Volunteerism Leads to Career Change for a Retiree

By Adrianne Bibby

“My first career was the one that made my second career possible.” That fantastic quote is from one of the most inspiring “second career” stories we’ve run across recently, involving a former human resources executive whose volunteerism led him to follow his passion to change careers and a rewarding “second act.” Check out this success story about how volunteerism led to career change for a retiree.

Greg T. had a great career, working for 25 years in human relations for a Pittsburgh movie and video laboratory, steadily rising in rank over the years to the position of vice president of administration. That was his “day job”; his passion was his volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity, where he started as a volunteer after responding to a newspaper ad in 1995. The ad sought people to participate in a “blitz build,” constructing 20 houses in one week in Americus, Georgia.

Burn Out Leads to New Location and New Career

Fast forward to 2015: Greg is now retired from his HR job and is the executive director for Habitat for Humanity in South Carolina. How he got from his first career to his statewide leadership role is a great example for our series on 100 Days on Jobs for Career Changers.

Greg told us he moved to South Carolina not just for the “warmer winters,” but because he was “burned out” from his previous job. After the move, he continued volunteering with Habitat. After his first Habitat experience (“It was like summer camp,” he said), he and other family members made three trips together to build Habitat homes. “We met great folks and felt like we were really doing something worthwhile,” Greg said.

Starting as a volunteer at Sea Island, South Carolina, Greg, said he used his “amateur carpentry skills as a volunteer construction person and then a volunteer construction manager.” He was approached to become a part-time Habitat construction manager at East Cooper Habitat, a nearby affiliate, and after interviewing with the top manager who was 40 years his junior, Greg was hired and eventually began working three to five days a week—but still on a part-time salary. Under his management, the affiliate went from building one house every two years to constructing four houses a year. Eventually, Greg became executive director at Sea Island and worked full-time for several years until retiring again.

But retirement didn’t seem to be in the cards for Greg just yet. In early 2013, he was tapped to become the first executive director of the newly formed South Carolina Association of Habitat Affiliates. He says his current job, which is a remote position, is “once again a part-time job which keeps me busy 40 hours per week.” On top of that he works part-time at a golf pro-shop in exchange for time on the links, and takes a long bicycle trip with his wife each year. Greg’s case is an inspiring example of how to follow your passion to a second career. Greg’s story offers a great road map for career change! Here are his thoughts, in his own words, for how to make career change work.

Career Change for a Retiree: Learn from Greg’s Experience

Find a happy second act using these five tips.

Capitalize on transferable skills.

“I did not really have to learn many new skills because my time with [my previous employer] had me involved with accounting, purchasing, finance, banking, sales, and marketing—all part of the daily job with a Habitat affiliate. Perhaps the only skill that I had to hone was construction management (though I did a bit of that at [my previous job]. … The impact of my professional side in the beginning was small but as it grew to a full-time position, all of my professional skills were called into use.”

Pursue your passion.

“I think that I am fortunate in that my first career was successful enough that I could take chances in finding my passion in a second career.… I enjoy building and carpentry. It was one of my dad’s hobbies and I grew up around all of the tools.… To be able to ‘work’ in a job that combines all of what you have learned over the years and work with staff and volunteers who truly love their work is a blessing and a lucky find.”

Keep learning.

“I sat for my general contractor’s license in 2009 to add some credibility to our builds and add some credibility to my standing in the construction community.”

Find the right fit.

“I enjoy teaching and training. That’s part of my early years as a teacher and I also enjoy helping those in need. My choices out of college were social work or teaching. Habitat combines both of these. The job’s core requirement fit my background and personality.… This may not be possible for everyone but my goal when I retired was to find the right fit for me, one that utilized my skills but in a people environment. Identify your passion and try to find a career that uses what you have learned. In my case the passion was teaching and helping. If it wasn’t Habitat it could have been tutoring or teaching in a community college.”

Figure out the right timing.

“[Career change] takes luck and good timing. We were able to do it because our two children were married and settled. They were not living in our hometown anymore so that gave us the opportunity to take a chance [on] moving, then finding the right fit.”

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