Marc answers very late in life career decision questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020. Listen in, for ideas to pivot your career very late in the second half of life!
Key Takeaways:
[2:11] Elizabeth shares her story, and how Marc has helped guide her to her latest pivot, which has worked out well. Elizabeth invites listeners to listen to Episode 20, and connect with her on LinkedIn to share experiences.
[3:23] Q1: I am 70 and retired when I was 52. I had a long career as a programmer and project manager. The money is starting to run out, and I need to go back to work. What do you think I should do?
[3:40] A1: There are three factors. He retired about 1999 from a large technology company. He thought his retirement money would last forever, but the Dotcom bust blew that away. He also retired very young, without a plan. His skills are very stale. His network is largely retired, also. The technology space that he knew no longer exists.
[5:14] Marc told him to find a problem to solve, and that started his brain going. He has entrepreneurial tendencies. Marc wanted him to find a problem he could develop into a business service or product. He has Social Security, so he’s not going to be out on the street. After 18 years being unemployed, at 70, no-one else is going to invest in him.
[6:48] His most valuable skills acquired over the last 18 years have been the engineering things he has done on his property. He liked that answer, because it got him juiced. It’s never been easier to be an entrepreneur. Marc has a friend who has products manufactured in China, and has them shipped directly to Amazon Fulfillment.
[9:51] Q2: I am doing informal research on analytics career paths. My company puts analytics professionals on a business management track. I understand some companies offer higher analytics professional positions. I want to continue to develop as an analyst. Do you have any ideas on a career path?
[11:11] A2: IBM and other companies started doing this in the mid-90s. This gentleman is in his early 60s. Working for a government contractor. The company needs him in business development (sales) to get more contracts. They will not invest in his analytics career. They might invest in Millennials.
[12:45] Marc asked him, “What do you want to be doing in five years, and what do you have to do to get there?” It could be retirement, it could be consulting, it could be getting certified to teach classes. This man is in supply chain, and that skillset will be needed in the automation world.
[15:40] Marc will be doing a series of blogposts on “How will automation, AI, and robots destroy your career?” One of those will touch your career. There is a retail crash as a result of competition from Amazon and similar online companies.
[17:06] Q3: I have spent the last 15-20 years as a lecturer at a public university. I feel like the future looks dim, as they continue to cut costs, move to part-time adjunct professors, and move coursework online. Where does someone like myself go? I’m very late in my career, and I think I’ll be pushed out soon. What should I do?
[17:31] A: This is a composite of three conversations Marc had, all fit the same profile, 50 and above, and had the same circumstances. They had stayed at the university because of the tremendous amount freedom it offered. They took the summer off to pursue mission-driven endeavors. They enjoyed flexible office hours.
[18:16] People from a college teaching environment typically do not make very good employees. Marc suggested to one to find a problem to solve, and look at stair-stepping his way to a new business (See Episode 14 with Taylor Pearson). The second case was in liberal arts. Marc steered him to UpWork and FlexJobs to do freelance while working.
[19:16] The third individual was a dean at a public university. Many people in higher education receive enjoyment from the mentoring aspects of their jobs. That is not found in the corporate world. Look at Episode 3, with Joel Dobbs. Joel has a portfolio career; part of it is mentoring executives. He also teaches, and consults to companies.
[20:25] The dean needs to determine what people will pay him in the private sector, and how he gets into it. He has some of the connections required, and needs to find which ones will work for him, and start working the relationships.
[21:00] Marc did not tell any of these to go find a job. Elizabeth suggests embracing the change you face, and now is the time to do it. The transition will be difficult, but once you pass through it, it will be a great opportunity to do whatever you have always wanted to pursue, and still maintain control over your schedule.
