Did you ever find yourself needing or wanting a career change after the age of 50?
Did you decide for yourself or were you forced because you were let go? Do you have any advice for someone who is forced to find new work at this age?
I was laid off when I was 58. I realized at that point that being unemployed and not having a clue as to how I would support my family or how my life would change, I was less stressed than I had been almost every day at the old job…in the field I was in. So it was time for a change. I decided to find something far less stressful.
If you find yourself in this position, figure out what you want to do and what you are able to do. Start applying to any job that looks like it might be something in either category. Update your resume and don’t put dates on it. Don’t show your whole work history with dates that someone can mentally figure your age. Age discrimination is 100% alive and well in this country. You will get passed over numerous times if they suspect you are older…won’t even get called for an interview.
Go into it understanding that whatever job you get, you will likely not be starting at the top. You will have to prove yourself wherever you go.
If you are getting called for an interview, try to find out something about the company. Find out how long they have been in business. Find a Vision and Mission Statement. Learn what you can and tailor your interview answers around what it seems they might be looking for. Also apply common sense. If you are applying for a manger position, you better have a managerial understanding of the job or at least be able to articulate your managerial style.
And in the end, don’t lose hope. I always figured God would take care of me. He removed me from a stress pit for a reason and He would find a place for me. I've been a public school teacher, now, more than half my life and so I'm part of the system that prepares young minds to enter the workforce but have no real idea what happens when we leave that workforce.
I'd love to get on a new track, and I wonder how useful going back to school would be -- especially with costs these days. As an older person, I'm not ideal candidate for an internship or a new hire, either. Has anyone here ever changed careers/jobs midlife? Anyone have any thoughts about getting started in a new, unrelated field? My father is currently 60, and was in the tech field (He mainly did work in Peoplesoft) for about 30 years but he exhausted all of his funds and has to depend on my mother (who works as a teacher) for survival. Even though he has a sound mind and body, he struggles to find jobs according with his expertise and is unemployed for 5 years even after active job searching and interviews. He has told me that employers always find younger people as a better fit for jobs and don't employ someone who is 60. He only blames his age, which actually really scares me. No matter how much I talk to him about where exactly he went wrong, he doesn't agree on any other issue but age. He could've switched focus from peoplesoft to some other technology that looks more promising, he could've learnt new things everyday and kept himself up to date, he could've looked into getting a managerial role but nope only his age seems to be his issue! Honestly I don't think his soft skills are better either. He kinda forces me to take medicine instead of CS because he says they stay employed no matter their age and their salary only increases with experience, which is true. As you guys could have already guessed, he is not the right person to take advices from, I would love to hear what you all think! Am I right in my decision to take up CS? I am not happy with where I am and I’d like to switch jobs. I have heard a lot of horror stories about job searches taking a long time for women over 50.
I need a full time job with health insurance as I have chronic illness and am single. I am 53 and can collect full social security at 67. I currently do clerical work but I am a former teacher and a published writer.
Is it better to suck it up and put in the time until retirement or is change possible? I am grateful to have a job but there is a lot of insecurity and we may be ordered back to the office and I don’t want to go. Did you give up or change your mind on any career goals from your youth as you got older? What did you want to do, and what are you doing instead? Women who made a career change later in life, how did you do it? How did you afford it?
I currently work in a lab. It's a a good job, I get paid well and have nearly paid off my student debt. I own a house with my SO and am in good financial shape. The catch is, I've been doing my job for almost 5 years and I've grown to hate it. It's repetitive, there's no more growth for me, I can't take much time off, and I worry the daily exposure to organic solvents will have long term health consequences. Any related job I could take would be a 30k+ pay cut.
I had a brief career as a teacher as well, but don't want to reenter the education field due to low pay, lack of resources, stress, and general lack of respect, but at least have the experience of teaching for 2 full years on my resume.
I think of a career change constantly, but am worried about taking out debt again. I'm getting to the point where I think it may just be worth it.
