Are you too old to change career?

 

This is a question I’m asked regularly. I’m 40, or 50 or even 60. Am I too old to change career? 

 

Well, the short answer is no, it’s never too late. And in this episode, I’ll explain why and what you can do about it.

Hello and a very warm welcome to Episode No 47 of ‘Your Bravo Career’

 

My name is Mark Crossfield, I’m a Professional Career Coach / helping you to love your job and build a great career.  

 

How you can enjoy what you are doing day each day at work

and how to build a great career along the way.

 

 

So, in today’s episode, I’m going to focus on the concern that many of us have about changing careers in our 40s, 50s or even 60s.

 

Am I too old?

 

Or,

 

Is it too late for me?

 

Maybe you’re wondering whether you’ve left it too late to change career and try something new. Or you think it’s too late to start your own company and make that big leap?

 

You’ve heard the ageist stories about individuals in their 40s, 50s and 60s being overlooked for jobs – supposedly because of their age.

 

Maybe you worry that you will leave behind all your knowledge and skills, and you will have to retrain or re-educate yourself.

 

Or,

 

Maybe you are worried what other people will think? For many, our jobs and careers have become our identity and therefore changing careers can challenge that identity.

 

So, given these wonderings, it’s understandable that you’re cautious in your thinking about a late-stage career change.

 

My job today is to convince you that, whilst all those worries are understandable, they needn’t be reasons for you not to change your career.

 

I hope that by the end of this episode that I will have persuaded you to think differently about a later stage career change.

 

That actually, it can be easier to change your career in your 40s, 50s and even 60s. Even if it doesn’t seem like that will be the case.

 

Ok, so where to begin.

 

Let’s for a moment, put the age issue to one side and just think about the reasons you might be thinking about a career change.

 

Maybe you hate your job, or you’re bored in your work, or you want a challenge. And perhaps you’ve heard that others have jobs that they love. Lucky them.

 

Maybe you would like to move towards a job and career that you will love, that will give you enjoyment and satisfaction.

 

•          Because, you know, enjoying your job is important, you’re going to be spending a long time at work

•          And, when you enjoy your job you’re much more likely to be successful

•          You will have better health, including mental health

 

•          And you will have a more positive impact on those around you, family and friends for example

 

So, enjoying work and having a satisfying career is vitally important.

 

And guess what …

 

It’s vitally important whatever age you are …

 

When does it ever become ok to hate your work, or be bored, or feel the dread of Monday mornings? When you are 45? 50? 60?

 

Should we resign ourselves to careers that fizzle out towards the end, as we tiptoe towards retirement?

 

And, whilst we are talking about retirement it might be worth thinking, right now, about what age you expect to retire. Is it 60, 65, 70, 75?

 

What is that age for you?

 

Ok, have you thought of what age that will be.

 

So, do this calculation now.

 

Estimate your retirement age, the number you have just thought of, and subtract your current age.

 

Estimate your proposed retirement age and subcontract your current age.

 

That calculation gives you the number of working years you have left.

 

For most of us that will be a pretty big number. 20, 15, 10 or even 5 years.

 

How do you want those years to be? Those years where you will spend most of your time at work.

 

You probably don’t want to feel stuck in a job or career you don’t enjoy.

 

As you arrive in your 40s, 50s and beyond, when you might be upgrading other parts of your life – where you live, your lifestyle etc, why would you put up with work that’s not enjoyable?

 

Think about that for a minute.

 

If other parts of your life are being upgraded, why put up with a job that you don’t enjoy?

 

Being miserable at work at any age just isn’t acceptable.

And that’s the motivation for wanting to change whatever age you are.

 

Remember it’s ok to want something different from your career than you wanted earlier. What we want and our values change as we get older. 

 

It’s perfectly natural to want something different. In fact, it’s unnatural not to want to change as your progress beyond the middle part of your career.

 

Here’s a phrase that struck a chord with me:

 

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that making a change is a trivial undertaking, something to think about briefly and launch into.

To make a career change at any stage in your life can mean some element of challenge. 

 

It takes time to find out what you want next and there are some steps to follow. But, is it doable? Of course

 

Also, it can mean having a reduction in income, depending on what you choose to do? Will this be permanent? It needn’t be!

 

And it also means that you often need to zig in order to zag, there’s an element of repositioning that goes on to get where you need to be.

 

Does this last forever? No, and it’s a natural part of making a change where readjustment is needed.

 

So, don’t worry about whether you’re too old or whether it’s too late to change.

Especially if you’re not enjoying your job or career.

 

Instead think about the years ahead and what you want them to be about.

 

 

I’ve had the privilege of coaching clients in their 40s, 50s and 60s to look at new career options and fresh horizons and support them in making a leap to a new job or career.