[21:48] Marc says the getting out of higher education or high school teaching is challenging. Plan for the long haul, and don’t expect it to happen tomorrow. Stairstep your wait out over a year or two. Do something on the side, as the Millennials do.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Roger Whitney's Retirement Answer Man
The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast
What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles
Chris Farrell’s Unretirement Podcast
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In this episode, Marc is recording the show in the hospital with his wife. He talks about making stuff up, dealing with assumptions — most of which are wrong — and how things do not go as planned. He discusses insurance, planning to retire to another country, checking things out, and being set back by plans gone wrong. Listen in to hear how, regardless of how carefully you plan, you should never assume, or make stuff up.
Key Takeaways:
[1:46] Marc has had numerous times over the last six months where reality has bit him in the butt. Marc and his wife are on the Affordable Care Act, and in October their premium went up 50%.They changed to another plan, for $1,100 a month with a $13,000 deductible. Marc Listens to Money Matters, and an interview gave him an idea.
[3:17] On Money Matters, RetiredBrains.com had analyzed countries for retirement, and they gave some recommendations in an interview. Trying to stay real, Marc considered Ecuador and Mexico, and planned to research and visit each country to evaluate them.
[4:01] Marc tried very hard to stay with what was factual, which is really hard. In March they visited San Miguel de Allende, in Mexico. They found good Internet, good phone service, a good exchange rate, and acceptable transportation, but they had questions.
[5:41] Next, Marc planned to visit Cuenca, Ecuador. Corey Coates of Podfly put them in touch with some people in Cuenca, and they felt prepared. They used frequent flyer miles to fly into Quito, the capital. Morning and evening flights commute to Cuenca
[6:32] Cuenca was beautiful, and inexpensive. Health care was top-flight. Ecuador uses the U.S. dollar. They spent a few days in Quito. Phone wires were everywhere, strung from building to building, and on the edges of buildings. Internet was all copper wire. In Cuenca, the Internet would go out for a couple of hours at a time.
[7:48] Marc uses AT&T, and arranged for a plan in Ecuador, but they only connect at 3G. Walking a block may cause a change in carriers and speed. He was surprised that the ATM would only let him take $40 twice, and $80 once. He thinks it was limited by his credit union.
[9:00] In San Miguel, Mrs. Miller seemed to have had altitude sickness, but recovered at home. In Ecuador, much higher, her sickness was much worse, and they left five days early. With connecting flights, it took three days to get home from Cuenca. With planning, it could be done in two days. Mrs. Miller started to feel better, and then, worse.
[11:01] They went to the ER, and it turns out, she was anemic, which turns out to have been a long-term problem. Now they don’t know whether Ecuador would cause problems or not. Reality slapped them in the face.
[11:45] We do this throughout our careers. We believe we’re doing all the right stuff. The more Marc learned, the more questions he had. Now, there are probably other things he was missing, and he needs to keep on doing his research.
[12:39] As you go through your career decisions, don’t make stuff up.
[12:58] As Marc is recording, his wife is going through tests to determine the cause of the anemia. Now that he knows she has been anemic for a considerable time, it makes sense, some of the experiences she had had. This was a big reality check. Marc thought he had understood what was going on, but he really hadn’t.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call.
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
CareerPivot.com Making Stuff Up Episode
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Jennifer Winter has always understood the importance of seeing the big picture, while always focusing on the small details. Doing both well enabled her to grow, along with Turner Broadcasting. She began her career in print publishing before moving to sports, where she coordinated sponsorships in every sport the network broadcast — NBA basketball, Major league baseball, NFL football, PGA golf, NASCAR, figure skating, and more.
After 21 years at Turner, and after rising to the position of Vice President of Sports Sponsorship and Marketing, Winter transitioned back to her home city of Austin, where she has brought the same skill to her role of Director of Programming for Texture Media. Her role is to ensure that the company has both the strategy and resources in place to grow and succeed. As she has done throughout her professional life, she is helping shape the creative vision of her company, while at the same time, ensuring that it has the plan and the resources necessary to execute that vision on time and on budget.
Key Takeaways:
[3:36] Jennifer is an introvert, and full of regrets that she didn’t make changes to her life sooner, but she is happy to be home in Austin, and to be working towards acceptance of her professional position.
