelyn is a woman in my book who became a flight attendant for US Airways Express at age 71 and ended up flying for the carrier for eight years.)

When the following article appeared in USA Today in June of 2000, Evelyn had already been in the skies for a year. Read what Tony has to say about his reasons for taking her on board:

JUDGMENT AND LEADERSHIP MORE IMPORTANT THAN AGILITY

I would love to hire more older people," says Tony Ferngren of US Airways Express, who supervises 72-year-old Evelyn Gregory as East Coast manager of in-flight operations.

He has found older workers "responsible. You can count on them. They won't say, 'I can't show up because I've got a fabulous date with a boyfriend.' And they have the life experience not to overreact to situations."

The problem, he says, is that most over-50s don't know they could have a second career as a flight attendant, so they don't answer ads.

While seniors serving in the cabin aren't common, the Association of Flight Attendants says there is no mandatory retirement age for attendants. But they must pass yearly tests.

Extreme strength and agility aren't necessary, just judgment and leadership, says Ferngren, 52. In fact, it's common practice for attendants at all airlines to pick able-bodied passengers to assist in case of an evacuation.

Ferngren calls Gregory a model employee who has merited complimentary letters from passengers. They praise "her personality, her energy. She has a positive attitude and holds herself as very confident in what she's doing. They trust her, and they can see that she enjoys her job."

She also has been enlisted to fly with new US Airways Express attendants to make sure they know their jobs.

Gregory isn't the only over-60 attendant Ferngren has known. For instance, he hired a retired school superintendent who flies out of Columbus, Ohio.

"I'd like to see more," Ferngren says.

Note: Here's what Tony wrote me in response to my reply to his original note. Turns out that he, too, is a late bloomer--or at least a perennial:

Prill,

Thanks for a copy of the article. I had misplaced mine and was unable to find it again. I actually retired from the Miami-Dade Police Dept. at the beginning of 1990. My objective was to do many different jobs in order to compare them and also get an insight. I've been lucky. My experiences are wide and educational. I have owned my own businesses and managed several other company branches. I was a flight attendant for Kiwi, Ryan Air and ultimately at US Airways Express. Presently I teach in South Korea but have also taught in China and Thailand. I've gained a wealth of knowledge, met some wonderful people, and have had fun along the way. When people look at my resume they have a hard time grasping the varied positions I've been hired for, with little or no experience. Thanks again for the copy. If I can help you in your stories of success please write.

Regards, Tony

.

More Global Volunteer Opportunities

Adding to last year's list (see 3/17/07 posting), here are three more volunteer opportunities that are designed to expand your horizons, no matter what your age:

CROSS CULTURAL SOLUTIONS
(Actually, I mentioned this last year, but it's worth listing again.) Programs run from 1-12 weeks and focus on everything from working in orphanages to teaching English. 12 countries including Guatemala, India, Thailand, and Costa Rica. Visit www.crossculturalsolutions.org.

GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS
Volunteer vacations to 16 countries. Activities include caring for at-risk children, teaching English, repairing community buildings, etc. Visit www.globalvolunteers.org.

APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY
Offers 1-6 week trips to rebuild and maintain the 2,100-mile Appalachian National Scenic Trail. Visit www.appalachiantrail.org.

Note: The above photo, which was taken in February '07, is of me speaking to a group of schoolgirls in Sowa, Botswana. Not the most flattering shot of me, but it was the best I could find in my files to illustrate the idea of global volunteering.

The information above was excerpted from USA Today on 12/7/07 (p. 5D).

Off to Malawi!

70-year old Bonnie Orton, the wonderful Peace Corps volunteer I traveled around Botswana with last February, just called to tell me that she has re-enlisted with the Peace Corps through their "Peace Corps Response" program. She will be leaving in late March for a year in Malawi. Once again, her work will revolve around HIV/AIDS.

Note: I took the above photo of Bonnie in Pretoria, South Africa just over a year ago.