There are plenty of chances to learn more about encore careers in coming weeks, whether it's listening to a speaker or diving into the nitty-gritty of what's involved in finding your own purpose-driven job.

Here are some upcoming events that offer an opportunity to learn more. You can also visit Encore.org's Events Calendar. See our Midlife Transition Groups blog to learn more about organizations that help members find encore careers. If you want to start your own group, see our Encore Careers Meeting Toolkit.

CALIFORNIA

Palo Alto Area

June 20-July 2, 2010, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 518 Memorial Way, Stanford. The Center for Social Innovation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business is now accepting applications for the next offering of the Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship. Tailored to the needs and challenges facing seasoned social entrepreneurs, the curriculum is designed to help participants take enterprises and innovative models to the next level by refining their innovations and leveraging their impact. Applications must be submitted by April 19. Cost: $4,000-$8,400, depending on your organization’s budget; a substantial tuition subsidy is available for applicants from nonprofit organizations and government agencies. For more information, visit the Executive Program in Social Entrepreneurship or contact Brett Cicerone at cicerone_brett@gsb.stanford.edu or (650) 723-0544.

The Encore Careers Telebriefing held March 3 is available to download for free here.

The 45-minute session offers practical tips on finding an encore career that combines continued income doing work that has personal meaning and social impact. It features Marci Alboher, our in-house encore careers specialist; Erin O’Connor Jones, an expert on transitions to the nonprofit sector with the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group; and Mark Noonan, whose encore career involves working at Elders in Action in Portland, Ore.

Cinde Dolphin of Sacramento thought it would be easy to get another job after she took a buyout from her marketing position with Coors. After months of searching, she started her own marketing and public relations firm. Norberto Bogard created a Spanish entertainment guide to New York City after he lost his job as a reporter for a Spanish-language financial news program.

Both are among the fast-growing group of entrepreneurs over age 55 that are the focus of a March 4 report in The New York Times by Steven Greenhouse. According to the Small Business Administration, the number of self-employed people ages 55 to 64 rose 52 percent between 2000 and 2007.

Marc Freedman, founder of Civic Ventures, told Greenhouse that would-be entrepreneurs shouldn’t be deceived by money magazines that make it look as though “all you need is a new idea, that you wander out there, you run your own B&B, you start your nonprofit and all the birds are singing.”

They aren’t household terms yet, says Phyllis Segal, vice president at Civic Ventures, but many jobs are emerging that are a natural fit for people seeking careers in midlife that combine continued income with social impact.

“Many of today’s new encore careers build on multiple work and life experiences, so they are a good match for older adults who’ve spent decades in the workplace,” Segal told Elizabeth Pope of The New York Times. She urges individuals to get up to speed for coming job opportunities through community colleges, online courses and workshops.

One person who did just that is Mark Davis, 51, of Washington, D.C., a former title company owner. When he found out there weren’t many solar installation companies in his city, Pope writes, he decided to start one. He attended the Green Encore solar training at Ohlone College in Fremont, Calif., this year, then launched WDC Solar in his encore career.

Coming of Age will launch in the San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday, March 4, with a grand opening party that is open to the public. Coming of Age: Bay Area joins a national movement that is capturing and utilizing the expertise and energy of people 50+ as a force for social good.

A web site that lists 97 nonprofit job boards, fellowships for “education entrepreneurs” and a scholarship program for women over age 40 seeking new job skills and training are among the new opportunities and resources available to individuals seeking encore careers.

• “The Ultimate Nonprofit Job Guide” is featured on GuidetoOnlineSchools.com, whose goal is “to be the most comprehensive authority on distance learning and online education.” The Nonprofit Job Guide lists 97 job boards specializing in nonprofit positions, with the top 10 highlighted at the top.
  by: Terry Nagel | Read more >>

A new report, Graduated Success, shows how one- and two-year community college credentials can, in many cases, deliver graduates higher salaries than four-year degrees. That’s good news for older Americans looking for employment, including millions who want purpose-filled work in the second half of life.

Recognizing that this training paves a vital pathway to an encore career, Civic Ventures and MetLife Foundation award grants to community colleges that are creating programs to retrain experienced adults. Click here to learn about these programs.

Marc Freedman, founder of Civic Ventures, responds today on The Huffington Post to David Brooks’ call for a “generativity revolution,” noting that “the real generativity revolution is well under way. And with the help of smart new policies, this movement of forward-looking baby boomers might actually succeed.”

Freedman writes, “It’s increasingly clear that these older workers aren’t competing with younger people; they are meeting demands for talent that will only grow as the economy recovers.”

A story on MSNBC about three individuals in their encore careers brought the biggest spike in Encore.org’s history – more than 3,400 visits in a single day.

The article posted on January 25, “Workers Finding Fulfillment in Encore Careers,” tells the stories of Terry Ramey, 42, a former autoworker in Michigan who is currently in nursing school; Penny Mudd, 55, a 20-year Silicon Valley veteran who is studying to become a middle school math teacher; and Barbara Higbee, 57, a district manager for a Texas merchandising school who now works for a women’s crisis center.

Applications are due February 1 for The Broad Residency in Urban Education, a national leadership development program that places participants in full-time paid managerial positions at the top levels of urban school districts, charter management organizations and the U.S. Department of Education.

Broad Residents assume highly visible roles reporting to superintendents or other senior leaders. They earn starting salaries of $85,000 to $95,000 with full benefits. The major projects they lead require top-notch analytical skills and the ability to manage projects and teams. Working within the system, participants are well positioned to lead the transformation required to ensure that every American child receives a world-class education.