References and Citations

References and Citations

1.     “What Color is Your Parachute (any year)” by Richard N. Bolles. I think many of the principles and exercises of this classic are as applicable to this stage of life as they are when first starting out or when changing careers.  Find something that you are passionate about and want to do, then go out and sell yourself to the right person who can give you the opportunity.  I have not looked at the one in this series on retirement because it had mixed reviews.  The closest thing to this for retirement is “Your retirement, your way” cited below.

2.     “Changing Course: navigating life after 50” William Sadler and James Krefft, “Your Retirement, Your Way" Alan Bernstein and John Trauth, and "Retire retirement" by Tamara Erickson.  These are the three books on 3rd stage careers that I read after sifting through a number of possibilities.  They all stimulated thought and provided some concrete directions. All make the point that money is not the primary issue.  It is instead finding meaning, fulfillment, and enjoyment.  Which is best depends on what you are looking for.

“Retire retirement”, which predicted insufficient experienced workers and openings for those over 50 and 60, now appears incorrect with the current high unemployment, but it provides interesting data and conceptual ideas about boomers vs Gen X’rs and Gen Y’rs. 

“Changing Course” was the most systematic, though not quite with the rigor I am used to with qualitative research.  For instance, how they found and selected the people who compromise the subjects of their “study” is not described.  Nonetheless, there is an analysis that then lists specific tasks (5) and lessons learned (17) for those of us in this process.  The five tasks are 1) Do your third age homework; 2) change negative images of aging; 3) redefine success from achievement to fulfillment; 4) build a new identity on paradox; and 5) create a third stage infrastructure.

“Your retirement, your way” provides more of a descriptive series of steps and exercises to work through with some practical advice.  Many of the tasks essentially overlap with those described above in Changing Course.  In many ways, the most practical of the three, with some clear answers to the approach to the tasks listed above.  Very easy to read.

3.     "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl.  If finding meaning is part of this process then this is a classic work on the importance of finding meaning for psychic health under all circumstances.  Written by a Viennese psychiatrist who specialized in suicide prevention before WWII, and then ended up in the concentration camps where he lived, survived, and assisted others under abhorrent conditions.  He developed his own approach to psychoanalysis from this experience and his observations.  Highly recommended just in general.  

4.     Birkman Assessment http://www.birkman.com/index.php:  I learned about this from Your Retirement, Your Way cited above, and did this a couple of years ago.  I found it useful, though expensive – around $350, which included a personal one-to-one review.  A type of personality assessment not unlike Myers Briggs, but geared towards attributes for the workplace.  Quoting the website: "The Birkman Method® is a time tested way of assessing an individual's usual productive behaviors, underlying needs, stress behaviors, career interests and organizational focus. These factors impact personal, team, and company-wide performance." Apparently hedge fund companies use this to be sure they have the right people in place - such a firm would not hire me.  It helped identify for me why the ICU was such a toxic environment for myself, and that in general I needed to make a change.