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.
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