Join The Big Shift Discussion
"The Big Shift" is defining a generational movement reaching communities across the country. We want you to help define what it means to start an encore career. Share your responses to the questions below, or use this guide to plan a book group with friends and colleagues.
Discussion Questions
About 'The Big Shift'
- Marc Freedman opens the book with a story about reserving a hotel room with two cribs using his AARP discount card. Have you experienced similar disconnects or seeming contradictions in your own life? Share your thoughts »
- Do you agree with Freedman that there's a new life stage between midlife and old age with a unique set of characteristics and needs? If yes, what are your experiences in this new stage? Share your thoughts »
- In Chapter 2, Meredith McKenzie radically alters her lifestyle so she can work for an environmental nonprofit. Would you consider doing the same? Is working for a nonprofit salary an option for you? What lifestyle changes are you willing to make? Share your thoughts »
- In Chapter 7 Freedman lists 10 changes he'd like to see. What would you add to his list? Share your thoughts »
- Freedman writes about his health scare — a tremor that threatened Parkinson's disease. Is an increased sense of mortality, or a sense of how much healthy time you may have left, a factor for you? How does it affect decisions about how you plan your life? Share your thoughts »
- Have you been inspired by anyone in the book — or any idea in the book — to make a change in your thinking or your life? By whom or by what? Share your thoughts »
Your Encore Moment
- Do you think this new stage of life presents an opportunity for personal and societal change as dramatic as the opportunities presented by the women's movement and the civil rights movement? Share your thoughts »
- Do you feel like you're navigating this new stage of life alone? Are you proceeding in a DIY way? What kind of help do you wish you had? Have you turned to any institutions or organizations for help, connection and education or retraining as you think about and plan your postmidlife years? If so, was it useful? Why or why not? Share your thoughts »
- Are you surprised that so many people over 50 are starting businesses and nonprofit organizations? Is that something you've considered? What attracts you to the idea — or discourages you from trying it? Share your thoughts »
- Have you considered an encore career? What would it take for you to get to your ideal encore career? Share your thoughts »
Have you thought of additional questions for your discussion?
Share them with the community by posting them in the comments section below.
Activities and Additional Resources
- See Marc Freedman speak about "The Big Shift" — Check his tour dates
- If you are thinking about transitioning careers in the near future, you'll want to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date. Join Encore.org for a freeLinkedIn webinar with Krista Canfield, LinkedIn's senior public relations manager, on maximizing your profile and looking for jobs in the non-profit sector.
- Have you already started an encore career? Do you have lessons to share with our community? Submit your story and you could be one of our weekly featured profiles.
Share Your Planning Questions and Comments
How are you doing in your efforts to start the conversation about "The Big Shift"? Post a comment or question here.