A former CEO enrolled in clown school. A corporate communications executive started a photography business. A high school science teacher became an outdoors guide. And a lifelong accountant wanted to work at Disneyworld.
"He loved the atmosphere, it was lighthearted, it wasn't counting numbers day after day," said career coach Linda Miller of Mankato, who worked with all four. When she asked the accountant what sort of job he'd like at Disneyworld "he said, 'You know what? I really don't care.'"
Call it a second phase, an encore, a reinvention. Just don't call it retirement. More people are entering their mid-60s -- stuck, perhaps, with dismayingly skimpy savings accounts, but blessed with sound health and many years ahead of them -- and deciding that retirement doesn't top their agenda.
"We figure 20 or 30 years is too much to play tennis or golf or sit around outside," said Miller, 60, who three years ago made a transition of her own, from corporate communications manager in the Twin Cities to career coach with 2Young2Retire, an organization that helps people choosing later-life work.
Statistics reflect the trend. Between 1993 and 2009, workforce participation by men ages 62 to 74 grew by 39 percent, according to the Urban Institute. Participation by women in that age group grew by 60 percent.
"Ninety percent of workers age 60 to 64, or 5.4 million men and women, say they enjoy going to work," the institute reported. "The share increases to 97 percent of workers 70 and older, or 3 million people."
Of workers surveyed in a 2012 study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), 37 percent plan to postpone retirement until sometime after they turn 65 -- triple the proportion two decades ago.
Finances are a major concern, especially since the recession slashed retirement accounts and home values. Sixty percent of workers in the EBRI study reported nest eggs of less than $25,000, excluding their homes and any pensions. And only a third of all those surveyed have pensions. They worry about medical and long-term care bills even more than they do basic expenses.