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Repurpose Your Career | Career Pivot | Careers for the 2nd Half of Life | Career Change | Baby Boomer

Repurpose Your Career podcast brought to you by Career Pivot is a podcast for those of us in the 2nd half of life to come together to discuss how repurpose our careers for the 21st century.  Come listen to career experts give you proven strategies, listen to people like you tell their stories about how they repurposed their careers and finally get your questions answered.   Your host, Marc Miller, has made six career pivots over the last 30 years. He understands this is not about jumping out of the frying pan into a fire but rather to create a plan where you make clear actionable steps or pivots to a better future career. 
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Now displaying: January, 2019
Jan 28, 2019

In this episode, Marc covers the Greatest Generation, the Silent Generation, and the Baby Boom Generation in America, from the events and technologies that shaped them, to the life choices they made.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:13] Marc welcomes you to Episode 112 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Career Pivot brings this podcast to you. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Please take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you free of charge.

[1:42] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls.  Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your friends, neighbors, and colleagues. The more people Marc can reach, the more he can help.

[2:07] In this week’s podcast, Marc will continue a short series of episodes based on his Multi-generational Workplace Workshop. Marc will deliver this workshop on March 7th at the Texas Hospital Insurance Exchange and it was suggested to him that he might want to make a podcast series of it.

[2:23] Last week, Marc published a blog post, “The Ubiquitous Access to Information and a Generational Rift,” based on the idea that how people obtain information is changing rapidly.

[2:42] When doctors are trained, memorization of medical information has decreased because it is so readily available. Marc learned this from the Dean of the University of Texas Medical School at a breakfast club. The roomful of Baby Boomers showed shocked faces.

[3:09] Because things are readily available, we don’t memorize anymore and we don’t have to. That scares most Baby Boomers.

[3:19] If you did not listen to Part 1 of this series, Marc suggests you go back and listen to that, first. In this episode, Marc will cover the Greatest, the Silent, and the Baby Boomer Generations in this episode. Next week, Marc will cover Gen X and Gen Y — why they don’t necessarily get along and why we sometimes misinterpret them.

[3:43] Marc welcomes you to the second installment of “The Multi-generational Workplace — ‘Why can’t we all get along?’” In the workshop, March shows five flipcharts, one for each generation. Each flipchart has areas for events, technology, communications, learning, and how we research “What is the capital Madagascar?”

[4:22] Each flipchart talks about our parents (of Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y) and which presidents came from each generation.

[4:37] The Greatest Generation are those born from 1900 to 1924. Every single male of this generation served in the military or in public service. You might pause the podcast to consider what events catalyzed this generation.

[5:24] WWII and the Great Depression completely galvanized this generation. As a result, they believed in big government and they saved money ‘like crazy,’ Marc’s father graduated from college in ’42 and enlisted in the Army. Marc joked that his father wasn’t frugal, he was cheap.

[6:12] You might pause the podcast and ponder what technologies affected this generation.

[6:28] This generation was all about transportation. They were the first to have automobiles, and the U.S. Interstate Highway system was created after WWII.

[7:01] When this generation left home, how did they communicate back with their families? You might pause the podcast and consider it.

[7:25] This generation wrote letters. Written communication was the foundation of this generation. They wrote by hand in cursive. Do not hand a letter in cursive to a Millennial. They may not be able to read it!

[7:59] Marc will show there has been a transformation between generations from written to audio and back to a form of written communications.

[8:21] How did this generation research the question, “What is the capital of Madagascar?” How did they learn? You might pause your podcast and think about it.

[8:37] The encyclopedia? World Book did not become prevalent until the 1950s. This generation very likely had to go to the library and find an atlas or a globe. They did not have information that was readily available in their homes. They had to go somewhere to go find the answer.

[9:34] The Greatest Generation or G.I. Generation produced every president from JFK all the way to George Bush, Sr. The Greatest Generation has had their fingerprints on almost everything for 40 to 50 years.

[10:13] The Silent Generation or Traditional Generation was born from 1925 to 1945. What events do you think affected this generation? You might pause the podcast to consider.

[10:35] The events that affected this generation are WWII and the JFK assassination. The assassination was a real shocker. Marc remembers Dallas at the time of the assassination.

[11:41] What technology affected and galvanized this generation? You might pause the podcast to think about it.

[12:01] There were two very significant technologies. The first was the telephone and the second was “the pill.” The pill had a massive effect on this generation through birth control. Divorce rates soared among this generation, which is why so many of Generation X ended up being latchkey kids growing up in households of divorce.

[13:01] This was the first generation where we had telephones. They still wrote letters, but calling was a step to auditory communications from a distance.

[13:47] How did this generation research the capital of Madagascar? They still probably had to go to the library. Encyclopedias did not become prevalent until the Baby Boomers.

[14:38] The Silent Generation has produced zero presidents. They’ve had some candidates, most recently, John McCain. We very likely will not have a president from the Silent Generation.

[15:23] Because the Silent Generation was so small, they have not had the impact, politically, that the Greatest Generation has had, or that Baby Boomers have had. Generation X is also a small generation.

[15:46] Baby Boomers were born from 1946 to 1964. What events affected this generation? You might pause the podcast to think about it? Jot down some ideas.

[16:20] Two critical events galvanized Baby Boomers. One was Vietnam. Marc has seen television newscasts from that period at the U.S. History Museum. The ramp up into the Vietnam War was fast. Marc contrasts it with the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan.

