Career Change at 50: You Can Do It

A successful career change for people over 50 years old may be hard, but it’s not impossible. If you’re thinking about switching careers, these are some of the things you can do to ensure a better and happier future:

Know Yourself

If you’re currently feeling trapped in your job, it might be because what you’re doing does not match what you value the most. The first step is to find out what you’re good at and what truly makes you happy. Choose something that you’re passionate about and look for job options that are available in that field.

Identify Your Skills

One advantage that you have over younger workers is that you’ve already developed many marketable skills over the years. Make a list of all the skills you have acquired from your previous jobs and add them to your resume. Having good communication skills, technical skills, or management skills can make you stand out from other candidates.

See a Career Counselor

There are so many ways that you can benefit from working with a career counselor. Leaving a job and starting over can be really stressful. If you’re planning a career change but you’re still unsure about where you want to end up in life, seeking for professional help can give you the insight, guidance, and inspiration that you need.

Don’t be Afraid to Learn New Things

The key to staying on top of any career is to never stop learning. If there’s a job that you want to pursue, but you’re hesitant because you lack certain skills, now is the perfect time to try online learning, workshops, and other training programs.

Create an Action Plan

Once you’ve decided on a career, start planning how to make it happen. Create a list of all the things you need to accomplish including your resume, linkedin account, interviews,  workshops, and more.

Never Give Up

Switching to a new career may be stressful in the beginning but you need to keep going to get the job you want. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get hired right away. Learn from every failure and just keep trying. Eventually, you will get the job you’ve been aiming for and it will all be worth it.

Career Options for People Over 50

There’s a common misconception that there are no career opportunities for people over 50 years old. This is far from true because there are actually many jobs that a person over 50 years old could be perfectly qualified for.  In fact, these are some of the most popular career options for people over 50:

Home Health Care Assistant

Right now, there is an increasing number of patients who need  home health care assistants. This is something you might want to consider because there are many advantages to choosing a profession in home health care including flexible hours and hourly pay.

Teacher

There are many teaching opportunities at community colleges for those who have significant experience in the field on math, business, or engineering. To qualify, you will need a master’s degree in education. This can be obtained in a year of full-time study, or two years of part-time or online classes.

Real Estate Agent

Most real estate agents are over 50 years old. If this is something that you’re interested in, you will need to get a real estate license. Getting a license is fairly inexpensive and there are many affordable real estate courses that are offered online. The salaries of real estate agents can vary, depending on their location. Their incomes are mostly earned through commission.

Personal Trainer

More and more people over 50 years old are pursuing careers as personal trainers. If you have a background in sports and fitness, you can easily get a job with a personal trainer’s certificate. Personal trainers may be self-employed, or they may work for fitness centers, health care institutions, and wellness companies.

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