 

And, some of those clients worry, at first, that they have all this education, these qualifications and experience related to a certain industry or sector. They think at first that this is all going to be wasted.

 

But, the thing is, that you are never starting from the beginning.

 

And, I’ll explain why …

 

When I work with clients we determine their strengths, particularly their transferable skills. And we go deeper to determine which of these skills they would like to use in a new job or career. 

 

These are called ‘motivated skills’ by the way. The skills you are good at and would like to use in your work.

 

Creating new options around these motivated skills means that the transition into a new job or career is easier AND it is much more likely that you will enjoy the new role.

 

You are, after all, using the skills you are both very good at and also enjoy using.

 

Couple that with a career that aligns with your interests and also matches your values …

 

Bingo!

 

That’s how you find a career you will love!

 

 

I changed career in my fifties. I went from working in civil engineering / local authority management to a job as a career coach.

 

And, it was the best thing I ever did …

 

So, this is your opportunity to make a decision based on what you want your future to be, not based on what you’ve done in the past. 

 

What would your wise future-self advise you do?

 

I like this question. Of course, it taps into your wisdom right now.

 

And you know, right now, if you can quieten down the mental gremlins, you will see that you have lots of life left to give to your chosen work or career.

 

And life is worth living and this also means doing work and having a career that is enjoyable, satisfying, fun. 

 

One that makes you happy and that you look forward to.

Why wouldn’t that be something you can have?

 

So, it’s not about whether you are too old, it’s about how you want to spend the rest of your life from this moment onwards.

 

You might recall, way back in Episode 1 of this podcast, I talked about Mindset.

 

And if you do you’ll remember the Possibility Mindset.

 

And the importance of adopting a Possibility Mindset rather than feeling limited or stuck in your career. 

 

To see that a better, more enjoyable opportunity is possible for you is vital. And it goes a long way to pushing through the transitions in your career that often hold us back.

 

Think of this. If you are stuck and unsure in your career right now, one of the reasons is probably that you have an unconscious mindset that change isn’t possible for you.

 

But it is! Whatever your age.

 

Trust me on this one.

 

First,

 

Ask yourself - is what I am seeking possible for other people? Is it possible that other people could make the changes that I want?

 

So, for example, if I’m looking for a new career but I’m 50? Have other people done this, have they achieved such a leap?

 

And, of course the answer is yes.

 

Next, can you see that if it’s possible for somebody else then it’s possible for you? You don’t need to know the ‘how’ yet, but just be open to the idea that if somebody else can do it, so can you.

 

Once you realise that it is possible for you, you can nurture this Possibility Mindset.

 

This will help move you towards what you are seeking in your career.

 

Mindset is everything.

 

And remember, 

 

This quote, attributable to Henry Ford, emphasises just how much your mindset determines success or failure.

 

Believing in yourself is important:

 

-       It creates the right mindset, the mindset of possibility

-       It provides you with the motivation to make a change

-       If helps your brain to spot opportunities and,

-       It increases self confidence

 

So, with the right mindset you can be set to change career at any age.

 

But wait, before we finish, I just want to address the elephant in the room.

 

And that’s the fear of making that change.

 

Let’s briefly deal with that as well ..

 

Because,

 

When you start to think about what's possible for you in your career, fear becomes one of the things that 'blocks' your progress in getting started.

 

When we think about making a change we:

 

-           Fear a perceived lack of confidence

-           We dread the inevitable process of change that will be required

-           We worry about our financial situation, and

-           We might fear meeting new people / saying goodbye to work colleagues

 

What I've found is, almost all of these worries and concerns dissipate when you get started. 

 

That’s because, they are vacuous thoughts that are not a good predictor of how things are likely to go.

 

Have you ever been invited to a party and not wanted to go? But you went anyway, and you had a great time.

 

The fact you didn't want to go wasn't a predictor as to whether you would enjoy the party.

 

And, it's the same with your career change. 

 

So, you can set aside the worries you have before you start because most aren't going to show up on your career change journey, which reminds me of the quote by Mark Twain.

 

I've had a lot of worries in my life, most of which never happened 

 

One of the biggest reasons people don't get started in their career change is that they wait until they have settled on a destination before taking the first steps.  

 

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way; you need to take action first to understand yourself better and then move towards options that seem like they will be a good match for you. 

 

Taking action in pursuit of a better career is vital.

 

And now § can take action …

 

 

And, remember …

 

I hope you enjoyed the show.

  

You can email me at mark@bravocoaching.co.uk and you can find the show notes at bravocoaching.co.uk/podcast.

 

If you haven’t already subscribed, why not do that now. 

 

That way you won’t miss the next episode.

  

Have a wonderful week and I will speak to you again in a couple of weeks time.

 

Bye for now.