Has anyone changed careers later in life and how was it?

[Niftyfifty150]

I hope it’s okay to post here – please do say if not – but I’m starting to look into how women navigate career changes later in life, and I'd love to hear from anyone who’s done it.

This is partly for my own situation (I’m 55, looking at what the next chapter will look like, don’t want to give up work but starting to feel tired), but also because I’m interested in whether there’s a way to better support or connect women aged 50 + going through this stage.

If anyone here has done a career change later in life and would be open to sharing their experience - what prompted it, what worked/didn’t, how it felt - I’d be really grateful. Doesn’t need to be a polished ‘success story’.

Thanks so much

Is this for a newspaper/journal article of some sort?

No, not for a newspaper/article, and I'm not a journalist. Just me doing a bit of informal digging. I'm thinking about my own situation and an idea I’m loosely exploring around better support / connection for women at this stage in life. There isn't much out there.

Why not start with your career journey and interests and we might have ideas to help you find another role?

Sure. I'm a senior marketing professional for a law firm, been doing it for a fairly long time. Originally worked in housing management and managed a fairly big career change in my twenties to move into communications.

Current role is secure (ish) and pay is okay. But it manages to be both stressful and dull at the same time. Feeling my age. I'd like to do something else if I'm honest. Looking for inspiration.

Having looked around, there isn't a lot of resource out there, so I'm interested in thinking about that too.

I changed careers in my early thirties, and it was an INSANE amount of work. I'm also ten years behind everyone else. I changed to my dream field, so it was totally worth it to me, as it was something I've wanted to do my whole life. But I'm glad I didn't realise beforehand just how much work it would be.

I was a teacher in secondary education. When I realised I wouldn’t get state pension until I was 67, I knew I wouldn’t last that long in teaching! I ran a local charity for a few years, which was varied, interesting and made me aware I had more transferable skills than I thought. I was then phoned out of the blue by a recruiter, who had seen my CV online. Because I’d taught in an EBD boarding school, he asked if I’d consider working with vulnerable children in residential children’s homes. COVID lockdowns meant that the activities offered by the charity I managed had to stop, so I gave it a go. I’m now about to retire from my second career. I haven’t regretted it for a moment. It was definitely worth it for me.

I have OP, I am 56 and started a post graduate diploma in social work in January, funded by the DofE and pays a small bursary. I will ‘graduate’ in March next year.
So far I am really enjoying it - it has been a long time since I last studied. It’s not just study though - 170 days of the 14 months are placement days.
I’d come to the conclusion that I’d done the child raising and crappy jobs that allowed me to be present for a neurodivergent child and wanted to spend the rest of my working life doing something that is worthwhile.
I am very much a ‘if you don’t try you won’t know/nothing ventured nothing gained’ type of person and didn’t want to spend my last 12 working years doing something I didn’t enjoy.
Happy if you want to dm me

Perhaps you’re not aware of MN’s dedicated Mature Study and Retraining board, @Niftyfifty150?

It’s here:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

I was a Nurse for 30+ years. Didn't want to continue due to health issues and burn out. I moved into information and advice work at aged 50. I advise on benefits/ social care/ grants etc for disabled people. I took a big pay drop at first but after a few years experience am earning not a huge amount less than i was when Nursing and it does feel like a job I can continue doing as I get older. Overall I have absolutely zero regrets at leaving Nursing. there's nothing like having 9-5 hours , weekends and christmas off.

Following with interest. I’m 50 and a
manager for a tech company that’s gone through several major changes and is now being run by ther American side and has become very toxic. Several people have left already. Looking to do something else but no idea what and if I should. I can’t keep doing this though. I wake up at 3am worrying about work and my awful manager.

I was a police officer for 16 years and had a career change at 41 when I moved to a career in Civil Service HR, taking some qualifications in my new role(s). I have recently started my own business career coaching for women leaving or thinking of leaving the emergency services so I am also interested in your thoughts about support for women in this space - I agree that it's not easy to find. I'm currently debating another career change out of public sector HR into the legal/private sector at 50. I found the change at 41 had its challenges and, looking back I didn't always make intentional choices. At 50 and in the context of the current job market, things seem more difficult. Also happy if you wish to dm me 😊

Thanks so much to everyone who’s replied - it's interesting there's such a range of different experiences. Things definitely get harder at 50 I think, both in terms of changing careers but also just moving jobs, even in the same field. I've got friends in their early 50s who can't get past the AI recruitment filters, and despite what employers say, there aren't enough embracing midlife or older workers and what they can bring to the workplace. That gap needs to be closed somehow given the claims that we're all going to be working until we're 70!!

ClaireEclair, sorry to hear you're having a hard time. Sounds like the whole culture has changed, especially if others have left too. I hope things start to feel more manageable soon. Is it worth getting some specific careers advice, see what doors are open to you?

Thank you to those who’ve said I can DM you - I'll message individually if that's OK. If anyone else is open to sharing a bit more about what helped (or what you wish you’d thought about before making a change), it would be good to hear that, whether that’s practical steps, advice available or just things that didn’t work out as planned.

PS congrats Keithiscryingagain on your move into social work and good luck with the studying and placement. That is inspiring to read!