Career change at 55: procurement and CIPS

[SoSadSoSadSoSad]

So I have been researching and investigating a career change.

I’m of the view the procurement could be a solid and really interesting choice and also may not be affected badly by AI for a good few years.

However, I am inexperienced and it would be a complete pivot.

I can take a salary drop to junior level. I am keen to learn and hardworking. Is it a really dumb idea? Any procurement people out there to advise me, please?

I've worked in Procurement for 30 years and to be fair am looking to get out of it. I am at a senior level and the stress is doing me in. It is a very competitive industry and I think they look for very almost cut throat people these days. My company will look to outsource the junior roles to Eastern Europe. When I started, a junior role involved placing and following Purchase Orders, managing inventory, MRP planning etc, and then gradually evolved to more direct supplier relationship roles. The first part is very automated these days.

So it’s not a good idea then?

so Hard to know which way to turn.

Im 57. No one would invest money for me to do CIPS now. It's assumed I have it ( I do) . There are many transferable skills though so it doesn't mean you shouldn't apply for roles. Good communication skills, some legal and financial knowledge, dealing with deadlines and difficult people, good attention to detail etc. What do you do now?

To be fair, back in the day, there were lots of perks - supplier lunches/visits/dinners and days out - I went to top sports fixtures, Royal Ascot, rally driving at Silverstone etc - all this is now frowned upon. I'm doing a foreign supplier visit next week and it's cheapest flight, cheapest hotel, any excessiveness from supplier needs to be reported etc. My dh still goes to Old Trafford occasionally with a supplier I had in the 90s :)

I liked how clearly you broke everything down, and digging into plumber apprentice requirements really helped me figure out what I was missing before applying. I found it useful for checking whether my math skills and training lined up with what programs expect, and it made the whole process feel way more doable.