Personal experience taught me that hitting the 50’s age mark is a sort of threshold, fed by many “scientific studies” that are less scientific. I was no exception when I got to my 50’s age mark. I refused to celebrate my birthday even though family and friends surprised me on the day.
One of my older friends comforted me by telling me I don’t need to worry because I’ve only hit “the first 50 years of my life”. Another, a bit funnier friend, told me “from now on, if I wake up one morning without any pain in my body, it means I have died”… Brrrrrr…
I started to analyse my life a bit more careful and I realised that a change in my professional activities would be not only interesting, rather necessary, and the idea that “I am too old” should be completely eliminated from my mind-set. The challenge was to make this change in a totally different place than the one I lived for 50 years. This is how I ended up moving to Australia, where I’ve setup a company that offers professional development training courses and international certifications, mostly based on my professional experience and skills.
This way I have met extraordinary individuals. Some of them I have thought what I knew best, but from most of them, I am the one who has learned a lot. This was the best remedy for my 50’s age threshold problem.
Therefore, is it too late to change your career if you are 50 years old?
Many people are encouraging, but many more, especially from the recruitment industry, inexplicably ignore the over 50s age group potential, in a context where everyone complains of a lack of qualified, experienced workforce, in a particular industry. Let’s consider a real-life example. My Melbourne company has a permanent job advertisement on its website, looking for trainers and consultants. The company is offering to potential candidates, professional development and support to obtain the necessary professional certifications to work in the industry.
I understand that not everyone is cut to become a consultant or a trainer, but I am convinced that a person with more than 20 years’ experience in the food industry, for example, could become an excellent consultant and auditor for Food Safety Management System (FSMS) based on ISO 22000 international standard.
The whole theory provided by the requirements of the ISO 22000 family of International Standards what addresses food safety management, will be excellently complemented by this person’s professional experience.
Employers really need this type of employees and it really works. In my opinion, a person over 50 needs passion and ambition in order to make it work and make this change.
What are the reasons you would need in order to change your career?
I found this excellent article I recommend “The complete guide to career change after 50” published on www.learnhowtobecome.org. I agree with most of the reasons the article recommends and I would like to share them with you:
To Reduce Stress
One of the major reasons people change careers is that they are tired of working in a stressful environment. Even if a career has a number of benefits – paid time off, medical care, high salary – there comes a point when the amount of stress they live with is not worth the benefits.
To Learn Something New
No matter how exciting it is at first, any career can get boring after years of service…Many people leave successful, established careers because their line of work does not excite them anymore. Instead, they turn to new careers that offer them opportunities to learn new information, perform new tasks, have new experiences, and interact with others in different ways.
To Follow Their Passion
Sometimes the desire to make money or to live a more stable life can keep a person from following their passion earlier in life. Many 50-and-over career changers decide that there is more to life than making money and a stable living.
For a Change of Pace
Another major reason that people 50 and over decide to change careers is that they are tired of the frantic pace of their work. Even if the work is fulfilling, the tasks exciting, and the money and benefits agreeable, they decide that they would rather live life at a calmer, more peaceful pace.
Over-qualification worries
I noticed some of my trainees are worried recruiters will avoid interviewing an over-qualified person. I struggle to help them overcome this worry and make them understand this is a sign of resistance to change.
It is possible some recruiters are afraid an over-qualified person will ask for higher wages, but I believe it is his responsibility to convince a person over 50 years old to participate in an open discussion.
I recommend over 50s to see an interview as an opportunity to inform the employer how their experience can benefit their company if hired. “Use your experience and wisdom to explain how you can help an employer or hiring manager achieve their goals. That’s a real value that older workers possess.”– Steven Lindner, The WorkPlace Group.
Over-qualified candidates that are new in their field should adapt to the new context starting with adjusting their CV having the new position they are competing for in mind. They should use their over qualification to their advantage rather then seeing it as an obstacle in their relationship with the recruiter. Personally, I recommend the use of LinkedIn due to the millions of positions that are advertised on the platform. LinkedIn is also a perfect place to build your professional network and display your “personal brand”.
Myths about changing your career after the age of 50 years old
Employers don’t want to hire people over 50.
Myth Debunked: Experience matters. Older workers have good leadership skills and a strong work ethic, they’re focused and loyal, and they have strong networks.
You won’t be able to keep up with the younger employees’ technology prowess.
Myth Debunked: Getting to know a new technology can be overwhelming, but if you digest the info in small chunks, it may become clear that the new technology is not that different from what you did previously.
It’s too late to learn a new trade.
Myth Debunked: You already have a lot more of the skills you’ll need in your new career than you may think. Reviewing the list of crossover skills can be a great way to boost confidence as you set out to learn whatever remaining skills you need to conquer.
I end this whole story with a quote Maya Angelou’s that I really like: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour, and some style.”
Live, be Happy and Dream!
Sources:
“The complete guide to career change after 50“, Learn How To Become
“How to land a great job when you are over 50“, by Julie Halpert
Author: Ion Iordache
Ion Iordache is the Training and Development Manager, Founding Partner of iQuality Services Pty. Ltd. from Melbourne, Australia. He is a security consultant, and a professional trainer in adult education, as well as a lead auditor and lead implementer in many management systems with over 20 years of professional experience.