How many times have you thought you’re too old to change career? Starting over at 50 may seem unrealistic; however, there are tons of successful examples of a midlife career change and here’s why: while young generation is too busy struggling with self-identity crisis and desperately tries to find out what they want to do in their life, you’ve already done the entire work. Moreover, you are perfectly aware of your strengths and weaknesses, know how to be grateful and possess the most valuable assets only people of your age have – wisdom and experience. So don’t you dare to write yourself off, it is time for you to show there’s still some fuel in the tank. Hold on, you, spring chickens, Baby Boomers are coming!
Be Open-Minded
No matter how old you are, it’s all about your personality. Being able to gain new knowledge makes it easier to train for a new career or define the best industry to start a business. By the way, a study by the Founder Institute reports that 55 and 65-year-olds possess more innovation potential than young people at 25.
“The amount of job switchers over 50 has grown significantly over the past few years. People are ready to retrain for a new career and apply for entry-level positions breaking the social stereotype of hiring ages.” – says Johanna Smith, a career advisor at resume writing service.
Nowadays, there are plenty of inspiring examples of successful people who started late:
- an entrepreneur who started with nothing
- a middle-aged businessman
- 79-year-old salsa dancer
- a newborn singer of 57
You can become one of those inspiring people and make others believe that employment opportunities for seniors are not limited. People who made a difference in the world cannot be judged by age!
Learn From Your Grandchildren
I bet your grandkids can share some pretty interesting stuff with you. They are growing up in a rapidly changing environment that makes their brain agiler; they are able to process tones of information in a surprisingly short period of time. Those kids are smart, ambitious and very individualistic. So take advantage of it! They will help you create a LinkedIn profile, show how to upload videos on YouTube and teach some freaky vocabulary. As a result, you will gain a more clear understanding of what is in demand in today’s world and monitor possible careers. Plus, you will earn some extra points from the youths. Not bad, ha?
Go FYI (Facebook, YouTube, Instagram)
Advances in technology are constantly changing how people work and conduct business. In fact, according to Facebook statistics, 63% of online users are between the age of 50-64, that means that elderly people remain actively involved in today’s social media era.
If you’ve already mastered Facebook, bring your social media skills to the next level and start your own YouTube channel. You can share the career tricks you learned through the years, or teach the young professionals how to make the real cash, pass on household life hacks, or demonstrate your newly designed fashion collection – the point is to be fun and show your modern approach proving employers who don’t want to hire seniors that they are making a big mistake!
Instagram is not so popular among people over 50 and covers only 18% of users, so go for it! Share family pictures or show your beauty of a nonprofessional model; make a short video how to cook homemade lasagna or how one can do yoga, capture the beauty of the world and you will be surprised by how many people applaud your energy and desire to live to the fullest.
Besides, if your page or channel gain popularity, your hobby may turn into a great side hustle!
Create a Community
Being a part of a community helps you to express yourself better. You receive support from like-minded people and start feeling more confident and empowered. Social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter allow you to reach out to a large number of people and set a great example of proactivity, which will ultimately catch the recruiter’s eye. Increase your chances to stand out and prove that older workers are second to none.
Why So Sirius? Have Fun!
Best jobs for older workers are those that prove wisdom and experience combined with a positive attitude and open-mildness. If you’re still hesitating and keep on asking yourself whether second careers for Baby Boomers exist the answer is “Yes” – you may become an expert and write a blog, gain popularity on YouTube or Instagram by demonstrating your skills or mentor kids how to make furniture. Embrace your age, take it as an advantage and remember these famous old people who have succeeded in life claim that the journey should become a pleasure.
Don’t be afraid to try something new and unconventional, follow the trend of youth and show who’s the true master in this game!