Farrell: Retirees experiment with ways to earn money, serve communities, such as AmeriCorps

Retirement is changing as many experienced workers look for both purpose and a paycheck well into the traditional retirement years. Experienced adults are experimenting with different ways to earn an income for several more years, including self-employment, entrepreneurship, encore careers, part-time jobs and gig work.

The pandemic disrupted the trend as the number of retirees soared. But the reasons for the shift toward working longer remain intact. Many people who voluntarily or involuntarily retired during the pandemic could return to the job market as vaccinations spread.

One problem with writing about the work-longer movement is we don't have ample vocabulary for the change. Retirement? Nah. Reinvention? Not really.

Unretirement is my preferred word, but the catchphrase hasn't caught on. Whatever term you like, adults in the second half of life are an increasingly powerful force as workers and entrepreneurs in our communities.

Transitions aren't easy. I'm at the stage of life when young college graduates ask to meet and talk about careers. They know what a job is, but how to land on a career is a mystery. These conversations are wonderful. The idealism is heartening. They want a career that offers both an income and meaning.

I've had similar discussions with 50-plus workers looking for an encore that gives purpose and an income. The challenge of deciding what comes next typically involves experimentation, a willingness to try something new and the ability to pivot toward unexpected opportunities.

An intriguing option for some experienced workers to explore while researching their choices is joining one of the AmeriCorps programs managed by the nonprofit ServeMinnesota. The popular image of the typical AmeriCorps participant is a recent college graduate. But about the same percentage of participants are near or into the traditional retirement years. AmeriCorps is the federally funded national service umbrella program.

Participants work in education, antipoverty programs and other community initiatives. Among the better-known programs are Reading Corps and Math Corps., which help students improve their literacy and numeracy skills. The various AmeriCorps programs offer modest stipends, an education benefit and, of course, the opportunity to give back.

"This is a great way to transition into retirement," says Lisa Winkler, head of marketing for ServeMinnesota. "They still want to make a meaningful contribution. We can do this kind of work at the end of our careers."

You can check out AmeriCorps at serveminnesota.org.