Encore Careers and Volunteering: Finding Purpose After Retirement

2026-11-04 · 5 min read

For many people, the first few weeks of retirement feel like a long vacation. Then the questions start. What do I do with Tuesday? Who do I talk to all day? What am I for now?

Those questions are normal, and they are worth taking seriously. Work gave many of us more than a paycheck. It gave us a schedule, a team, problems to solve and a sense of being needed. When it ends, it can leave a gap that free time alone doesn't fill.

In Aging Wildly, Anne Jensen writes about ikigai, a Japanese idea often described as a reason to get up in the morning. She notes that purpose isn't reserved for a career or a grand mission, and that it can change as we change. For some people, that next purpose is an encore career. For others, it is volunteering. For many, it is a mix of both.

What Is an Encore Career?

An encore career is work you take on later in life, often after leaving a long-time job. It might be part time, seasonal or flexible. It might pay well, pay a little, or mostly pay in satisfaction. The point is that it fits the person you are now.

Some people turn a lifelong hobby into a small business. Others take their professional skills in a new direction, such as a retired accountant who helps a nonprofit with its books, or a former teacher who tutors. Some try something completely different, like working at a garden center, a museum or a golf course simply because it sounds fun.

Questions to Ask Yourself First

Before you start applying for jobs or signing up for causes, take some quiet time with a notebook. These questions can help you sort out what you really want:

• What parts of my old work did I love? What parts am I glad to leave behind?
• Do I want to earn income, or mainly want structure and connection?
• How many hours a week feel right? Mornings, afternoons or weekends?
• Do I want to work with people, with my hands, with ideas, or outdoors?
• What causes make me light up when I talk about them?
• What skills do people still ask me for help with?

Your answers will point you toward a direction. You don't need a perfect plan. You just need a next step.

Finding Paid Work After 60

Many employers value the reliability, judgment and people skills that older workers bring. Here are a few places to start looking:

• Part-time roles in retail, hospitality, libraries, schools, museums and parks.
• Consulting or freelance work in your former field, often on a project basis.
• Seasonal jobs during holidays, tax season or tourist season.
• Small businesses built on a hobby, such as woodworking, sewing, baking or photography.
• Workforce centers and senior employment programs, which can help with job searches and training.

If you receive Social Security or a pension, earning income may affect your benefits or taxes. Before you take a new job, it is wise to talk with a financial advisor or check with the Social Security Administration. Our post on financial confidence in small steps offers gentle ways to get started on money questions.

Volunteering: Purpose Without a Paycheck

Volunteering can offer many of the same rewards as work: structure, teamwork and the feeling of making a difference. It is also one of the easiest ways to meet people who share your values.

There are opportunities for almost every interest and ability level:

• Deliver meals to homebound neighbors or help at a food pantry.
• Read to children at a school or library.
• Greet visitors at a hospital, museum or visitor center.
• Help at an animal shelter, walking dogs or socializing cats.
• Mentor young people or new business owners.
• Serve at your place of worship or a veterans organization.
• Help at community events, from expos to races to festivals.

Your local Area Agency on Aging, senior center or library can often point you to groups that need help. Many nonprofits also list volunteer roles on their websites.

Try Before You Commit

You don't have to sign up for a long-term role on day one. Try a one-time event first. Shadow someone for an afternoon. Give a role a month and see how it feels. This is the spirit of kaizen, the practice of small steps that Anne Jensen describes in Aging Wildly. Small experiments are less intimidating than big decisions, and they teach you what you actually enjoy.

If something isn't a good fit, that's useful information, not a failure. Move on and try the next thing. You can read more about this approach in our post on kaizen: small steps for seniors.

Purpose Builds Connection

One of the quiet gifts of working or volunteering is the people you meet. Coworkers and fellow volunteers can become real friends. A weekly shift gives you a reason to get dressed, leave the house and be part of something bigger. If staying connected has been hard lately, our post on beating loneliness after 60 has more ideas.

Purpose doesn't have to be grand. It can be the Tuesday morning shift where people count on you, or the one student whose reading improves because you showed up. That is enough. That is a lot, actually.

Your Kaizen Steps This Week

• Write down three things you loved about past work and one cause you care about.
• Look up one volunteer opportunity or part-time job that matches your list.
• Call or email one organization to ask how to get involved, or sign up for a single one-time shift.

Keep reading

• Travel After 60: Planning Adventures That Fit You — Whether it's a dream trip overseas or a weekend in the mountains, travel after 60 is about planning adventures that match your pace, budget and curiosity.
• Aging in Place: Home Modifications That Keep You Independent — Most people want to stay in their own homes as they age. A few smart changes, from grab bars to better lighting, can make that safer and easier.
• Right-Sizing: A Home That Fits the Life You Have Now — Right-sizing isn't about giving things up. It's about choosing a home that fits the life you want now, whether that means smaller, simpler, closer or bigger.