Changing job after 20+ years

[AliJo2]

Has anyone experience of changing jobs after many years - I've worked for the same company for 20+ years but due to a change in management feel I need to leave. I've been offered a job doing the same work for a different company and really want to go for it. But I'm having a crisis of confidence and wonder if I can cope with being the new girl after such a long time. I've got 10 years until retirement and on one hand feel I need to change as the stresses of the current role make life quite difficult, but on the other hand I think I should just hang on and put up with it...

I quit after 14 (very happy) years with the same employer when new management made changes I couldn't support. I left for a career break then went back to something similar a couple of years later elsewhere. Best thing I ever did. Very scary but ultimately I benefited from the shake up, it was weirdly good for my confidence.

Ten years is a long time to not enjoy your work...

I left after 15 years in my previous role. The department was poorly run, and it had become more and more stressful.

It was very strange becoming the new person, but I've really been able to improve my skills (and I don't miss the constant fire fighting).

I'm glad I moved.

Thank you for replying both. I know what I have to do, I just need to get on with it! I had the chance to move a couple of years ago and lost my nerve, but things just won't change where I am.

No, things weren't changing at my old workplace either.

Like @tpmumtobe, my confidence in my own abilities has also improved in my new job.

I actually felt more confident when I prepared my CV even - it reminded me of how much experience I had. I was then able to use this as the starting point for online applications.

I changed jobs at 50 with 10 years to go. I’d worked two very long-term jobs beforehand. My main reason for moving was to take a job that I thought would see me through to retirement. It’s been full on which is not quite what I was expecting but I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of the move. I would say go for it It’s an opportunity to see what you can do and approach things in a fresh way.

I left my old job earlier in the year after 13 years at the age of 61, I had no choice as the company went into receivership and I could have potentially been made redundant. They did me a favour, although I stayed in the same sector I took a new role slightly outside of my specialty (I thought beggers cant be choosers...) and after many years of mundane work, its nice to have a new challenge and even better I am earning 5k more.

OP, I am in a very similar situation to yourself and am currently working my notice, ready for a new job in the new year.
Do not be afraid of change later in life, older women are very capable, can learn new skills and have a lot to offer.
Although I am nervous starting in a new place and the unknown, I have realised that we are all just employees at the end of the day and am will not be blinded by loyalty.
You really do need to think about what the next 10 years for your working life is going to look like, especially if you can see the future in your current job changing not for the better. If you currently have stresses and you see it potentially getting worse, do consider other options are they can be hard to come by.
Good Luck for the future.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/work/4982564-when-did-you-realise-you-are-just-an-employee-and-loyalty-accounts-for-nothing

How's it going with your decision OP?

Thanks for all the very helpful replies. I had a good meeting with the new company yesterday and they've sent through the offer which I'm planning to accept. I feel really positive about it now and excited about the next chapter in my life.

Oh, congratulations 🙂! What a great update, I'm really pleased for you.

I think I'd become quite institutionalised in my last role, and I couldn't really imagine leaving until not long before I actually did. I feel differently about my current role - I'm enjoying it, and I'll stay while it suits both me and the company, but that might not be forever.

Congratulations!. I left after 20 years with the same employer, I went from retail to the civil service and boy was it a culture shock !!! Honestly though, whilst it took me a while to find my feet and be the "newbie" again, I've never once regretted it and wish I'd made the move years ago.

Thank you! I'm stressing about handing my notice in but there we are, I just need to get on with it!

Go for it @AliJo2. I changed job this year after 14 years doing the same thing, in fact I changed sector completely. The new challenge has been the making of me, I'm so much happier. I hadn't realised how stale and bored I'd become, until it finally hit me I couldn't do it for another ten years until retirement. So I jumped ship and have zero regrets.

Thank you @DramaAlpaca! Glad to hear your move was a good one!