Get ahead... new opportunities await

A new generation of students is descending on America’s colleges and universities. They come from a wide economic, cultural and educational spectrum, looking to retool their careers, meet unrealized dreams and pick up skills necessary to prosper in the 21st century.

Oh, and they are all over 50.

Yes, more and more older Americans – aka baby boomers – are shunning traditional retirement and instead setting course for new careers and opportunities.

Marc Freedman, author of “Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life” (PublicAffairs Books, $24.95), says attending a college or university at 50 or 60 could soon be the norm, with graduate schools designed specifically for accomplished professionals.

“For tens of millions of baby boomers, a new phase of life and work is opening up between the end of midlife careers and the beginning of true old age,” Freedman says. 

Many of today’s retirees are younger, more affluent and living longer than any previous generation, and they want to continue to learn and pick up new skills through higher education.

Last fall the State University System of Florida saw a 13.4 percent increase in graduate school applicants at colleges and universities, a number Chancellor Mark B. Rosenburg described as “unprecedented.”

“Our universities are helping people in the Florida workforce prepare for career changes and new opportunities,” Rosenburg says. “By giving them richer knowledge and training, we are also helping our students insulate themselves against uncertainty in the job market.”

As the number of older college applicants continues to grow, colleges and universities throughout South Florida are adapting to meet the demand.

Broward Community College in Fort Lauderdale, one of the state’s largest with more than 55,000 students, recently launched a free career-coaching program, known as Encore, designed specifically for older Floridians interested in returning to school.

Jerry Enloe, the college’s director of continuing education, says the program provides older individuals an introduction into many programs offered at the school, as well as career counseling and information about volunteer opportunities in the community.

“The course allows people to explore their career goals and interests and re-examine their priorities,” Enloe says. “It helps them create their own personal road map.”

The program offers insight about in-demand careers in education, healthcare, business, technology, social services and other areas.

Enloe says South Florida’s new generation of retirees are re-entering the student ranks for various reasons.

“We have a real mix of residents in this area,” Enloe says. “We’re seeing a lot of people who may be stressed out with their current jobs or were downsized. Others just don’t want to quit working and are looking to try something new or give back to the community through volunteering. Some boomers are retiring and realizing that it doesn’t work financially, or they just want to stay busy.”

For more information about the Encore program at Broward Community College, call (954) 201-7800 or go online at ce.broward.edu/encore.

Story provided by Tribune Media Services