[17:21] Watergate was the second event that affected the Baby Boom Generation. Both these events made us very distrustful of big government. If you were born from 1946 to 1955, you were probably affected by Vietnam. If you were born 1956 to 1964, you were affected more by Watergate.

[18:01] Marc remembers in the summer of 1972 watching the Watergate Hearings daily after his work shift at the Howard Johnson's. Early Boomers affected by Vietnam, delayed marriage and stayed in college. Some Boomers in their 60s still have kids in college.

[19:12] Late Boomers, 1961 on, had children at a younger age, have little memory of Vietnam, and in their 50s, have children in college.

[19:46] You might pause the podcast and think about what technology most affected the Baby Boomer Generation.

[20:10] Baby Boomers were the first to have televisions. Mass marketing was first applied to the Boomer Generation. Marc remembers seeing The Flintstones in 1962, which was mainly sponsored then by Winston Cigarettes!

[21:04] The next technology came in 1969. You might pause the podcast and consider what it was.

[21:19] In 1969, Visa was introduced. Boomers were the first generation to have easy access to credit. Marc remembers a Barney Miller episode where a detective was telling a young drug dealer that he would never have one thing — credit!

[21:56] Boomers were the first generation to be the targets of advertising, with ready credit to purchase new things. This is an echo effect from our parents, who saved money like crazy. We spent money.

[22:24] When Boomers left home, how did we communicate? You might pause the podcast and think on this.

[22:34] Boomers were the first generation to have prevalent long-distance phone calls. College students would give their parents two rings on the phone and hang up. Their parents would call them back and pay for the long distance. Also, we used collect phone calls. Boomers were a very auditory generation.

[23:10] Marc tells his Millennial colleagues, “If you have a Baby Boomer boss, and you want them to listen to you, you need to go talk to them.”

[23:27] How did Baby Boomers research the capital of Madagascar? You might pause the podcast and ponder this.

[23:39] A lot of us had World Book or Encyclopedia Britannica at home. We could easily research at home and get new information with annual updates. It opened up the world to us. Information was rapidly becoming more accessible.

[24:18] Who were our parents? To a large extent, our parents were The Greatest Generation. They saved money and believed in Big Government. They believed in “playing it safe.” We Baby Boomers spend money like crazy and we don’t trust government.

[24:49] Marc did as his parents told him to. He graduated from college and went to work for IBM, a big company. Marc was raised to be an employee and work for a father-like company that would take care of him. Others did differently than their parents advised.

[25:21] Marc never served in the military; most Baby Boomers did not, especially if they were college-educated. Marc did a workshop for a national staffing company and he asked 150 Boomers (110 of whom were males) how many served in Vietnam. Three hands went up. They had volunteered.

[25:55] The Vietnam Draft, besides taking citizens, took Green Card holders. Minorities and the poor made up a huge percentage of Vietnam War draftees. Marc learned that those who had the highest casualty rate in Vietnam were college-educated volunteers because they went to fight. Most draftees were not sent to fight.

[27:02] The U.S. presidents from Bill Clinton through Donald Trump, has been a Baby Boomer. The next president may also be a Baby Boomer. We will see. Next week, Marc will discuss Generation X Candidates. They don’t look or behave like us.

[27:41] In next week’s episode, Marc will cover Gen X and spend a fair amount of time talking about Gen Y (The Millennials). How they view themselves is very different from how Boomers view them. The Millennials are the opposite of the Baby Boomers and we made them that way.

[28:12] Marc hopes you enjoyed this episode. Next week, Marc will dig into Gen X and Gen Y. He will show why they likely don’t get along, and why we Baby Boomers misperceive Gen Y. They are our kids!

[28:30] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and Marc is looking for your help. Marc has formed a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback.

[28:43] Marc has already released the opening chapter to the release team. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[28:59] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release versions of the chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is for you to provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon.com when the book is released.

[29:14] Marc and Susan are adding about eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc will release a new pre-release chapter on this podcast and to the team every four to six weeks in the coming months.

[29:33] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for the almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc will soon be soliciting members for the next cohort.

[29:51] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, so Marc can interview you, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves.

[30:05] Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content. More importantly, it will be a community where you can seek help. Go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more.

[30:31] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you heard Marc on this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter.

[30:59] Please come back next week, when Marc will be covering Gen X and Gen Y.

[31:06] Marc thanks you for listening to the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[31:10] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-112.

[31:19] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates on this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, or the Spotify app.

Jan 21, 2019

In this episode, Marc lays out the framework for the next episode or two, and gives a description of each adult generation in America, and their places in today’s workplace.

 

Key Takeaways:

[2:04] Marc welcomes you to Episode 111 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Career Pivot brings this podcast to you. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Please take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you free of charge.

[2:33] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls. The more people Marc can reach, the more he can help. Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

[2:54] In this week’s podcast, Marc will start a short series of episodes based on his Multi-generational Workplace Workshop. Marc will deliver this workshop on March 7th for the Texas Hospital Insurance Exchange. Marc has been updating and republishing his blog series on the multi-generational workplace, first published in 2012 or 2013.

[3:31] The premise is that each generation, from The Greatest Generation all the way through Gen Y, has some shared characteristics, based on when they grew up. These generations are not homogeneous; they vary.

[3:43] Marc will take you through why each generation does what they do. Marc will introduce a concept called “Generational Echo Effects.” As we grow up and leave home, we tend to do one of two things: we either do what our parents told us to do or the exact opposite. So, we ping-pong our behaviors between generations. Listen for examples!