[4:21] Jennifer wants to make sure she doesn’t repeat the mistake of working for years in a job she didn’t like.
[5:00] Jennifer describes her career path during the first half of life, and how she spent 21 year at Turner Broadcasting, finally in Turner Sports, doing a job she never imagined.
[7:07] Jennifer explains her time at Turner. She hated sports, and all her time was spent at sporting events, and with on-air talent. People told her everyday that she had a dream job, but it wasn’t her dream to work 24/7 on sports. She kept asking herself why she hadn’t moved to entertainment, or news.
[8:50] Jennifer got to know Charles Barkley, and other great athletes, which was great, but not enough of a reason to stay. However, she stayed, unhappily, for 21 years.
[9:42] While Jennifer was at Turner, she had great friends, but was miserable. She was risk averse, and didn’t do anything to change. In 2013 Turner started talking about layoffs, and Jennifer thought about making a change, but still didn’t do anything about it. Then she got the notice that her position had been eliminated, and she was badly hurt!
[11:22] In a typical layoff, Turner went through and laid off the 20-plus year employees who were making good money. That’s what prompted the change. Jennifer was risk averse, and when it happened, her feelings were hurt, because she took it personally. They gave her a generous severance package. The family moved back to Austin.
[13:14] Even though a layoff is impersonal, and everyone is replaceable, it feels very personal. Jennifer had felt like a part of Turner, and wondered how they could do it without her!
[15:10] Jennifer is now working for Texture Media, LLC, in Austin. It’s a website all about wavy, curly, coily hair, and Jennifer is the Director of Programming, overseeing the development of video and photo content. She started as a contractor, and then became a full-time employee after a year.
[16:01] Jennifer talks about searching for a job after settling her family. Her television skills didn’t seem likely to transfer to the digital city that Austin has become. After joining Women Communicators of Austin, she gained confidence, and reached out to Marc.
[18:10] At that time, Jennifer had applied for a CSM position at TextureMedia. A phone interview showed she didn’t have the right experience for that job, but the interviewer told her there might be something coming up that she would be good for, and to follow back. So after four months they met for coffee (although Jennifer doesn’t drink it).
[19:20] They had an honest conversation about what they were looking for, what Jennifer’s background was, and where she was in life. The next day she got an offer to help them produce client videos as a contractor. The idea made Jennifer nervous. She had no idea how to discuss compensation. Marc helped her determine a good rate.
[20:58] Jennifer started at 30 hours a week, to have flexibility to pick her children up from school, and look for full-time work. However, she didn’t stop at 30 hours. She kept her Turner mentality and got things done, whatever time it took. She started to burn out. Marc told her to track hours and get paid overtime. They weren’t happy, but they did it.
[23:39] Jennifer is still challenged by the differences between broadcast media and digital media, even though they are both video content. The way people consume content is different. All the language around it, and how it is measured, are different. Keeping up with changes is challenging.
[25:27] Jennifer had the industry expertise, but she had to update her skills around digital media and platforms. Jennifer knows how to get creative people to behave themselves.
[27:17] Jennifer leaves this advice: Working with Marc has been huge, and she still calls him all the time with questions. She suggests staying involved with small networking groups, as she did with the Women Communicators. It helped her come out of her shell, and find others like her, with the same concerns, and hopes.
[30:00] Marc’s notes: Jennifer was institutionalized at Turner, and that made it difficult to leave on her own. She was angry when they let her go, but she knew it was for the best. She would not transition to a new job in a new town by applying to job postings online.
[30:27] Jennifer reached out for help, which she found at WCA, and with Marc. She was first hired as a contractor, which was a good way to ‘date’ the company. However it was new territory, and it was terrifying. She had been in a dying business — broadcasting — but she was frozen and did nothing about it. Does any of that sound familiar?
Mentioned in This Episode:
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey
Marc is taking on new clients. Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me or call at 512-693-9132, and leave a message with your email address. Marc will respond with a link to his calendar, to find a time to talk.
Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast
Jennifer on LinkedIn: Jennifer H. Winter
Texture Media, LLC (NaturallyCurly.com)
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Mark Anthony Dyson is Marc’s expert guest in this episode. Mark is The Voice of Job Seekers, career consultant, job seeker advocate, career writer, and founder of this award-winning blog. He helps the employed, unemployed, underemployed, and underappreciated find jobs using job search strategies to navigate the new job market. Marc knows Mark from the hosting of his great The Voice of Job Seekers podcast, one of the few career-related podcasts that I listen to.
Marc and Mark discuss the social impact of unconscious bias, and how the older job seeker may be affected. While unconscious bias is a fact, you can prepare to handle it by not accepting the perceptions that as an older worker, you lack energy, are not a good fit, or won’t be able to keep up. Mark discusses trends in legal issues related to ageism, and how building relationships, embracing technology, and networking with professionals can help the older job seeker navigate the unconscious biases of hiring managers.
Listen in for behaviors to avoid, and attitudes to adopt, to stay relevant in the workplace.
Key Takeaways:
[3:21] Mark talks about his family, his grown sons, and moving forward into the second half of marriage to what he and his wife want to do. He is studying unconscious bias as it relates to job seekers. Mark enjoys music, personal training, and family life.
[5:00] Mark discusses unconscious bias, referencing the work of Dr. Derald Sue. In simple terms, it is a non-aware unpremeditated assumption about different ethnicities, age groups, genders, and so on. Mark says the assumptions are usually insulting or degrading. Microaggressions are statements or actions based on the biases.
[6:40] Telling a person older than you that they look good for their age is not a compliment. It is a microaggression. Microaggressions do not make people feel valued. Everyone has unconscious bias, and it comes out in different ways.
[7:53] Marc shares an example of his last boss’s unconscious bias. Mark also gives an example for a client he had coached. The interviewer said they were concerned that the pace of this place was pretty fast, and that the candidate might not keep up (based on their age).
[8:54] Marc considers biases that came from his upbringing in an all-white town. Mark discusses how unconscious age bias affects older job seekers. One bias is that an older person’s skillset may be outdated, or less relevant. Employers talk about “fit,” without being precise about their bias, and laws do not fully protect aged workers.
[10:54] Gut instinct is relied on in hiring decisions. This includes bias. If merit hiring were implemented in many more companies, unconscious bias would be minimized. The Illinois State Attorney sent a notice to major job boards regarding ageism on their online forms. NPR ran a good article about ageism in hiring.
[12:50] Mark discusses how to deal with ageism. Satchel Paige pitched in the major leagues when he was near 60. George Blanda played football near 50. Don’t accept the perceptions of hiring managers.
[14:44] We’re seeing people work a lot longer. Mark wrote on CareerPivot.com about 8 ways older workers invite age bias on social media. On social sites, do not complain about work, or post things that do not show professionalism. Use digital photos, not scanned pictures. Don’t mention aches and pains. Forget making political statements.
[19:33] One of Marc’s readers responded to Mark’s post, worried that bias was going to be used against him no matter what he did, and he had an edgy tone in the remarks. Mark says, if you make curmudgeonly comments, you flag that you may not fit in well.
[22:00] Marc noticed an unconscious bias when he was teaching a class of 90% Hispanic youth high school math. He felt like he did not fit there. Most of them had probation officers, which added to his bias, although they were not bad kids.
[23:17] Older workers also make assumptions about Millennials. Mark was a substitute teacher in his 40s, and he found the older teachers to be wiser, even though he enjoyed the younger teachers. In some cultures, older people are considered wise. In America, younger people take the torch from older people, even before they want to pass it.
[25:10] Older workers need to build relationships, earn respect, learn new technologies, and network in professional organizations.
[26:05] Marc talks about working with younger engineers, and dressing and acting like them, to be peer accepted, even though he was really the peer of their manager. They would confide in him. He purposely worked those relationships.
