Exploring Your Interests

Once I made the decision to leave the world of insurance, I came face-to-face with the big question many of us haven’t considered in decades (if ever): what do I want to be when I grow up?

When I graduated from college with a degree in Art History, all I knew for certain was that I wanted to be a mother some day. I had never really considered what to do with myself until that time arrived. Vassar in the mid-seventies was a hotbed of feminism, and many of my classmates had well-considered plans for graduate and professional school. However, the sad truth is that an equal number of us had no particular career goals. We had more options than our mothers but few role models. Also, the country was in the middle of a recession (remember the gas shortage and lines at the pumps?), and jobs were scarce. I took the first job I was offered, and it set the course for the next thirty-seven years.

Now, however, everything has changed. It’s much easier to get information about every occupation and activity imaginable. The rainbow of choices is literally blinding. The problem is narrowing them down to the best one or ones for you.

The place to start is with self-knowledge. If you’re in your fifties, you probably have a good idea of the things you’re interested in and enjoy doing, but how well do you really know yourself? Now is a great time to do some in-depth exploration. And it’s fun! It may confirm what you already suspect, but it might also present you with new possibilities you’d never considered. To help set you on the right path, I‘d like to share a few books I used to hone in on what I really want for The Second Half.

At this point, you may know whether you want to look for a job in a new field, go into business for yourself, or try a new volunteer opportunity. I didn’t. When I started my search, all I knew was I had to get out. So it’s no surprise I started with Escaping Career Prison: Three Keys toBreaking Free and Finding Work You Love, by Amy Van Court. The title alone is liberating, and the tone of the book is supportive and encouraging—just what I needed when I was in the throes of work misery. The ebook version also includes a link to the author’s website where you can download and print a very helpful workbook. By the time you read the book and complete the workbook, you’ll have a much better idea of what you want from work and life.

Next, I picked up Career Match, by Shoya Zichy with Ann Bidou. Based on the work of Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, and the Myers-Briggs personality-type Indicator, Zichy has devised her own color-coded system she calls Color Q to help match people with compatible occupations. Using a self-assessment questionnaire, she assigns primary and secondary personality types to four color groups then applies the introvert/extrovert filter. I determined I am a gold/green introvert, which was supported by the interesting list of possible job choices at the end of the section.

For confirmation, I checked back with a book we’d had since OG did some career exploration several years ago—Do What You Are, by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger. This classic has been around for twenty years, and with good reason. Also based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, it offers detailed insight into the science of personality typing, as well as the sixteen personality types and suitable occupations for each. I highly recommend it even if you aren’t interested in career guidance. I have used the basic descriptions to help with character development in my fiction writing for years.

There are many other excellent books available in the field of career selection, and I’ll try to bring more to your attention as I come across them. Are there any that have been particularly helpful to you?

Adventures With OG

As we begin, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce my partner on my journey into The Second Half. Henceforth, for purposes of this blog, my husband shall be known as OG (short for Old Goat – his appellation, not mine).

OG and I have been married nearly thirty years and have been true partners in every sense of the word. Our road has had its bumps and bends as most do, but we’ve stuck it out together and are genuinely looking forward to spending more time in each other’s company. We are the parents of a wonderful twenty-six year-old daughter who is the light of our lives but is now ready to spread her wings and start living her life—leaving us free to devote more time to building our own.

One unusual characteristic of our marriage is the fact that OG and I have never been employed full time simultaneously since our daughter was born (which begs the corollary--we've never been at home at the same time either). I took the first eight years of her life off to stay home, and then we switched places.

OG has shown unflagging support during the recent disintegration of my career, being no stranger to untenable work situations himself. In order to remain employed while I stayed home, he was forced to change jobs several times as employer after employer shut down, was sold, or left town. Ultimately, we moved to the Twin Cities when there was no work left to be had in Kansas City. When yet another job crumbled on him, we decided it was my turn to take my chances on the employment merry-go-round. I struck it lucky, and OG moved into the then-uncommon role of stay-at-home dad.

Our neighborhood is currently teeming with fathers who gather at the school bus stops in the morning dressed in jeans, clutching coffee mugs and chatting with each other after their children depart. However, eighteen years ago it was cutting edge. These men may work at home today, but OG’s job could only be done in an office. So for years he gamely drove missed lunches up to school and responded to calls from the nurse’s office, shopped for groceries and did the laundry.

I tell you this so you’ll understand this is his time, too. We’re both looking for a new challenge, something to make us want to get up in the morning now that we no longer have to set the alarm. We plan to pursue our separate interests, but we’re on this quest together. It makes it so much easier and so much more fun. We'll just have to be careful not to drive each other crazy in the process.

Free At Last

Free at last! Free at last! Thank the Lord, I’m free at last!

I had planned to make these words from the old spiritual my mantra for 2013. Before I left my job (see the About Me page for complete details), I expected to shout them from the rooftops. The truth of my response to leaving the world of “regular” employment after thirty-seven years is somewhat more complicated.

Mine was not the triumphant retirement I’d planned as recently as six months ago. Instead, it arrived a few years ahead of schedule and brought along a niggling degree of economic, as well as emotional, insecurity. My head knows my husband and I have tucked away a comfortable sum, but my heart still quakes at the thought of January 15^th, the first payday in decades when no check will arrive.

Although I was able to leave on my own terms rather than being laid off or terminated, my departure wasn't the warm experience I’d envisioned. I gave my notice and was requested to leave the following day—not surprising, but not gratifying either after more than sixteen years.  After a brief, pleasant announcement, a few co-workers stopped by to wish me well, and I slipped away unnoticed during the employee holiday party. As I turned out the lights in my office for the last time, carried my remaining belongings to my car, and drove off all I could think was what an anti-climactic end to one of the most important chapters of my life.

But in truth, I didn’t expect more. During my career, I’ve watched enough people come and go to know that in business no one is ever missed for long. And I don’t intend to waste time dwelling in the past; it isn’t worth the energy. I have a new life to plan. And that’s what this blog is about—planning for and making the most of The Second Half.

I’ve devoted much of the past six months to self-discovery, not an altruistic pursuit but critical at this point. When I graduated from college, I didn’t spend five minutes considering what I wanted (or needed) to do with my life. Like so many, I was simply looking for a job. And that first job led to more than three decades in the insurance business. I enjoyed many aspects of my job, but it probably wasn’t the best match for an Art History major. Now I get a do-over.

I’m at the beginning of an exciting journey, one you may be preparing to make as well. Or perhaps you’re father down the road and willing to share your experiences with those of us who follow. I hope that together we’ll find the good humor, inspiration, and determination to construct a satisfying, uplifting Second Half. Thanks for coming along for the ride.