Retired Guy Series: Got Out And…

For those of you that have been following the Retired Guy Series, thanks! I get emails, facebook and twitter inquires of what I am doing now that I have left corporate America. I get the jokes about sitting around the house doing nothing, to how is the honey-do list going and even did you get a job yet. In the past, I have wrote about my second career and how it is going. I also wrote that I needed to get out and meet more people and connect to help me with that second career.

Short recap – second career to me is not necessarily going after another corporate America job (I will not rule it out, if it is right in my passionate areas – managing and social media). I have worked very hard over my first career and have learn a lot. Which makes me really want to pass it on and give back. My journey the past couple of weeks has been pretty amazing…

• Had a lunch meeting with Jeff Moriarty and Melanie McBride to check up on the happenings around their worlds. Jeff was his usual self and was very helpful in pointing me into a couple of areas that I maybe interested in. Especially, when I told him I was really looking for something that I can give back and in the area of the youth. I still have some more work to get to the right places and people, but this looks like a great volunteer opportunity.
• I decided that I want to help out AZ4Education. Brian Sanders is the director and we go way back together. I really feel that education is important and if we can help out one child or teenager then I am willing to invest. I will be helping to market AZ4Education! So check it out…
• Met with Valley Big Brother’s, Big Sister’s Big Experience coordinator Linde Harned this week. We had a very nice chat about my experiences and how I could apply them to the Big Experience. Later this month, I will attend one of their orientation meetings and we will figure out where my talents will be best served.
• I attended a planning meeting of the Intel Arizona Alumni group – to see if this is something that I wanted to actively participate in. I met some amazing ex-Intel folks (Paula Satow, Barbara Mitchell, Eric Keosky-Smith and Rich Andrade. I was impressed by this small bunch of passionate planners and decided why not get involved. They have me helping out with communications! Gets me out to meet more of the Arizona ex-Intel folks… We all have something in common and probably much more. Maybe making those connections will help me with my second career…
• Met with Laurie Buczek as well! I have written about Laurie in the past… Getting caught up with what is happening in her world is always a nice treat. I was even able to help her with some issues she was having with SPAM on her blog!
• I also kept up on my reviewing job boards. Decided to drop Ladders (nothing in there ever panned out). I was able to find a couple of more opportunities that peaked my interest and passions. Applied and will be following up on those next week!
• Finished two books! The Art of Non-Conformity(Amazon) by Chris Guillebeau (Book Review) and Poke The Box (Amazon) by Seth Godin.
• And of course – some honey-do list items… I still have to do some backyard work. Leaving that for next week, weather is supposed to be outstanding.

So, I took action on getting out and about.. It definitely has opened some areas of interest and possibilities. How cool is that? To paraphrase from Poke The Box – I just need to get STARTED.

Related articles

• Second Career Search – The Series(stevebellnow.com)
• Retired Guy Series(stevebellnow.com)
• The Series – Retired Guy Looking for Second Career(stevebellnow.com)