[4:15] Marc introduces the Multi-generational Workplace “Why Can’t We Just Get Along?” Workshop. Please find handouts at CareerPivot.com/Multigen. The handouts are optional; there is a useful chart Marc will use — the U.S. birth rate per thousand.

[4:52] There are five generations in the workplace today. Marc will describe each generation in multiple ways: events they experienced or didn’t experience, their technology, how they communicate, how they learn, who were their parents, and which presidents came from each generation.

[5:41] As an example of a generational difference, Marc asks ‘How did we research the question, ‘What’s the capital of Madagascar?’”

[5:48] Marc will look at the parents of each generation and the presidents that came from each generation.

[6:04] The Greatest Generation (G.I. Generation), born between 1900 and 1924, were the parents of Baby Boomers. The Greatest Generation has their fingerprints all over big business. Many of the mission and value statements of the biggest companies, such as Ford, GM, and IBM, were created by the Greatest Generation, or even earlier.

[6:44] Marc will take you through some highlights from the U.S. birth rate chart of how each generation is really very different.

[6:55] The Greatest Generation, was a very large generation. Birth rates up to that time were very high. The Greatest Generation was over 90% White. The Silent Generation, born from 1925 to 1945, is a very small generation because birth rates plummeted during the Great Depression and World War II.

[7:39] The small size of the Silent Generation has an echo effect on their children’s generation, which is mostly Gen X. The Silent Generation (also 90%-plus White) had very high levels of alcoholism and of divorce. This is also echoed in Gen X.

[8:02] Then come Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964. This was a very large generation. This generation is about 80% White, due to the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which eliminated quotas that favored Northern European immigrants, and the end of the Bracero Program for agricultural workers, in 1964.

[9:08] The Bracero Program was ended because of abuse by business. At the end of the program, however, many of the workers did not return to Mexico.

[9:41] Baby Boomers are shifting, with a lot of Asians having joined them since 1965.

[9:51] The next generation is Gen X, a very small generation. Their parents, the Silent Generation was a very small generation. Gen X is also small because of a technology change in 1965. Marc will cover that change later. Gen X is about 65% White.

[10:30] Gen Y (The Millennials) is a big generation because they are the children of the Baby Boomers.

[10:41] The Silent Generation was about 50 million people. Baby Boomers were 79 million. Gen X born here is about 45 to 55 million; the Census Bureau shows Gen X as 75 to 80 million, with immigration. Gen Y is a very large generation at 80 million-plus. Gen Y is about 50% White. In border states, it is under 50% White.

[11:24] Donald Trump, at the beginning of the Baby Boom generation grew up under very different conditions than Gen Y. Gen Z will be the first generation where Whites are a minority.

[11:54] Marc steps through the five generations. The Greatest Generation largely grew up through the Depression. Every male of this generation probably served in the military or some type of public service in WWII. They understood deprivation. They believed in big government.
[12:39] This generation knew how to save. They largely created what we had in the post-WWII boom.

[12:54] The Silent or Traditionalist Generation, born between 1925 and 1945, is a very small generation. Birth rates plummeted during that time. The name “Silent Generation” came from a 1951 Time Magazine article saying they were very quiet. However, stepping into the late 1950s, they raised their voices.

[13:33] Favorite Rock and Roll stars of the 1950s and 1960s include Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, who all came from the Silent Generation. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Bobby Kennedy, and civil rights activists came from the Silent Generation. Vietnam War protests were led by the Silent Generation.

[14:23] The Silent generation produced no presidents. Every president from JFK to George Bush Sr. was of the Greatest Generation. The Silent Generation had a very high level of alcoholism and a very high level of divorce. A technology change, called “the pill,” which came out in the 1960s, caused divorce rates to soar.

[15:04] This generation didn’t look like the G.I. Generation. It was a very small group.

[15:17] Next come the Baby Boomers or those of us in the second half of life. Our generation is very, very large and we changed everything because of our size. As we exit the workforce, we don’t like leaving. We are used to being in control. We are the opposite of our parents.

[15:52] Our parents, the Greatest Generation, liked big government. Our generation, the Baby Boomers, after Vietnam and Watergate, do not trust government at all. Our parents saved money. Our generation spent money. There was a very important technology change in 1969 that Marc will cover later.

[16:32] Gen X, born from 1965 to 1982, had a relatively peaceful time growing up. There was no Vietnam or Watergate to protest. There were no catalytic events that brought them together, and they often don’t identify with a generation. This generation is very small. They are the opposite of their parents.

[17:35] Their parents had a very high rate of divorce; Gen X has a very low divorce rate. Why? Because they don’t get married. Half of this generation grew up in single-parent households. They were the latchkey kids. This was due to a technology change in 1965 that Marc will cover later.

[18:11] This generation looks very different from Baby Boomers, is very small, and mostly delay marriage or do not marry because their parents were divorced and they don’t want to go through the same thing.

[19:11] Gen Y or the Millennials, born between 1983 and 2000 (approximately), largely are connected electronically. Marc uses his son, born in 1984, as an example. When he went to college in 2002, he was given a laptop. There was no Wifi, but with a cable, he could walk around the University of Dayton campus and plug in anywhere.

[19:47] When he was in middle school, doing research on Bob Dole vs. Bill Clinton, Marc helped him research and they found everything online. This is a generation that has grown up connected. This will be even more true with Gen Z. Gen Y wasn’t required to memorize everything.

