These jobs are often in public interest fields, such as education, the environment, health, the government sector, social services, and other non-profits.
The phrase 'encore career' was made popular by Marc Freedman,[1] who founded Civic Ventures, an organization involved with the work-life of senior citizens.
[2] Nicholas Kristof, writing in the New York Times, notes that Bill Gates' switched to working full-time for his foundation "is part of a booming trend: the 'encore career' as a substitute for retirement.
Ellen Goodman cites Al Gore as a "poster child, the model for what Marc Freedman calls the 'encore career.'"
Of those not already in encore careers, half say they are interested in moving into jobs in such fields as education, health care, government, and the nonprofit sector."