{"id":1892,"date":"2012-06-22T06:43:32","date_gmt":"2012-06-22T10:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=1892"},"modified":"2012-06-22T06:45:00","modified_gmt":"2012-06-22T10:45:00","slug":"second-act-for-dad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kerryhannon.com\/?p=1892","title":{"rendered":"Forbes.com\/SecondVerse: Second Act for Dad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>My older brother is a father of four boys\u2013ranging in age from 17 to 22. A few weeks ago, his eldest son graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. My entire family gathered to celebrate this fantastic rite of passage. And we felt hopeful.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what graduations are about. Hope mixed in with a little fear of what life might have to offer our kids as they embark on their first jobs in the \u201creal world,\u201d the first step as they build their ladder to the stars. And as we watch them go, we yearn to \u201cstay forever young,\u201d as Dylan sings.<\/p>\n

Ali bin Ibrahim Al-Naimi, the current Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and a 1962 graduate of Lehigh, delivered the commencement address. He shared his thoughts on the opportunities that await the Class of 2012, and the challenge to use their knowledge to \u201cbring about progress and positive change.\u201d His message provided an encouraging and inspirational send-off to graduates. \u201cClass of 2012, very few people reach the position you have reached here today,\u201d Al-Naimi said. \u201cWith that comes wonderful opportunities. But it also brings responsibilities. A responsibility to use your knowledge, as I have tried to do, to bring about progress and positive change.\u201d<\/p>\n

My nephew is lucky; he has a job lined up at a major bank and starts the training program in August. But I couldn\u2019t help but think how my brother must have felt as he heard those words and absorbed the life passage of his firstborn son.<\/p>\n

My brother is on the cusp of turning 56, and has a few more kids to educate. Yet I suspect he was recalling what it felt like when he was walking across the stage to get his diploma and dreaming of business and financial success, a future family, happiness and more. He has had that. He has been with his employer for roughly a quarter of a century, an anomaly these days. He loves his job, is loyal to his employer and grateful for all it has given to him.<\/p>\n

But he, like many boomer dads, is starting to think about what he might want to do when all the college bills are paid and he is ready to \u201cretire\u201d . This will be a time when he can begin a second career of sorts. What\u2019s next? He has time to consider.<\/p>\n

Perhaps your child\u2019s graduation this spring has triggered similar nostalgia and a yearning to try something new to \u201cuse your knowledge to bring about change.\u201d This is precisely the time in our lives when we all start to desire something that brings additional meaning to life. If you are starting to dream about switching careers now, or after you retire from your first career, remember career change is a process, and it takes confidence that comes from laying the groundwork.<\/p>\n

The most successful 50+ career switchers take a few years to learn new skills, network, and prepare financially. Here are some steps I recommend.<\/p>\n

1. Get a fitness plan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You need to be\u2014<\/p>\n