[20:22] Gen Y learns things starkly differently than Baby Boomers. Marc gives an example of researching. A Gen Y person doesn’t remember the facts they “Google” because they don’t have to. Marc does because he learned to remember things. In school, Marc had to memorize state capitals. Kids today just look them up.

[21:45] By the way, that really annoys Baby Boomers!

[21:49] Those are the five generations in the workplace, today. By 2025, Gen Y will be the majority. Baby Boomers and Gen X will be the minority. Today, Baby Boomers and Gen Y are equally split, while Gen X is the smallest group. There aren’t enough Gen Xers to fill Baby Boomers’ shoes.

[22:28] Marc hopes this has given you a good framework for where he is going in the next one or two episodes of the Repurpose your Career podcast. He will explain how each generation is different, how they are the same, and why they are the way they are.

[22:53] In Marc’s Communications blog post, Marc said, if he wants someone to listen to him, he has to adapt to them. For many Boomers, when they deal with “these kids,” the Gen Y, Boomers don’t want to adapt. Boomers want Gen Y to behave like them. They don’t — because that’s the way we made them!

[23:31] Please look for next week’s episode, where Marc will cover the Greatest, the Silent, and maybe the Baby Boom Generations. Marc thanks you for listening to this episode and he hopes you enjoyed it. The following week Marc will cover Gen X and Gen Y — why they likely do not get along and why Boomers misperceive Gen Y.

[24:04] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and Marc is looking for your help. Marc has formed a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback.

[24:17] Marc has already released the opening chapter to the release team. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[24:30] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release versions of chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is for you to provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon.com when the book is released.

[24:46] Marc and Susan are adding about eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc will release a new pre-release chapter on the podcast and to the team every four to six weeks in the coming months.

[25:06] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc is currently soliciting members for the next cohort.

[25:17] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, so Marc can interview you, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves.

[25:31] Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content. More importantly, it will be a community where you can seek help. Go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more.

[25:55] Marc shares an example of what happens in the community. One of the members was offered a lower-level position at a company where she was applying for a different job. She asked for opinions and four or five members shared applicable experiences and advice with her.

[26:23] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you listen to this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter.

[26:46] Please come back next week, when Marc will continue in this series, discussing the Greatest, Silent, and Baby Boomer Generations.

[26:56] Marc thanks you for listening to the Repurpose Your Career podcast.

[27:00] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-111.

[27:07] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates on this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, or the Spotify app.

Jan 14, 2019

In this episode, Marc describes some of the realities of creating this weekly podcast and what it will take to keep it going strong. Marc reveals the results of the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Listener Survey and the ideas you have given him for going forward, this year. Marc introduces the concept of listener contributions to support the expenses of the show and gives an outline of changes happening now and coming up on the podcast and also on the Career Pivot Blog. Please listen in for the exciting news.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:42] Marc welcomes you to Episode 110 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Career Pivot brings this podcast to you. CareerPivot.com is one of the very few websites dedicated to those of us in the second half of life and our careers. Please take a moment to check out the blog and the other resources delivered to you free of charge.

[2:10] If you are enjoying this podcast, please share it with other like-minded souls. Subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, or any of the other apps that supply podcasts. Share it on social media or just tell your friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

[2:25] In next week’s podcast, Marc will start a series of episodes based on his Multi-generational Workplace workshop. Marc has been updating and republishing his blog series on the multi-generational workplace, first published in 2012.

[2:40] The blog series has proven to be quite popular. Mark Anthony Dyson, a repeat guest on this podcast, suggested to Marc that he use the material in a podcast series. The premise is that each generation, from The Greatest Generation all the way through Gen Y, has some shared characteristics, based on when they grew up.

[3:06] Marc will take you through why each generation does what they do. Marc will also introduce a concept called “Generational Echo Effects.” As we grow up and leave home, we tend to do one of two things: we either do as our parents told us to do or the exact opposite. So, we ping-pong our behaviors between generations. Listen for examples!

[3:35] Marc has a variety of guest experts and pivoters lined up for the coming months. Marc will also be answering your questions with a variety of guest experts over the coming months.

[3:47] This week, Marc will take you through the 2018 Repurpose Your Career podcast listener survey and discuss how Career Pivot will evolve in the coming year. Last week, Marc announced the Career Pivot Blog Survey. If you are a reader of the Career Pivot blog, Marc encourages you to take a moment and take that survey.

[4:12] Marc is also publishing the changes planned for this year for the blog.

[4:21] Marc welcomes you to the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey Results Review.

[4:34] Close to 60 people took the survey, which is double the number for the 2017 survey. First, Marc thanks everyone who took the survey. It has been interesting but not very surprising.

[4:57] Q1: Male vs. Female. On the website, there are slightly more females than males. 55% of the survey respondents were male and 45% were female.

[5:19] Q2: Age. A few were in the 18 to 34 range. Almost 40% 45 to 54. Over 40% were 55 to 64. The ‘sweet spot’ for this podcast, as expected, is in the 45 to 65 age range. That knowledge is helpful for potential sponsors.

[5:57] Q3: Where are you in your career? 30% to 35% are unemployed, for a variety of different reasons. A similar number are working. No one who took the survey answered, “I’m retired, living the dream.” Marc thought that was interesting.

[6:27] Marc uses these questions whenever he starts a webinar to get a good idea of the participants. As he would expect, the majority of listeners are employed, but there is always a healthy subset of podcast listeners who are unemployed.

