7 year itch + social philanthropy = jobs for 50 plussers!

I've got the 7 year itch...that's right...I'm 48 1/2...turning 49 within a few short months. That is an exponential "7". 7 squared. 7 x 7. Am I going to buy a new car? Yup. Try to get into better shape? Yup. Make some exponential changes in my life this year? Yup.

I don't know what it is about 7. This past summer, on July 7, 2007 (7/7/7) more people chose to get married than on any other day in recorded history (on a Saturday, the seventh day of the week and many tried for 7:00 pm.) Lucky 7, tripled -- or even quadrupled!

So, this year, in July, I turn 7 x 7. One year away from the big 5-0 (which I am already celebrating in my advocacy of all things 50 plus).

The big question is where is the itch going to take me? Am I going to uproot myself and family and head to a new city for new adventures? Travel to China, finally? I'm not sure, but I feel the wave.

My most compelling itch lies in my desire and need to give back -- in my case, continuing my social efforts on behalf of Gen Plussers (Boomers and 50 plussers) and their need to find meaningful employment opportunities.

And it turns out I'm not so unusual. A colleague passed along an article that was in last week's Business Week, by Toddi Gunther, an interview with Marc Freedman's efforts through think tank Civic Ventures.

My take-away from the article was that, in Freedman's view, Boomers and 50 plussers are determined to continue to find meaning through their social philanthropy -- i.e. giving back to the community -- whether through the type of work they choose to do, the organizations they are involved in, the continued education they take onboard. Freedman has coined the term "encore" careers, which really means the jobs you take on in your continued stages of career choice/development/necessity (!)

How do you define an encore career?
It's when someone can earn income, find new meaning, and use accumulated experience in ways that have a positive impact on society. At the same time, encore careers fill a set of talent shortages that threaten to compromise our education and health-care systems. They represent the best use of the accumulated experience of the baby-boomer population.
Why do you use the term only in the context of
give-back jobs?
We know from surveys that a significant percentage of boomers is already thinking about working in an area of the social sector. Our challenge is to take all of those people and get them jobs.

This resonates with me is because of the efforts (and strides) Gen Plus has been making in connecting the 50-plus friendly employer with the 50 -plus jobseeker. One case in point is our new and very exciting collaboration with Kelly Services (head to our work site for more details or sign up as a jobseeker to look up the job postings!) Not only is Kelly Educational Services focusing in on substitute teaching positions as a viable option for transition or permanent career choices, but according to their Senior Recruiting Specialist:

We see many mature workers come to us because they want to feel that they are giving back and teaching fulfills that.

You may not realize it but you might already meet most of the qualifications to be a substitute teacher, and from folks I know who take on teaching as a career choice, they find it highly rewarding, both emotionally and financially.

If you live in any of these regions, there are jobs posted that may appeal to you:

Los Angeles
Philadelphia
Washington DC
New York
Denver
Chicago
Orlando
Dallas
Houston
Los Angeles
San Francisco
New York

We are highly commited to the success of this pilot program and need you to make your voice heard. So go online, register as a jobseeker (all of this is free, by the way) and if you are interested in one of the Kelly Services jobs, make sure to apply. The recruiters are waiting to hear from you.