[28:25] Mark’s closing remarks: some people don’t think unconscious bias exists, or that it matters. Always consider: How can I have a respectful conversation with this person about their bias or about my bias? Be proactive, if you want to build a relationship. Once we are aware of our biases, we’ve taken the first step. Then, see how bias hurts people.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Call Marc at 512-693-9132 and leave a message and email address.
Twitter: @MADyson
LinkedIn: Mark Anthony Dyson
Facebook: Mark Anthony Dyson
Instagram: MarkADyson
Illinois Attorney General Notice on Age Discrimination on Job Boards
NPR Article on Ageism in Hiring
"8 Ways Older Job Seekers Invite Age Unconscious Bias on Social Media," by
Marc Anthony Dyson
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the Second Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey (April 17, 2017)
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In this episode, Marc answers career pivot job search questions with his trusty sidekick, Elizabeth Rabaey. Listen, to pivot your career in the second half of life!
Key Takeaways:
[2:05] Elizabeth shares her story, and how Marc has helped guide her to her latest pivot, which has worked out well. You can learn about her career pivots in Episode 020.
[2:50] Q1: I am in my 50s. Faced with divorce, I panicked and went to graduate school. I owe $11K on my school loan with two more years to go. I will have a child in college next year. I don’t want to take debt with me into retirement. I am working part-time in my field of study. What is Marc’s honest opinion, should I quit school, or continue?
[4:01] A1: Ask yourself, will this Master’s degree make you educated, or employable? You need to know before any Master’s program. Ask the college to show you alumni like you in age, background, and experience, that have come out of the program with a job.
[5:11] You have sunk $11K into this. Do you hold onto a bad investment, or get out? Go with your gut, after you find out if it is a good program for you. Your child’s college cannot take up your career and retirement. Let them get a two-year community college certificate, get a job, and go back later for a four-year degree. Things have changed.
[9:41] Q2: After being downsized, I went back to graduate school, earned a Master’s degree in nonprofit management. I took a year off to care for a family member. Now I get almost no response to my resume. I am 65 years old, have long and varied experience, and strong skills. What should I do?
[10:23] A2: Why did you get this degree? (It looked good.) Where are you applying? (Job boards for nonprofits). You have no experience at nonprofits. Target what you want to do, and pick a nonprofit where the cause is important to you. Do your homework, and also pull up their Form 990 from Guidestar.org. Do they have money to pay you?
[13:40] Marc got his nonprofit job by walking into a conference, and targeting five nonprofits. He met with five executive directors. He got the job at the nonprofit, without ever applying for a job. In a nonprofit, relationships are the key.
[14:56] Q3: I have just moved back to the U.S. from Africa. I have a PhD in linguistics and have spent the last decade translating the Bible into different languages, which was very fulfilling. I am lost about what to do next. What do you think?
[15:19] A: This is a needle in a haystack. Marc gave this client a method to find the needle. He said to look at the top ten schools for linguistics PhDs, and look for graduates on LinkedIn, and find out what they are doing. This was a mission-driven individual, so I said to look for mission-oriented keywords. What can they tell you?
[16:43] Marc tells of another client who, after working in nonprofits, went to a Ruby on Rails programming bootcamp, and now has a government contractor offer, for which they need a top-secret security clearance, which takes nine months to a year.
[19:31] Now that Marc’s latest book, Repurpose Your Career, A Practical Guide to the 2nd Half of Life, is out, he has time to work with you! Go to CareerPivot.com and click on the Contact Me button, or go to the speaker pipe and leave Marc a voice message. Marc says, Let’s talk! You can also ask a question he can answer on the show!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Careerpivot.com
AudibleTrial.com/RepurposeYourCareer/
Contact Marc, and ask questions at: Careerpivot.com/contact-me
Arizona State Global Pathways Institute
Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Mark Miller
with Susan Lahey
Take a moment — go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there.