[6:44] Q4: Where are you located? 90% are in North America. The rest are scattered, including some from Asia, Africa, and South America.

[6:59] Q5: How long have you been listening? Almost 30% have been listening less than one month. (Marc was very interested in those who started listening and went offline to take the survey.) 20% have been listening for over a year. Everyone else was scattered pretty evenly between 1-3 mos., 4-6 mos., 7-9 mos., and 10-12 mos.

[7:40] The podcast was getting about 500 downloads a week until May. In the May edition of the AARP Magazine, AARP featured this podcast. There were almost 10K downloads in May, and it has landed at about 5-6K a month or about 1,500 a week. That is a dramatic increase, which is why Marc hoped for a larger survey than in 2017.

[8:23] Q6: How often do you listen? About 30% say they listen every week. Marc thanks you! 35% to 40% say they select the podcasts for listening. 10% say they binge-listen. Then there are a wide variety of listening patterns selected under “Other.”

[8:55] Q7: What is your favorite type of episode? — Expert Interview, Job Pivoter, the “Can You Repurpose Your Career? series”, Q&A Mailbag, or Marc’s Expat Experience? 40% answered “Job Pivoter.” Then it is almost neck-and-neck between “Expert Interview” and “Marc’s Expat Experience.” That surprised Marc!

[9:39] Marc started with a couple of episodes on his expat experience based on a couple of articles he wrote for FlexJobs on “How to Move Overseas and Take Your Job with You.” When Mar and his wife were in Ajijic last summer, four podcast listeners visited them. The episodes sparked a lot of interest.

[10:02] The remaining answers were “Q&A Mailbag” and the “Can You Repurpose Your Career? series.” Marc has received a lot of positive feedback on the Repurpose Your Career series because people identify. Marc will probably do one in the middle of this year, solicited from a listener who is interested in doing it.

[10:31] Marc is going to make some changes in 2019, and he will cover his plans after the survey results review.

[10:39] Q8: Do you read the show notes? Marc spends a fair amount of money doing the show notes. He pays to have them done. Much to Marc’s surprise, 55% of the survey respondents say they read the show notes. A significant number said they read the notes for the links. Marc says around the podcast industry, links are what most want.

[11:12] Some answered that they read the show notes to find the timestamps for the portions that interest them the most, instead of listening to the whole podcast. Marc found that interesting.

[11:29] Q9: Would you be willing to contribute a small amount per episode on Patreon, to sponsor the Repurpose Your Career podcast? It costs Marc about $100 per episode to produce this. That includes show notes, audio enhancements and editing, the hosting service, Marc’s VA who maintains the podcast on the website, etc.

[12:08] So, Marc is looking at asking for a contribution that might be $1 or $2 per episode. A number of people answered they were unemployed and would not contribute. Two-thirds of the people are employed and about one-third of them said they are willing to contribute.

[12:29] Marc would like to know what you would like to get in return for a contribution. Marc invites you to give him input. Please email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com and he will schedule a time for you to chat and give him input.

[12:57] Marc writes about his on this week’s blog post at CareerPivot.com. Marc is making a number of changes because he is shifting the business. Marc is changing how he is running his business and he is reducing costs. Some people suggested Marc should seek sponsorships.

[13:36] Marc has talked to folks who do sponsorships. While the podcast is doing really well, Marc needs five to eight times the current number of downloads before sponsors will talk to him, so that is a consideration for the future.

[14:04] Another choice Marc has is to change the frequency to an episode every other week.

[14:14] Marc has added a podcast menu feature at CareerPivot.com/podcasts to group podcasts by category. The categories of podcasts are Interviews with Career Experts, Career Pivot Interviews, Question and Answers, Becoming an Expat, Repurpose Your Career Audiobook, Repurpose Your Career Series (Juan and Sara), and Other Topics.

[14:58] Marc is making the Career Pivot website easier to navigate.

[15:06] For this year, Marc is looking at finances and what to do differently in the year.
[15:16] Marc will continue to bring in experts, including Karen Wicker, author of Taking the Work Out of Networking: An Introvert's Guide to Making Connections That Count, and author Chris Farrell, who is writing a book on purpose and passion, and a variety of other people to help you.

[15:37] Marc is looking for people who have made successful career pivots. If you know of someone who would like to tell their story, Marc would be really interested to talk to them. He has one lined up now, for next month, who has written a book about moving from being a lawyer to making chocolate.

[16:07] Marc will also bring back some of the past pivoters, as he did with Elizabeth Rabaey, and play the original episode, with a short interview at the end for an update.

[16:22] Marc will continue to bring back Mark Anthony Dyson to assist Marc with the Q&A episodes, but will also invite other people, including past guest Susan Joyce of Job-Hunt.org and others.

[16:47] If you have a question you would like answered on this podcast, please submit it to Podcast@CareerPivot.com.

[16:57] Marc will also keep you updated, probably once a quarter, on his expat experience. Marc and his wife are full-time now in Ajijic, Mexico. They survived Christmas and New Year’s, which are big deals in Mexico, and they love their fireworks!

[17:21] If you are really interested, find and friend Marc on Facebook, and you will see a lot of his pictures from his experiences. They will probably go into a blog post in the first quarter of the year.

[17:41] Marc will release the next edition of Repurpose Your Career in the middle of 2019. He is still looking for people who can be on the release team. You can go to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam, and get a copy of the first chapter which Marc sent out last week. Marc and Susan are rewriting a number of chapters and adding new chapters.

