Life is a Stage - Join Prize Winners for an Encore!
Published November 11, 2009 @ 10:08PM PT
I am a long-time admirer and follower of Pulitzer Prize winner and columnist, Ellen Goodman. I've admired her writing for as long as I can remember, and appreciate her perspective on so many important issues that are personal and political to me. In fact, if given the choice, she would top the "if you could have dinner with anyone, who would you choose?" list. I've heard her speak on a few occasions, but wish I could have been up front last week when she was a keynote speaker at the Civic Ventures, 2009 Purpose Prize Summit.
At the Summit, 10 Purpose Prize Winners were announced - 10 social innovators, tackling tough social problems in their encore careers and winning awards between $50,000 and $100,000. Where did they find work? In the nonprofit sector - education, job training, climate change, addiction and homelessness. You can read about their work and contributions here, along with watching moving video.
And what did Ellen Goodman have to say about the encore career? As it turns out, she's about to embark on the next phase of her life, "headed straight for the semicolon, that pause between her long career as a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist - and whatever comes next" as she plans the end of her column this year. She told the crowd gathered to honor encore careerists, "I love the phrase ‘encore careers,' and Life is a stage. We are all, always, only in a stage of life. The words are full of showmanship and applause."
If you are trying to figure out your encore career or considering switching sectors, read Encore David Banks, blog post and retelling of Ellen's preparation for the next stage of her life. She's looking forward to it and anxious to see where she'll make a difference. I am not ready for my encore career, but I work with and personally know many people struggling to find their "next" place. The nonprofit sector is a welcoming place with endless opportunities. We won't all win a prize, but each of us can contribute in small (or big) ways to make a difference.
(Photo Credit: www.ellengoodman.com)
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Author
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Erin is the Director of Candidate Services at the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, where she advises job seekers including for-profit professionals on how to land a great nonprofit job.
