Career change?

[FizzlingOut]

I fell into a rather niche career aged 22 that I have never been passionate about (not STEM based). 15 years ago I gained a promotion but gaining the next promotion would mean uprooting a family so I tried but as the children grew older, it became harder to make that move. Looking back it was never a great job - no training, learn on the job/ teach yourself role - and I've never really gone back to the office since covid. I used to be involved in projects, working corporately, training etc. Now it's more short term, ad hoc work with no chance of building relationships.

I really miss working with people. I've always volunteered somewhere but recently took on a role which involved building and promoting a team which I really enjoyed and showed me that i still have many skills. My DD (18) is neurodiverse which interests me as do relationships and interactions between people.

But I'm 53. I can't sit in this job/career until I retire (or, more likely, die of boredom). Where do I start to find a new career? What could be realistic given my age?

Could you do a degree (or other qualification) in Psychology?

It sounds like it would be of great interest to you and will keep your brain busy while you look towards a new career.

If you’re interested in relationships, neurodiversity and how people interact you could look into roles like support work, community outreach or even training in those areas. Maybe you'd like supporting SEN kids in the local area?

As NuffSaidSam suggested, I think a psychology degree would really interest you. Perhaps do some research into the careers in psychology that you might enjoy.

You might like to work in HR as that involves people interactions or maybe as a project manager also.

It's easy to think it's too late to change careers but it's really not, in fact a lot of employers prefer people who have gained their skills through lots of experience rather than just education.