Has anyone retrained in their 50s?

[KittenKong]

In my dream world I work as a silversmith and have a nice little shop and studio somewhere, where I can make lovely things...

Sadly in the real world I work and it is driving me nuts. I have so little enthusiasm for it these days (the whole lockdown thing has left me feeling restless, old, fat, worn out and pretty much just looking forward to... well that’s another thread).

Could I, should I? Has anyone else done a life change? Or should I just ‘woman up’ and press on?

Have you missed all the other threads asking this?

Of course you can retrain in your fifties. And probably have a huge amount of fun doing it, too.

What would you need to qualify as a silversmith? And what do you have already?

I’m retraining at 52 and have a job interview next week in my new profession. 😊

Cool what’s the new job?

Yes I have done training in silversmithing and copper working - but people train for years to perfect the craft. I’m definitely in the ‘enthusiastic amateur’ field here!

I massively changed my life at 50. Never too late. Go for it!

I wish I had, but only realised I wanted to when I was 58 and would have needed 4 years to do the retraining, so decided to just soldier on. If I’d been younger or the retraining was shorter I would have done it like a shot.

I’m on one of the other threads that talks about doing this. One of the things that really pushed me to make the move was doing a one-day craft course with a couple who’d made a similar change at a similar age and were finding life so much more fulfilling. The work they do is beautiful but they needed to devote life to it to make a go of it.

Returned to education in my mid 40s and was in early 50s by the time I finished my doctorate and became an academic.

You could test the water by making jewellery and selling it online. I have bought some beautiful pieces from someone who started small, got her own website and now has a little shop which she opens on a reduced-hour basis.

I walked out of education and started my own business. I meant to start a crafty one on the side but got too busy.

I've been doing it full time for 6 years now. 6 years and 6 months ago I had no idea that this was a job!

Anything is possible, if you think it through properly.

Following. I can't get a foothold in the area that I've worked for 25 year so need to do something else.

Self-employed for 13 years but now need A Job.

Need to retrain in something that there are fewer people looking for jobs than there are jobs available, and that it's possible to get a place of a course in.

would be lovely to hear what you all succesfully did. And what you want to do OP

In my dream world, I have quiet little corner somewhere in some organisation (London).

Doing something a bit interesting, a bit meaningful and that I can cycle to.

Can't even manage that, so aspirations feel a bit pointless for me.

Good luck to others though

I’m a career coach and I’ve worked with several clients who have successfully completely changed career in their 50s - including two who went on to be writers.

If them, why not you?

Good luck!