Changing careers after age 50 can be challenging. But older workers who no longer find their jobs full-filling should not be harsh on themselves.
People are working and living longer now. Someone who is approaching their 50s may have 10-20 more years ahead until they finally retire.
So, in many situations, changing careers after age 50 makes a lot of sense.
It’s often the added pressure of growing responsibilities at the age of 50 that acts as the biggest hindrance, keeping a person from making a career change. Mortgages, children, school fees, and car payments are a reality for many at the age of 50.
While these responsibilities may scare a person from making a career at this point in life, it shouldn’t hold them back from pursuing their passion.
Apart from financial freedom, all you require is the confidence to make the transition.
Confidence does not come from being arrogant, but from the desire to enter a new industry and learn more. What is most important is overcoming doubts.
This can be accomplished by working on your confidence and jumping when it feels too scary to jump. Below are the top reasons to change careers after age 50.
More self-awareness once you turn 50
According to career-switching expert Cynthia Corsetti, after 50, people are more aware of how their ideal careers should look. She believes that you can do something you have always wanted to by changing careers after age 50.
She further explains how kids at the age of 19 and 20 make bad career choices and remain in the same career until they turn 30, making them feel that life has no purpose. They are neither energized nor full-filled. They are stuck.
You are in a dead-end job
It can be tough to bounce back from a job that you are on the verge of losing. It is better to prepare for a new job than dreading a lay-off in a declining industry. If stuck in a dead-end job, preparing for a new one ultimately makes sense.
Older workers can take up some extra training or classes to upgrade their skills. Once completed, you can add the resulting certificate to your resume along with the newly learned skills.
Beyond that, take the trouble to create a cover letter. In addition to your qualifications, it can explain your reasons for changing careers and your motivation to join the chosen company.
If you need compelling cover letter examples, GetCoverLetter.com comes in handy. These steps will help you enter into a field that will keep you professionally relevant over the long term.
You have better networks to change your careers after age 50
One of the most significant advantages you have after hitting 50 is that you have worked in a profession for a number of decades. It allows you to build a network of strong professionals.
When changing careers, the ease and ability to reach out to others is valuable and should not be underestimated. People changing careers after 50 should write about the type of job they are looking for and share it with their professional contacts and family members.
You can exploit your past successes
Older employees have a list of achievements they can show to their prospective employers. They can give examples of their former clientele or ways they have helped their former workplace achieve profits. People changing careers after age 50 stand a better chance of landing the jobs they want.
Carlota Zimmerman, a New-York based career coach, urges people to highlight their achievements while applying for the desired job. Rather than hiding your age, the focus should be more on pin-pointing achievements that increase success chances.
They understand that age is just a number
People are often too scared to change careers at age 50 because they believe they are too old to master a new profession. However, research shows that many people have successfully transitioned into a new career after 50. There are many examples of people starting a successful career later in life.
Louise Hay wrote her first book after turning 50, and Hay House is one of the biggest publishing houses. Another Entrepreneur, Harland David Sanders, also known as Colonel Sanders, didn’t find any luck with his Kentucky Fried Chicken until the age of 60.
It is never too late to follow your passion
By the time you turn 50, you have enough money saved to start a business, go back to school, or learn a new skill.
If your children have finished schooling and you have no more extra expenditures to plan for, you may have enough funds to chase your dreams or take up a job you have always been passionate about. At the age of 50, a person is in a state to do something meaningful for themselves.
You can be your best boss ever
People who have worked under strict bosses for decades enjoy working for themselves as per their own terms and conditions. They can choose their own working hours and decide on their own tasks.
People over 50 have access to several self-employment opportunities. And even though they may not enjoy all the benefits of their previous occupation, they can choose their hours and clients. They just need to ensure that they choose a profession that best matches their skills and experience.
Once you hit your 50s, self-employment can give you a transformed sense of purpose and the flexibility to set your own schedule.
No longer feeling passionate or challenge about your career
It is okay to feel less passionate about a career or a field to which you gave your whole life. That which sounded exciting and fresh at a very young age may feel mentally draining or less exciting when you reach your 50s.
This can occur when you follow the same routine for 10 years or more. The need to rush through tight deadlines, meet quotas, work long hours, and worry about job security can negatively affect your mental and physical health.
As per an American survey, most older Americans regret not chasing their dreams while in high school. Luckily, it is never too late to pursue your life’s passion even at the age of 50.
Joy
The biggest benefit of changing careers at the age of 50 is a sense of joy. The best part about approaching 50 is exploring your true passion – going to work and not feel like work. When you do this, it is like starting a new chapter.
You are as excited as when you started your first job. You once again wake up and look forward to the rest of the day. By 50, you have probably been in the workforce for more than 30 years, which means you are not an alien to the labor scheme.
All you need is the confidence to step out of your comfort zone to start your new career.
Promoted
