Never before has it been so easy for so many to reposition their careers and reinvest in their earning power.

The Association of Community Colleges is on track with promoting lifelong learning as the key to successful living. 10 community colleges across the nation have launched the "Plus 50 Initiative", a project designed to entice you to remain in the market−driven workplace your way. Funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies (look them up), community colleges offer a range of choices for returning, or new, students. Joliet Junior College in Illinois, for example, has a program for mature students seeking new careers in health care and education. Chaffey Community College in Los Angeles has a program for those who seek to mentor and tutor younger students now emerging into the workplace. There are environmental programs, "go green" initiatives and more, much more than you might realize.

Step out of the past and into the future; one where you will find new energy and vigor.

For more information about the Plus 50 Initiative, please contact:

Mary Sue Vickers
Plus 50 Director
E−mail: mvickers@aacc.nche.edu
Telephone: 202/728−0200, ext. 248

Another hangover from a long ago time when being older − around 50 to 60 − often meant being sicker. How about moving this myth up about 20 years? The American Council of Life Insurance reports that people 45 and older are sick an average of 3.1 days per year compared with 3.8 days a year for those 44 and under. Mature workers don't let minor ailments affect their attendance as much as their younger counterparts. By 2008, 40% of the workforce will be over age 45.

TIPS FOR JOB SEEKERS

• Get fit for action. Even if your health is excellent, you can't afford to look like an insurance claim waiting to happen.

• Remember that there is nothing "illegal" about volunteering your terrific prior attendance record because past behavior is, indeed, the best predictor of future behavior. Go ahead. Brag about your good health.

• Avoid disclosing hidden health challenges that do not impact your ability to perform your job. Such candor almost always works against you.