when people advise you to just 'retrain'

[nuttybiscuit]

AIBU not to get it?
What is this legendary training and career goal that will materialise at the end of it, if you haven't already succeeded?

I see it a lot on advice threads, whenever someone is struggling - can you not retrain ? new career, etc.

Take my friend for example, has run a successful business for 20 years but has been hit hard by pandemic. She is still doing ok but not near enough to keep up her outgoings (rent, travel, materials, etc). She is stumped as to what to do but at 49 can't see what career she could go into now that would be very different to her old work (graphic design).

How easy is it really to do that, to just retrain altogether and get onto a completely different and good career path after 40?
Wouldn't it be better to take the already existing skills and try to branch out?

Is it realistic or are the ones advising it just full of bs?

Thank you, Samphire

^What sort of thing would you be looking at?

I didn't find it difficult. I just had to look wider than I first felt comfortable with. Once I did that I was quite surprised how, at 53, I could just get up and get on with it!^

I'm not saying it's impossible. Ageism does exist in the career world but it's not necessarily insurmountable. But that's just one more issue. The ageing process itself can present many challenges to add to the mix plus accumulation of consequences from previous events. People's life circumstances can very widely within the same age group. It's naive to think it can all just be overcome by persistence and positive thinking - it can't.

I think there are some roles more suited than others to retraining as well. Roles like retail can be really hard to move out of or find opportunities to develop. Not all companies are interested in training up their staff.
I have a professional qualification which means I do a certain role but it's specific and doesn't make any money (public sector) so it'd be difficult to find a way of setting up a business or moving into the corporate world, at least not without taking a significant paycut.
I know careers advisors always talk about transferable skills, any jobspec I look at seems to want very relevant experience ie doing the job before, I do wonder how many people get into new roles based on selling their transferable skills!

People's life circumstances can very widely within the same age group. It's naive to think it can all just be overcome by persistence and positive thinking - it can't.

I found the ageism didn't extend into every area and, once I had started to look at even the weirdest sounding of jobs, I could find areas where it just didn't seem to exist.

I suppose I am just trying to say that whilst it may seem insurmountable it doesn't have to be. That casting a broader net might help.

@LemonSwan

I think YABU sorry, because I suppose you might be right in some circumstances but in the case of the Graphic Designer - theres plenty of alternative options with a slight refocus.

For example I work in built environment - There are all these jobs I am looking to outsource as dont have the time to be fannying around and would be suited to a retrained/ tweaked graphic designer. I would like a draughtsman / CAD monkey to make drawings changes and reissue; I would also like someone who will do 3D renders, visualisations and potentially walk though models.

For my private clients I would like someone who can take a set of drawings and hand watercolour render them as a final 'thankyou' memory gift when the project is built as a nice touch.

I also would like someone to do all my social media/ marketing/ website stuff so its all branded and consistent.

There is so much stuff a graphic designer would be suited to IMO.

@lemonswan PM me if you are serious about the hand watercolour drawings, I might know someone who could help.