If you changed careers in your 50's...

[Floofydawg]

How easy was it and what do you now do?

Feeling like I can't keep up in my current career. Office politics are driving me up the wall. But it's all I've done all my life. Looking for inspiration from others.

I did. I was a Nurse for 30 years but ended up burnt out, fed up of doing nights/ weekends etc. My mental health was really struggling with the anxiety of it all. I did a gradual change to a new career. I had spent all my Nursing days in Oncology and palliative care. I had an interest in benefits advice work and somehow managed to be offered a 3 day a week job with Citizens advice. It was scary doing something completely different, I had never worked in an office before, struggled with even basic computer stuff etc but self taught myself most of the benefits advice. I used my nursing skills to help people with disability benefit forms. I also managed to persuade my Nursing manager to keep me on 2 days a week and be flexible with shifts to fit around the advice work job, so continues to work full time between 2 jobs. Over time I found a full time advice job. I am now just about to start a much better paid disability advisor job which will pay more than full time Nursing would. It has taken me five years of much lower pay to get here though. My current career is much less stress, regular hours etc and I hope it is something I can continue doing until retirement.