How did you change your career? How did you afford it? Was it worth it? People who have done a complete career change : what did you change to and from, and do you have any advice for someone thinking of doing the same?
I was laid off when I was 58. I realized at that point that being unemployed and not having a clue as to how I would support my family or how my life would change, I was less stressed than I had been almost every day at the old job…in the field I was in. So it was time for a change. I decided to find something far less stressful.
If you find yourself in this position, figure out what you want to do and what you are able to do. Start applying to any job that looks like it might be something in either category. Update your resume and don’t put dates on it. Don’t show your whole work history with dates that someone can mentally figure your age. Age discrimination is 100% alive and well in this country. You will get passed over numerous times if they suspect you are older…won’t even get called for an interview.
Go into it understanding that whatever job you get, you will likely not be starting at the top. You will have to prove yourself wherever you go.
If you are getting called for an interview, try to find out something about the company. Find out how long they have been in business. Find a Vision and Mission Statement. Learn what you can and tailor your interview answers around what it seems they might be looking for. Also apply common sense. If you are applying for a manger position, you better have a managerial understanding of the job or at least be able to articulate your managerial style.
And in the end, don’t lose hope. I always figured God would take care of me. He removed me from a stress pit for a reason and He would find a place for me. I've been a public school teacher, now, more than half my life and so I'm part of the system that prepares young minds to enter the workforce but have no real idea what happens when we leave that workforce.
I'd love to get on a new track, and I wonder how useful going back to school would be -- especially with costs these days. As an older person, I'm not ideal candidate for an internship or a new hire, either. Has anyone here ever changed careers/jobs midlife? Anyone have any thoughts about getting started in a new, unrelated field? My father is currently 60, and was in the tech field (He mainly did work in Peoplesoft) for about 30 years but he exhausted all of his funds and has to depend on my mother (who works as a teacher) for survival. Even though he has a sound mind and body, he struggles to find jobs according with his expertise and is unemployed for 5 years even after active job searching and interviews. He has told me that employers always find younger people as a better fit for jobs and don't employ someone who is 60. He only blames his age, which actually really scares me. No matter how much I talk to him about where exactly he went wrong, he doesn't agree on any other issue but age. He could've switched focus from peoplesoft to some other technology that looks more promising, he could've learnt new things everyday and kept himself up to date, he could've looked into getting a managerial role but nope only his age seems to be his issue! Honestly I don't think his soft skills are better either. He kinda forces me to take medicine instead of CS because he says they stay employed no matter their age and their salary only increases with experience, which is true. As you guys could have already guessed, he is not the right person to take advices from, I would love to hear what you all think! Am I right in my decision to take up CS? I am not happy with where I am and I’d like to switch jobs. I have heard a lot of horror stories about job searches taking a long time for women over 50.
I need a full time job with health insurance as I have chronic illness and am single. I am 53 and can collect full social security at 67. I currently do clerical work but I am a former teacher and a published writer.
Is it better to suck it up and put in the time until retirement or is change possible? I am grateful to have a job but there is a lot of insecurity and we may be ordered back to the office and I don’t want to go. Did you give up or change your mind on any career goals from your youth as you got older? What did you want to do, and what are you doing instead? Women who made a career change later in life, how did you do it? How did you afford it?
I currently work in a lab. It's a a good job, I get paid well and have nearly paid off my student debt. I own a house with my SO and am in good financial shape. The catch is, I've been doing my job for almost 5 years and I've grown to hate it. It's repetitive, there's no more growth for me, I can't take much time off, and I worry the daily exposure to organic solvents will have long term health consequences. Any related job I could take would be a 30k+ pay cut.
I had a brief career as a teacher as well, but don't want to reenter the education field due to low pay, lack of resources, stress, and general lack of respect, but at least have the experience of teaching for 2 full years on my resume.
I think of a career change constantly, but am worried about taking out debt again. I'm getting to the point where I think it may just be worth it.
How did you change your career? How did you afford it? Was it worth it? People who have done a complete career change : what did you change to and from, and do you have any advice for someone thinking of doing the same?
