Now What? Starting New Careers Later in Life

It wasn't that long ago when people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond were all planning on retirement, if they hadn't already retired. Some people are still retiring "young." Some of these same people decide to go back to work, because they don't like retirement life. Some return because they must, since, financially, they just aren't making it. Other's go for new careers later in life because they have decided they don't like what they are doing, and they have too many working years left to continue on with something so unsatisfying.

Enter many new books and Web sites. Now What ? Discovering Your New Life and Career After 50, by James O. Armstrong, is one such book. The book's Web site, NowWhatJobs.net, is a growing source of new ideas and inspiration for those on the hunt for new meaning in their work. I enjoyed reading the book, as Armstrong makes good use of  true personal stories, which happens to be one of my favorite ways of getting across most any point. I love story telling and story reading. Armstrong's stories are stories of triumph. People making right turns in their work life, or doing total one-eighties. The book is a fun, inspiring read by a marketing consultant and ordained minister. You  can find the book and more information on www.nowwhatjobs.net.

Two more books with similar subject matter but very different approaches are After 50 It's Up to Us: Developing the Skills and Agility We'll Need, by George Schofield and 60 On Up: The Truth About Aging in America by Lillian B. Rubin, Ph.D.

George Schofield, author of the bestselling What Color is Your Parachute?, is pumped up and ready to bring you along for the ride. He stresses the many changes in the workplace and, indeed, in the need to work. He is positive about our ability to learn and grow and change. It's interesting and uplifting.

Rubin, who is also the author of Intimate Strangers and Just Friends, is more academic and philosophical in her approach. 60 On Up doesn't quite belong in this group, but I wanted to bring it into focus here, as the time seems right. Rubin is unflinching about the challenges we face as we age. There's no sugar-coating here, and this is no pep talk, yet there is compassion and wisdom that can help all of us as we navigate our way through the decades.

For a closer look at any of these books, scroll down on your left, click on the cover and you'll be able to "look inside the book" on Amazon.