By Jack Calhoun
When I ask folks who are heading into their retirement years what they’re going to do to fill the void where their career used to be, I almost always get the same answer:
“Volunteering!”
It’s a noble answer, and most people say it with the best of intentions. And there’s no doubt the world needs more of it.
But if you think volunteering is going to fill the "meaning and purpose" void when you leave your career behind, you may be in for a rude awakening.
The “100 Hour Rule” of Volunteering
Volunteering gives you a sense of fulfillment, which is a good thing. And it’s doing something for the greater good, which is an important thing. But, for the most part, volunteering doesn’t give you a sense of being accomplished and validated– because that’s not really the point of the whole thing, is it? It’s not about you; it’s about the people and the cause you're serving, willingly and joyfully.
But, let's be honest: Feeling like we're valued and accomplished is a fundamental human need. We're wired to feel that way; it's literally in our DNA.
That’s what our careers give us. People (our clients or our company) pay us money to do things we're good at that help them solve a problem. If you're really good at what you do (and if you're reading this you probably are, or were) then you get paid a lot of money to do the things you do.
Even if you end up burned out and pining for the day you can leave your career behind, you still feel a sense of accomplishment about the work you’ve done, the money you worked so hard to earn, and the great life you built for you and your loved ones. Clearly, that’s not what volunteering is about, which is why people who try to plug it into the port where "career" used to be often find it's a bad fit.
And there’s another reason you shouldn’t expect it to fill the void: research shows there’s a point beyond which volunteering won’t give you any additional sense of fulfillment– and may even cause you to experience “volunteer burnout.”
In his blog, “Barking Up the Wrong Tree,” author Eric Barker sites two studies that prove this out. (Barker also has a fantastic book by the same name, which I highly recommend.)
The first was an Australian study of adults in their mid 60s that found that there was definitely a positive effect of volunteering, but only to a point. People who volunteered between 100 and 800 hours annually were happier than those who volunteered less than 100 hours – but those who volunteered more than 800 hours were less happy than those in the 100-to-800 hour range.
Another study of American adults found an increase in longevity for those who volunteered 100 hours annually, but no benefits beyond 100 hours.
According to Barker, this is known as the “100 Hour Rule” of volunteering, and it shouldn’t be surprising. Giving your time and talents to a cause you believe in is important and makes you feel good. But there’s a point of diminishing returns (and it’s surprisingly low), because if you are devoting anywhere close to the amount of hours to a volunteer effort as you did to your full-time job, pretty soon it’s going to feel like, well … an unpaid full-time job.
To fill the void, find your perfect encore career
So, if 100 hours a year is the sweet spot for volunteering, and a 40-hour work week adds up to 2,000 hours a year, that leaves you with [[checks math]] one-thousand-nine-hundred hours a year left to fill when your career is over. And that’s assuming you were only working a 9-5 job, which is far less than many successful professionals work. Yikes!
Instead of trying to fit the square “volunteer” peg in the round “career” hole, focus instead on finding your ideal encore career. A career you get to design; one that allows you to do work you love sharing your wisdom and expertise with people who value it, without sacrificing the freedom and autonomy you’ve been craving in your post-career life. That’s the best way to keep the feeling of significance and accomplishment you need to stay engaged and purposeful in the second half of your life. If you have no idea how to do that, then find a mentor who can demystify the process of finding the right encore career for you and shorten your learning curve dramatically.
If you feel the non-profit sector is truly your calling when you leave your career behind, then go for it. Make that your encore career, as many have. Start one, join one in a paid position, or consult with one or many. (Just don’t expect to run one if you’ve spent your career in the private sector – leadership positions are almost always filled by people who’ve made the non-profit sector their primary career.)
And if you aren't involved with a volunteer effort, by all means find one and get involved. In the second half of your life, you'll definitely have more time for the passions and causes you care about than you did when you were working fulltime and raising a family. Research also shows that volunteering helps ward off loneliness as you age – one of the leading causes of mortality for seniors.
The bottom line? Feeling accomplished, purposeful and fulfilled in the second half of your life requires a blended approach, one that includes a meaningful dose of volunteering and a heaping helping of work you love to do for people you love to work with.
That’s the secret to a long, healthy and happy life.
