| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? 11:34 - Nov 7 with 1512 views | tetchris |
Would welcome any advice |  | | |  |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 11:52 - Nov 7 with 1456 views | Churchman |
I was 44 when I joined my last employer (HMG), so no. However, I’d moved jobs before that and it got more difficult the older I got. Ageism is rife.
However, it depends on experience, skill set, demand for what you can do, flexibility, understanding what you do well and a bit of confidence. And I believe it is do-able.
If one is unhappy in work, do something about it if you can. If you get made redundant (been there), view it as their loss and an opportunity.
Age should not be a showstopper. You are never too old to learn and try things.
Not much help I’m afraid. Just thoughts. |  | | |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:19 - Nov 7 with 1390 views | giant_stow |
I was hoping you'd get some more answers!
All I can say is that I blew one chance recently to do this (provided by a kindly poster on here) because I didn't have my act together on various things. (sorry to that person, if you're reading - I appreciate what you offered hugely).
Personally, I'm thinking along the lines of self-employed x - not sure what x will be yet (!), but I think I'm pretty much unemployable, so will have to make my own living.
Not much help to you sadly. |  |
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:20 - Nov 7 with 1386 views | TIB |
Not sure how much help it will be but I did a career change my mid 30’s.
I got made redundant from teaching in a mental health hospital during the pandemic, pursued things with Away Days following this but realised I needed a backup if that didn’t pan out.
I didn’t want to continue a career in education or mental health, for reasons we’re seeing all over the news today, so I decided if I was going to career change, I needed to accept I’d be taking a pay cut to start and would have to start from the bottom rung again and do some distance learning.
Four years later to today and I have fully changed career to work in aviation. I did a years studying online with IATA, then my first post in aviation working alongside the RAF as an aircraft handler, an entry level post but it was a foot in the door and provided some real world experience and further learning which proved invaluable. 12 months in that post, before now being a Flight Ops Supervisor for a private aviation firm where I’ve been for 18 months.
It’s not been easy or conventional, especially as I became a dad during this period too, but these things I don’t think ever are. Take some time, work out what you want to do, understand what opportunities for that career are within reach location wise and then plan out feasible routes to transition ie courses to equip you for the posts, transferable skills from current career, reach out to companies and request opportunities to visit and explain your goals.
Best of luck with it though, you only live once. I’ve always been an aviation geek, but never really viewed it as a career, I just fell into a teaching job and it paid bills. Now though, couldn’t be happier and glad I undertook the change. |  |
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:22 - Nov 7 with 1367 views | MrPotatoHead |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:19 - Nov 7 by giant_stow |
I was hoping you'd get some more answers!
All I can say is that I blew one chance recently to do this (provided by a kindly poster on here) because I didn't have my act together on various things. (sorry to that person, if you're reading - I appreciate what you offered hugely).
Personally, I'm thinking along the lines of self-employed x - not sure what x will be yet (!), but I think I'm pretty much unemployable, so will have to make my own living.
Not much help to you sadly. |
I've told you before not to wear that cap to interviews but you won't listen. |  | | |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:28 - Nov 7 with 1337 views | MrBeckinsale |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:22 - Nov 7 by MrPotatoHead |
I've told you before not to wear that cap to interviews but you won't listen. |
Rich, coming from a potato head. | | | |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:32 - Nov 7 with 1331 views | Wallingford_Boy |
Yes.
After 30 years in the corporate world (sales) I now help run a garden design company.
Fresh air, working with nature, lovely clients and lovely colleagues.
Less cash, but that's not everything. |  |
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:35 - Nov 7 with 1314 views | CrayonKing |
if you've got a degree then a Masters might be an option. I did a 1-year MSc in my 40s as a way of retraining and getting back in to the "real-world" after 20 years of self-employment and more-recently caring responsibilities |  | | |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:57 - Nov 7 with 1243 views | BrayBlue |
Sent you a private message.