[18:23] Marc will be doing one more Repurpose Your Career series, taking a person through an evaluation, probably in June or July, and may do one later in the year.

[18:39] The one thing Marc needs to do with this podcast is to keep it viable by reducing costs and bringing in some money. If you’re interested in helping with that, please give Marc some feedback by emailing Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com to set up a chat.

[19:07] Marc hopes you have a good idea of how this podcast will continue to grow this year. Marc thanks everyone who has supported this podcast and made this possible. Marc gives a big shout-out to his production team at Podfly.net, and Stephanie Brodt, Marc’s fearless Virtual Assistant and everybody else who has given Marc feedback.

[19:36] Marc thanks you very much for listening to this episode and he hopes you enjoyed it. Marc thanks everyone who took the survey. It was a joy to see the feedback.

[19:55] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and Marc is looking for your help. Marc has formed a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback.

[20:07] By the time this podcast episode is published, Marc will have released the first chapter to the release team. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[20:23] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release versions of chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is for you to provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon.com when the book is released. Marc will make the e-book available for $.99 so you can purchase it and provide a ‘verified review.’

[20:53] Marc and Susan are adding eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc will release a new pre-release chapter on the podcast and to the team every four to six weeks in the coming months. Marc will also be asking the group if they want to form a Facebook group.

[21:26] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc wrote about this in this week’s blog post. Marc is now recruiting members for the next cohort.

[21:47] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, so Marc can interview you, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves.

[22:04] Marc’s plan is to make the community live and open to the world in the second half of 2019. Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content. More importantly, it will be a community where you can seek help.

[22:37] This week in the community, Marc has Bree Reynolds coming in from FlexJobs.com to tell members how to maximize their efforts on the FlexJobs website. Go to CareerPivot.com/Community to learn more.

[23:01] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you listen to this podcast. You can look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter.

[23:34] Please come back next week, when Marc will be starting the Multi-generational Workplace series of two or three episodes. Marc is going back to Central Texas in early March, to run the workshop for a medical insurance group. The podcast series will be based on this workshop.

[24:04] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-110.

[24:13] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates to this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, or the Spotify app.

Jan 7, 2019

Elizabeth White is an author and aging solutions advocate for older adults facing uncertain work and financial insecurity. Most recently, she served as a special advisor to the Executive Director of Senior Service America. Before joining SSA, she was the Chief Operating Officer of a mid-size nonprofit focused on improving economic conditions in Africa. She is also an entrepreneur, having co-founded and led a chain of decorative home stores in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. She began her career in international development at the World Bank. Ms. White earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Master’s in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS in Political Science from Oberlin College. A self-described Army brat, she grew up in various countries in Europe and North Africa. She resides in Washington, D.C., with her daughter and grandson. Elizabeth has a compelling story to tell that will resonate with many of you.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:04] Marc welcomes you to Episode 109 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. 2018 was a year of disruption and clarification for Marc personally and regarding where he wants to take his business and this podcast. Marc will be making some changes to Career Pivot and to the Repurpose Your Career podcast in the very near future.

[1:43] In next week’s podcast, Marc will review the results of the 2018 Repurpose Your Career Podcast Survey and the changes he will be making. Almost 60 people provided their input. Marc says thank you. That is double the number of participants over the previous year. The downloads have also doubled or tripled.

[2:04] This week, after this episode is published, Marc will publish a Career Pivot blog reader survey and discuss how Career Pivot will evolve in the coming year. If you actively read the Career Pivot blog, please take a moment and take the survey.

[2:21] Marc is recording this intro on New Year’s Day, 2019. Marc and his wife have permanently relocated to Ajijic, Mexico. Their Austin condo has been rented. The Millers have greatly simplified their lives and drastically reduced their expenses, all while improving their mental and physical health.

[2:48] Looking forward 18 months ago, this is not what the Millers would have expected. Marc will share more on that, next week.

[3:00] This week, Marc has a great interview with Elizabeth White, author of Fifty-Five, Underemployed, and Faking Normal: Your Guide to a Better Life. Marc shares her bio.

[4:24] Marc will be publishing two separate book reviews of Elizabeth’s book in the coming weeks, written by two members of the Career Pivot Community. One, to be published on January 7, almost simultaneously with the podcast and the other will publish in a few weeks. The book’s official release date is January 8, 2019.

[4:49] Marc especially loved Elizabeth White’s story about her relationship with Elijah, and how that relationship gave her perspective. Marc hopes you will enjoy this interview and pick up a copy of her book.

[5:04] Marc welcomes Elizabeth White to the podcast and invites her to share her compelling story.

[5:24] No one aspires to be the poster child for ‘Broke and Near-broke Boulevard.’ Elizabeth landed there, as many people do, through an event. For some it could be job loss, medical diagnosis, divorce, or something that sets a ‘before-X’ and ‘after-X’ mark in your life.

[6:18] During the Great Recession, Elizabeth lost two really good consultancies within six months. Elizabeth was in her mid-fifties with a great employment and education background, but her phone never rang. She used to have a network that would let her hear about jobs before they posted but most of her network was retired.

[7:30] Elizabeth wrote an essay describing what it felt like to land there, going from choice of careers to downward mobility. Weeks turned into months and months turned into years where she was getting little, short assignments, but nothing near earning what she was accustomed to earn.

