Making a Career Change at 50 and Over

Words that make me want to bop sensible people upside the head, “I’m too old to make a change”.  As if the words of wisdom suddenly don’t apply to those over 50!  The famous quote, “those who think they can and those who think they can’t, are both right”.  Why don’t these words apply to them?  Did they forget this?

Col. Sanders was 65 before he created Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Laura Ingalls Wilder was 65 before she wrote her first novel that created the TV show Little House on the Prairie.

Ronald Reagan was 55 before he held his first public office.  Yes, these are examples of famous people.

I have many clients and associates who have switched their careers in their 40’s, 50’s, and 60”s.  Not one of them regrets it and some have even changed careers again!  Search the Internet and you will find many, many stories of everyday people who changed their careers later in life with much success and happiness because they took action.

Don’t be afraid of career change

Why do so many people believe if you go to school to become a doctor, lawyer, or teacher that you must do that profession for the rest of your life?  If you love it, that’s wonderful!  If you have become bored doing the same career year after year, then you must make a change!

If your passion in your 20s was to become a doctor, lawyer, teacher, or any other great profession, that’s fantastic!  If your passion changed as you have grown and experience new things, that’s just as exciting!  Passions can change and you can have more than one. This doesn’t mean you have to settle for less if you want to try something new.  Yes, you can love what you do and make great money too!  Remember, if you think you can, you will!

If you’re considering a career change, I absolutely recommend the following:

Have a plan of action with daily steps to reach your goals

Set timelines to accomplish your goals.  A plan without a timeline is just a wish.

In your plan of action one of your action steps must be to take time to discover what you would like to do next.  Yes, taking time to figure out what you want to do next is part of the plan, unless you already have the answer.  Either way you must take action!

Part of your plan must include taking on some meaningful activities such as taking a class in something you’re interested in learning, join one or two networking groups, and or volunteer.

Take at least one step every day towards your goal 

On those days where you’re feeling more motivated, take more steps.  However, every day you must take at least one step towards your goal.  Remember micro steps equal macro results!

Surround yourself with people who encourage and support you

Get the naysayers out of your life.  They will only drag you down.  Surrounding yourself with people who support you is a critical part of moving forward, whether that’s a family member, friend, mentor or Coach.

Get some help from a professional

Hiring a Life Coach to help you get the ball rolling will be the best investment you will ever make because it’s an investment in you!  Utilizing a Life Coach to help jump start your new and exciting next chapter will be time and resources well spent.  A Coach will move you through the process more efficiently while holding you accountable to your plan.

I encourage you to take time to search the Internet in reading stories of everyday people who transitioned into new careers later in life.  These people are much happier and in many cases earning more money.

A saying that is absolutely true in which I added my own words is, what’s worse than being stuck several years in a career you don’t love anymore, being stuck several years and one day in a career you don’t love anyone.  Make the change!  What are you waiting for!?