Career path detours later on in life

Whilst the idea of celebrating your 50^th birthday and having an up-coming retirement plan ready to be put into action seems only moments away, the reality now is that retirement is less likely to happen for another decade or two.

As state pension boundaries persistently rise, its thought many individuals will retire closer to the age of 80 rather than 50.  Reaching those oh-so sought-after twilight years might seem like a lifetime away when you consider this. But, in fact, it offers you a new opportunity.

In recent years, more people over the age of 50 are changing their jobs than ever before, according to John Lees book How to Get a Job You Love. Whether it be the boredom, fulfilment, stress, or the threat of pension age not being there to support them, the result is the same — new careers, when you wouldn’t quite expect them…

The opportunity of changing your career path further down the line has been made relatively easy to do, thanks to Higher education institutions such as Universities offering night classes and government funded courses. In this article we take a look at what is involved in changing your job in the latter stages of your professional life, what opportunities it presents, and the support on offer to you.

The all-important need to knows

As Mark Twain suggests: “choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”, hence why it is more crucial than ever you are in a career that is suitable for you and are enjoying every day of it.

Many people ask, “But I don’t know what I enjoy?” Well, now is a better time than ever to find out. Call upon the help of a careers advisor or a recruiter and embark on completing a self-assessment — this is the perfect way of determining what sort of person you are.

Helping categorise every individual into separate and defined boxes can be a difficult task to do. However, by carrying out such a task, a wide range of appropriate occupations will come to light, and ones which are irrelevant will become apparent.

What seemed like the perfect job for you in your 20s, doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right fit for you now. Roles which require a lengthy stint back in education, such as that of an architect or a doctor, could be counter-productive — although, if you feel as if you have the time and are willing to commit, as cliché as it is, there is nothing holding you back.

In addition, think of any knowledge and skills you have gained throughout your career and see whether they are transferrable to other job roles. This is the time to get your head into the books and learn what the new role involves. What will your everyday duties entail, what are you likely to earn, and most importantly, are there sufficient career prospects?

A new beginning 

Astonishingly, the average person will work 260 out of 365 days of the year.  Considering that you spend approximately eight hours of your day in work and however many hours commuting, if you’re working in a job you hate, you can often find yourself wishing away Monday to Friday. Before you know it, the week is over, and this vicious cycle repeats itself once again.

Ultimately, changing your every day 9-5 hours to something new will have a positive impact on your life as a whole. Someone who is happy in their job will have a better outlook and, ultimately, better mental health.

It is relatively uncommon to hear people boast about looking forward to their job every day, despite being an easy thing to do. Don’t get excited by the prospect of retirement, be enthralled at what lies ahead — the following day!

Financial support

The fundamental burden of financial expenses and time limitations can be something that discourages career changes. However, there are several ways this can be helped.

Now, a range of grants and bursaries are given specifically to adults learners from the government, helping people in later life re-educate themselves and take the next step in their professional career.

One of the ultimate determinants that prevent adults from taking the leap of re-education is children. Of course, a lot of looking after is needed.  These aforementioned bursaries also lend themselves to assisting with childcare costs.

To help take the difficulty out of applying for jobs, Zenith people are on hand.  A Newcastle recruitment agency, they use their experience to gather information on candidates and assign them to companies which match their profile.

By having a recruiter help you throughout the process allows you greater time to focus on learning more about the job itself and preparing for interviews.

 

Making bold career changes may have been deemed unwise in the past. Now, in 2020 with the various assistors in place, why not do what makes you happy?