(Photo Courtesy of Noel Abejo via stock.xchng.)

Encore careers. Second acts. Reinventing yourself.

Whatever you call it, the idea is that older workers decide to jump ship in their careers and try something completely different.

Sometimes those moves are by choice. Sometimes they are a last resort, says Brandon Smith, our resident career expert.

“If you’ve got a ‘5’ in front of your age and you’re out of work, it is a tough place to be. So we’re seeing encore careers pop up because people just don’t have any other options,” says Smith, a career coach, workplace consultant and business professor.

The nonprofit Encore.org reports nearly 9 million Americans aged 44 to 70 are pursuing such an “encore career,” whatever the reason. Smith explains how to start down the path to your second act (and what to watch out for along the way) on this week’s Working on GPB Radio.

Click here ask Brandon a question about your job or career. We might answer you on the air.