[8:08] Elizabeth started to notice that friends were going through the same experience and they talked with each other. The essay she wrote talked about what it was like to be part of the ‘formerly’ and ‘used to be.’ Elizabeth sent it around and it made its way onto the PBS Facebook page. Within three days it had 11K likes and 1K comments.

[8:46] The comments were from people saying, this is my story, my husband's story or my daughter’s story. How come we’re not having this conversation? Elizabeth read every comment and she was astonished at the universal reach of her story.

[9:08] Elizabeth had the background to look at the data. She was shocked at the magnitude of the retirement income crisis. We’re not talking about it. People sent her long emails messages with story after story of older people who felt like they had done everything right, got jettisoned from the workforce, and could not get back in.

[10:05] Elizabeth met with some people who were in the D.C. area or were passing through. Some became friends. Elizabeth started to look more into what was happening to people. She couldn’t find the book that she wanted to read. She didn’t want a dense, scholarly tome but a story from somebody who was having this lived experience.

[10:44] Elizabeth wrote her book in the model of standing at her back fence, talking to her neighbor about what it means to land here. She understood that the cavalry was not coming and there would be no big rescue to address these millions of people who landed there.

[11:14] The median savings for near-retirees 55 to 64 is $15,000. The middle 40% of earners in that category have $60,000 saved. People talk about the longevity bonus, which is that people in good health in their early 60s have easily another 20 years of life. $15K to $60K doesn’t stretch to cover for 20 years.

[12:10] Economist Teresa Ghilarducci says 40% of middle-class near-retirees are looking at poverty and near-poverty conditions in old age. These are not irresponsible ‘bad apples’ who’ve landed here. These are not the marginalized, chronic poor. These are people who are OK and are now looking at downward mobility.

[12:59] Boomers do not have pensions. Boomers are in an ‘I don’t want you’ job market. Boomers are looking at escalating costs in housing and healthcare and facing $1.5 trillion in education debt.

[13:24] So, why is all the conversation around retirement ‘happy talk’? We hear cool reinvention stories when the truth is that millions of people are trying to figure out how they are going to make ends connect to support themselves over the next 20 years.

[14:03] Marc came up with ‘career pivot’ because you don’t go from being an engineer to a pastry chef. You make incremental changes. Marc formed his online community for everyone who feels alone in their circumstances. Boomers were raised not to talk about employment. When they graduated, if they couldn’t get a job, they were ‘screwups.’

[14:51] Elizabeth talks about ‘resilience circles’ as she mentions in her book. What saved her, during the worst part of it, was having a small group of people she could tell the truth to, and not fake normal. She had one friend with whom she would trade $300 back and forth when she or her friend had the need.

[15:39] Elizabeth and her friend would play a game of ‘top this,’ comparing their money woes. The worst tale of woe won. Elizabeth appreciated having someone to listen to her difficulties. A group started meeting, not only to share stories but also to share information about community and agency resources.

[17:04] A resilience circle helps you not to be alone. When you face burdens alone, you’ll get ‘full up’ of emotion. If you don’t have a circle to share it with first, that emotion will leak out of you in a job interview or a meeting about an opportunity and the person interviewing you will sense there is something there that they don’t want on their team.

[18:01] The resilience circle allows you to vent and get some of your frustration and upset out of your system so you don’t leak it where it’s not appropriate to leak it.

[18:21] Elizabeth suggests that if you are not comfortable announcing to your friendship circle that you are in this situation, look for a nearby library that could work with you to organize a community resilience circle. Or see if your church has a group that is getting out of debt, or setting financial goals together.

[19:37] Elizabeth says, you’re going to have some bad days. You’re going to feel despair. You’re going to have some people that you thought were going to help you, not help you and it’s going to rock you.

[20:01] When you’ve lost confidence, you’ll need someone to remind you who you are, what you know, and what you can bring. You’re not going to always be able to pull that out of yourself. In this period, when you are without a map and without a net, you are going to need old-school community.

[20:47] Elizabeth has some great stories. She talks about her story of Elijah that she included in the book. She had coffee with him the day of this interview. She had seen him for years around town. He is always barefoot, except for flip-flops he wears when he goes into shops. He always wears cut-off jeans.

[22:01] Elizabeth wanted to know his story. In a park she found him and they started a conversation. Elijah suggested they get together and Elizabeth was intrigued. She suggested The Potter’s House. What Elizabeth liked was his freedom from striving. He heard Elizabeth’s story about her rough stretch and gave her a ‘soft place to land.’

[23:52] Elizabeth and Elijah started meeting regularly. Elijah could ‘go off the grid’ in his ideas. Elizabeth will say, “Elijah, I can’t go with you there,’ and he accepts that. Mostly, he’s right there with her.

[24:47] In a rough period, Elizabeth needed to borrow from him. She was telling her situation and he told her he was in a position to help. She borrowed $2,500, feeling a combination of gratitude and shame. Looking at him, he was not a guy who could help.

[25:29] Her shame came from realizing that for most of her life, she had been in a position where she could help. She thought of the people she had looked at without seeing, such as a friend eating at a restaurant with her, not being able to afford more than a soup and a starter, putting $7 of gas in their SUV or going without a haircut.

[26:35] Elizabeth thought of the times she could have easily picked up their meal and didn’t offer.

[26:46] Elijah has Veteran’s benefits and he is not homeless but he lives very modestly and spends no money on clothes. He came to her mother’s family Christmas dinner in Bermuda shorts, a shirt, and sandals. He was welcomed there. Elizabeth meets him for a couple of hours close to once a month or six weeks.

