A change in career — for the sheer joy of it
At 47, Deborah Chester has finally “stepped into a pair of shoes that fit.” Those shoes have taken the form of a creative outlet turned passion.
Mrs. Chester, an artisan who works in stained glass — creating panels, lamps and picture frames — is now settling into her new home workshop in Stonewall, Man., about a half- hour drive outside Winnipeg.
She already has three commissions lined up and plans to hit Manitoba’s craft fairs in the spring and summer. “I am finally at a point in my life where I can afford to do something I truly love. I can’t tell you how good it feels.”
Mrs. Chester is part of a growing group of Canadians approaching retirement age and leaving behind established careers for new, more fulfilling work.
“In previous generations, you got a job and stuck with it no matter whether you particularly liked it or not,” says Andrea Plotnick, national expertise director, organizational effectiveness, with Hay Group in Toronto. “ The expectation was you were there for your entire working life: You did your job, you retired and that was it.”
That was certainly the model Mrs. Chester grew up in. “Most of my family expected to stay in one job until they retired. And many of them did.” Mrs. Chester has spent a large part of her working life in social services. While rewarding, she felt there was something missing.
Mrs. Chester is chasing something more and more Boomers are after — fulfillment. “Many Boomers took jobs because of societal pressures,” says Ms. Plotnick. “But now they’ve reached a point where they realize it’s exhausting doing something when you don’t have a passion for it.”
While there are no empirical studies to quantify what’s been happening, the anecdotal evidence cannot be ignored. “ No one has studied it yet because it is still very new,” says Ralph Chauvin, partner with executive search firm Caldwell Partners International. “But there is definitely a trend.”
It is a trend that may have been born of the new working reality. “People coming out of university know they are going to have three or four careers,” says Ms. Plotnick. “The focus is on Me Incorporated and they are always thinking about how the skills they gather will make them more marketable.”
In his practice, Mr. Chauvin sees more and more senior executives launching themselves into a second career — one in which they can be their own boss.
“It is a lifestyle decision,” he says. “ In most cases, these are people who have made it to the top and in the process have accumulated some degree of personal wealth.” In other words, they can afford to take a chance. “In some cases, they may have long had this dream, or, an external catalyst has led them to this watershed moment where they can choose to remain in the corporate world or do something else.”
That catalyst typically takes the form of a buyout or organizational shuffle. Rather than be No. 2, they opt to be No. 1 elsewhere. And they are doing it earlier. “ Ten years ago, we used to see people in their late fifties opting for this second career or change of lifestyle,” Mr. Chauvin says. “ People are now doing this in their early to midfifties.”
The lifestyle they are opting for can involve a variety of activities. Some choose to be consultants and offer their expertise in executive coaching or mentoring. Others take personal funds and invest in small businesses in which they serve on the board, act as coach to the CEO and sometimes play a management role. Others serve on a number of boards that can range from small, private companies and major blue-chip firms to such not-for-profit groups as hospitals or universities.
In each case, the goal is to make a difference. “ At this stage in their working lives, it becomes more about self-actualization and leaving behind some kind of legacy,” Ms. Plotnick says. “They find it rewarding; they are their own boss; and they are making a significant contribution to whatever they have taken on.”
And often for the first time in their working lives, they are in control. “ They have the freedom to pick and choose,” Mr. Chauvin says. “They are in a position in life where they don’t have to do anything unless they have a real good reason for doing it.”
That is not lost on Mrs. Chester. “This is such freedom and delight and joy,” she says. “I’m in a position now where I can focus on what I really want to be doing versus settling for something a little less.”