Nancy Collamer on Your Second-Act Career #060 - a podcast by Marc Miller - Career Designer for Career Pivot
from 2018-01-08T18:05:44
Nancy Collamer is a semi-retirement expert, and author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement. She writes a bi-monthly blog on work and purpose for NextAvenue.org and Forbes.com and publishes a free newsletter about second-act careers through her website, MyLifestyleCareer.com. In private practice since 1996, Nancy holds an MS in Career Development from the College of New Rochelle and a BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Listen in for advice on preparing yourself for your semi-retirement opportunities.
Key Takeaways:
[1:07] The audio version of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life is available now on iTunes, Audible, and Amazon. Listen to the end of this episode for how to win a free copy of the audiobook. Marc will give away one copy a week for one month.
[1:41] In this episode, Mard interviews Nancy Collamer, semi-retirement expert and author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement. Next is an episode with a late-life career pivoter. The third in the series is a topic of Marc’s choice. The last in the series is the Q&A episode.
[3:18] Marc introduces Nancy. Nancy really loves her free time. She has a lot of interests outside of work, including family, volunteer work, and hiking. She loves her job because she feels so strongly about people having a holistic, balanced life, with the time to pursue other interests.
[4:50] Nancy is passionate about second-act careers. There are problems with being older and working but there is so much opportunity for people after they retire to have the chance to do what they want to do professionally with the flexibility of time for all their other interests and to find that mix that they didn’t have in their full-time careers.
[5:38] Nancy enjoys getting this important information out there to folks. Marc hears from his online community that they are surprised by their options for work. It can be hard to imagine the possibilities and think outside the box. Nancy’s retired brother-in-law never thought about other possibilities after a long career at one company.
[7:22] Nancy sees two beneficial trends for Boomers: first, the exploding growth in the gig economy, including working through a temp agency, taking on project work, or creating a side business, and second, the graying of the workplace.
[9:18] Marc’s online community informs him that people want freedom over their work — when, how much, and where — and at some point in the job economy companies will have to hire older workers. Nancy just wrote an article with seven ways employers can make the workplace more accommodating for older workers.
[10:50] Marc tells about Nomadland and how the semi-retired in trailers are being taken advantage of by certain industries.
[11:14] People have a hard time knowing what they should do in semi-retirement. Nancy gives a few tips. Disregard sunk costs. Do you still enjoy it; do you feel like your adding value? It may just be certain elements of your job you want to walk away from. What did you like? You might find a part-time position in a better environment.
[15:05] Marc’s periodontist sold his practice, stayed on as an employee of the new owner, and can work as little or much as he wants.
[16:23] Your area of expertise is where you are best known in your largest professional network of contacts. It’s where you have your greatest income potential. Explore it before you move on to other options.
[17:11] Most people build on a piece of what they did before. Nancy gives examples.
[19:05] Most employees are branded by their business skill set and their expertise in their industry. It’s usually easy to trade one, not both, in one pivot. Nancy talks about a Microsoft marketer’s pivot. He transitioned to a magician for events and did marketing for magicians who had no marketing acumen of their own.
[21:45] Nancy sees opportunities for people over 50 in the gig economy and using the internet for working from home. She uses herself as an example, interviewing online. A vice-president retired and became a dog-sitter and dog-walker on Rover.com.
[23:46] Marc uses the example of a three-way international Zoom call he joined on his iPhone from Mexico.
[25:44] Surround yourself with second-act inspiration. You will be excited about the possibilities.
[26:33] Marc will give away one or more copies of the audio version of his book if you will follow the instructions he gives in this episode. Listen for details.
[27:24] Marc is contacting people on the waiting list for the online community of the CareerPivot.com website. To be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc is looking for individuals who are motivated to take action will give input on what they want to see next in the community.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey The paperback, ebook, and audio versions are available now.
Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement, by Nancy Collamer
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“7 Ways Employers Can Support Older Workers and Job Seekers,” by Nancy Collamer
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, by Jessica Bruder
Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast
Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available now. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com.
Marc has a prototype running of the paid membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of 10 members helping him. Marc has opened a waitlist. Sign up at CareerPivot.com/Community.
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CareerPivot.com/Episode-60 Show Notes for this episode.
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Further episodes of Repurpose Your Career | Career Pivot | Careers for the 2nd Half of Life | Career Change | Baby Boomer
Further podcasts by Marc Miller - Career Designer for Career Pivot