[29:07] Marc suggests that Elijah is one of the people who doesn’t judge Elizabeth and she doesn’t judge him. Marc talks about Making Stuff Up disorder. Elizabeth felt ‘seen,’ not for her credentials or her successes but for herself.

[30:15] Elizabeth shares about the holiday season where there are expectations about things you would do, or donate to, or how much a dinner with friends will cost. It can be a minefield. It is exhausting to evaluate everything against its affordability. She visited a friend recently and they just sat together for six hours. She fell asleep on her couch.

[32:00] Elizabeth had a green apple and her friend had some nut spread and a bottle of wine and they shared it and watched a movie. It was comforting for them to know each other’s ‘walk she’s on.’ Elizabeth has a few friends who are ‘right here’ where she is. They have become an extended resilience circle.

[32:35] Every now and then you will not be included in something because everyone knows you cannot afford it. She doesn’t have words to describe how that feels. You don’t feel sorry for yourself and you don’t want them to feel sorry for you. Elizabeth lost her mother this year, so she is a little more sensitive to things.
[34:27] Maybe you used to be able to cover an ice cream cone for your grandchild or take them to a movie but now you have to ask your son or daughter to pay for it; maybe you cannot help with your mother’s nursing home expenses. The ‘money piece’ is harder during the holiday season.

[35:08] Marc frustrates people who want to know what to get him for Christmas. Nothing — he is done accumulating stuff! In moving to Mexico he just got rid of all of it! His self-worth is not related to the stuff he has.

[35:44] In the second half of Elizabeth’s book she talks a lot about different ways of living in the second half of life, from health to living arrangements, to living more affordably into our nineties. Marc asks Elizabeth to share some thoughts.

[36:08] While Elizabeth was writing, a friend, doing her hair, told her the book better not be a talkathon! She told her to include information and resources. Elizabeth wanted to make sure that this book was chock-a-block full of resources.

[36:39] The biggest expenditure for most of us, after healthcare, is housing. After housing, many people can ‘extreme coupon it’ the rest of the way. So Elizabeth covers housing options, from tiny houses, co-housing, other shared housing, multi-generational housing, to moving to Mexico where they could live on their Social Security income.

[37:45] Choosing housing is a process of determining your space needs. Can you keep up your current home or is it time to consider other options? A lot of Boomers are living by themselves and are isolated. Maybe, to make ends meet, more of us are going to have to start thinking about living together.

[38:57] Elizabeth has included a lot of resources about home sharing, including security checks and credit checks.

[39:55] In some ways, the book wrote itself. It was her conversations with lots of people who have landed where she’s landed, and how they improvised and figured it out. They shared their experiences of flourishing and floundering. Boomers are the first generation that will live this long lifespan, both healthy and active.

[40:36] There are no rules, role models, or roadmaps, yet for how to make the money stretch. There are no policies or supportive networks, yet. We are figuring this out as we go along. What can we learn from each other? The government’s not doing a lot.

[40:56] How are we, who are living this, making this work on housing, on income, on how we navigate with our friends and family?

[41:08] Marc says, you are not going to do this alone. You are not alone. Yes, we are making this stuff up as we go along. We’re improvising.

[41:25] Marc just finished reading Elizabeth’s book and there are some great stories in it. It officially comes out on January 8, 2019. It will be available on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Elizabeth’s contact information is in the back of the book. She likes to hear from people. Also, reach Elizabeth at FakingNormal@Yahoo.com.

[42:33] Through this writing process, Elizabeth has made some very good friends who reached out to her. Elizabeth has formed ‘a family’ and she wants you to form a family of support, as well. This book is a tool to help you do that.

[43:07] Marc thanks Elizabeth for being on the Repurpose Your Career podcast. Marc hopes you will consider getting her book and also passing it along to a friend.

[43:31] Susan Lahey and Marc are working on the next edition of Repurpose Your Career, and Marc is looking for your help. Marc is forming a release team of readers who will get access to pre-release chapters of the book to provide feedback.

[43:45] By the time this podcast episode is published, Marc will have released the first chapter to the release team. You can be part of this team by going to CareerPivot.com/RYCTeam where you can sign up.

[44:03] When you sign up, you’ll receive the pre-release versions of chapters when they become available. What Marc asks in return is that you provide feedback and be prepared to write a review on Amazon.com when the book is released.

[44:17] Marc and Susan are adding around eight new chapters to the book and re-writing several others. Marc will release a new pre-release chapter on the podcast and to the team every few months.

[44:34] The CareerPivot.com/Community website has become a valuable resource for almost 50 members who are participating in the Beta phase of this project. Marc is now recruiting members for the next cohort.

[44:46] If you are interested in the endeavor and would like to be put on the waiting list, please go to CareerPivot.com/Community. When you sign up you’ll receive information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts will get to set the direction for this endeavor. This is a paid membership community with special content.

[45:19] Marc invites you to connect with him on LinkedIn.com/in/mrmiller. Just include in the connection request that you listen to this podcast. You can also look for Career Pivot on Facebook, LinkedIn, or @CareerPivot on Twitter.

[45:48] Please come back next week, when Marc will review the podcast listeners’ survey and what he will be changing in the coming year.

[46:01] You will find the show notes for this episode at CareerPivot.com/episode-109.

[46:09] Please hop over to CareerPivot.com and subscribe to get updates to this podcast and all the other happenings at Career Pivot. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, and Stitcher, the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast app, or the Spotify app.

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