Cheers,
JK | | | |
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 13:22 - Nov 7 with 1165 views | Illinoisblue |
A couple of years ago switched from a life of marketing/sales and project management roles to working in local govt helping non profits apply for grants. Less money but now immeasurably happier. Less stress, no sales VPs calling on Sunday nights asking what deals would be closing this week, no snarky emails from managers stating when flying to a client meeting you should have laptop on in the air and be working. Yeah, don’t miss any of that! [Post edited 7 Nov 13:23]
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 13:45 - Nov 7 with 1062 views | Churchman |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:20 - Nov 7 by TIB |
Not sure how much help it will be but I did a career change my mid 30’s.
I got made redundant from teaching in a mental health hospital during the pandemic, pursued things with Away Days following this but realised I needed a backup if that didn’t pan out.
I didn’t want to continue a career in education or mental health, for reasons we’re seeing all over the news today, so I decided if I was going to career change, I needed to accept I’d be taking a pay cut to start and would have to start from the bottom rung again and do some distance learning.
Four years later to today and I have fully changed career to work in aviation. I did a years studying online with IATA, then my first post in aviation working alongside the RAF as an aircraft handler, an entry level post but it was a foot in the door and provided some real world experience and further learning which proved invaluable. 12 months in that post, before now being a Flight Ops Supervisor for a private aviation firm where I’ve been for 18 months.
It’s not been easy or conventional, especially as I became a dad during this period too, but these things I don’t think ever are. Take some time, work out what you want to do, understand what opportunities for that career are within reach location wise and then plan out feasible routes to transition ie courses to equip you for the posts, transferable skills from current career, reach out to companies and request opportunities to visit and explain your goals.
Best of luck with it though, you only live once. I’ve always been an aviation geek, but never really viewed it as a career, I just fell into a teaching job and it paid bills. Now though, couldn’t be happier and glad I undertook the change. |
That’s absolutely brilliant! Well done. I too am an aviation nut (I was boring my friend to tears at Hendon RAF museum this week). I wish I’d had the breadth of thought or imagination to have tried that 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 | | | |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 13:46 - Nov 7 with 1054 views | Pippin1970 |
I have joined farm. Love it early hours but home early. Did mental health work and schools for yrs before that | | | |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 14:46 - Nov 7 with 933 views | Pendejo |
Yes, but not sure what advice I can give, other than to believe in yourself & your abilities whatever happens, if the person that employed you saw something in you they liked them you are there on merit.
I was 51 when COVID exploded onto the planet and working as an Ops Manager in Ground Passenger Transportation (aka Chauffeuring or posh mini cabs) a profitable company but heavily airline & passenger based. Our owners, a proper mini cab company, didn't really understand our ethos, so took the opportunity to close us down (it's a longer winded story than that, but hey... It's lunchtime)
So after furlough, gardening leave & redundancy I had taken a year out from work (though remained active as a volunteer) & it was time to go back to work.
In the end I had 3 options;-
1. BTP as a Constable
2. Temp Ops Manager job for a Chauffeur company covering a major inter Government event in Devon or Cornwall
3. Fleet & Licensing Manager in a business that had some cross over with my old job
I took option 3.
1. Wrong side of 50, but got quite fit training for it
2. Only a temp job
3. Permanent job, & the most enjoyable interview ever
The problem with 3 was that I came in as the Manager of one of the failed applicants, a part time bouncer, who works on "Britains Strongest Man" and is 6ft 5, 25 stone and moody as feck.
He proceeded to try to undermine me from day one and he was a long term colleague of another one of those who reported to me, who he co-opted into "operation underminer"
I was on the receiving end of a shed load of sniping, and along came another Chauffeur Company that had risen out of the ashes of my old employer (same personnel, different owner, different name) and they approached me to join them, very tempting. Given the sh1t I was receiving I was off.
BUT
As part of the undermining I was called into a meeting with the MD & HoO and asked to make a presentation; something I consider that I'm pretty good at. This went exceptionally well (pay rise), given it was as a result of sniping. I can also be belligerent myself, so thought to myself, the only way to win this is to do as good a job as possible and make sure I did more than what was asked of me.
We're now a few years down the line, I'm still here, they're gone. Ultimately by sniping at me & trying to undermine me, they brought focus on themselves and their competencies. Possibly the final nail in their coffins came when we moved office and discovered almost 100 spare keys for vehicles we had returned to lease companies and will have been charged for replacements, at a cost of £??, thousands, probably tens of thousands.
So yes I consider that I have successfully changed careers in my 50s.
Hope that helps |  |
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 15:03 - Nov 7 with 895 views | stickymockwell |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 12:19 - Nov 7 by giant_stow |
I was hoping you'd get some more answers!
All I can say is that I blew one chance recently to do this (provided by a kindly poster on here) because I didn't have my act together on various things. (sorry to that person, if you're reading - I appreciate what you offered hugely).
Personally, I'm thinking along the lines of self-employed x - not sure what x will be yet (!), but I think I'm pretty much unemployable, so will have to make my own living.
Not much help to you sadly. |
Being self employed is the best! Just be prepared for tough beginings. You wont make much money to begin with whatever field you go into.
Its never been easier to be self employed though. To advertise your services or profucts and actually be seen is incredible now. It just takes time to build. |  |
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 17:23 - Nov 7 with 786 views | Juggsy |
I did at 48, although it was my Military Career that ended so it was a huge jump. Went from Air Surveillance to driving trains, fairly brutal process at that age! All good now though :) |  | | |
| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? (n/t) on 20:03 - Nov 7 with 635 views | Epiphone |
Mid 50s I switched from self-employed property professional to working for the library service-should have done it years earlier!! [Post edited 7 Nov 20:04]
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 20:36 - Nov 7 with 570 views | Kropotkin123 |
No, but I'm a recruiter and can give you my opinion from the other side. I think a lot of assumptions are made around when people pivoting careers later on.
I assume people will stay at our company for ~5 years, as that is our average. Therefore, changing careers at 50 is not something that is a concern in terms of a time limitation.
Career changes can mean complete or partial resets. If someone is a Mechanical Test Engineer and they want to become an Applications Engineer (another mechanical role), they should have a similiar qualification to draw upon, but to be able to switch into it a similar wage expectation is highly unlikely, because they are not executing that skill in the same way and will likely do that to a lesser standard.
As a generalisation, older candidates switching roles are not prepared to lower their wage expectation to their market value. This is often due to reasons external to me - mortgage, bills, standard of living, etc.
Those that do switch with knowledge can rapidly regain lost wages, as they have learnt to effectively grow their value and offer cross-functional value. But this isn't a guarentee, and may be less likely in other companies.
Those that don't switch with relevant knowledge are often sold a dream. eg, switch to being a Software Developer - take a coding course for 3 -12 months. Often they are woefully illequipped to do the role they are applying for compared to people with experience, or even graduates who have 3-4 years of learning behind them. Even if you could grow more rapidly, the starting point is too unproven, compared to other bets. But the person applying doesn't see this, they see "I have transferrable experience and a qualification". I think I had 800 people apply for my last software role. For context, that's 4 times more than the size of the company.
So:
- From what to what?
- Are you prepared to take the realistic hit to income?
- Can you realistically compete in your chosen pivot? [Post edited 7 Nov 20:40]
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| Has anyone successfully changed careers in their early 50’s? on 20:43 - Nov 7 with 556 views | SmithersJones |
Yes. Long career in senior corporate HR then got made redundant a couple of years ago aged 56. Retrained as a plumber (full time City and Guilds for a year) and now set up my own business. A couple of people on here gave me some very helpful guidance in doing this. Happy to share more details and thoughts if you want to DM me, but in short I’m very glad I made the shift. | | | |
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