Finding career 2.0
Hi, I may have found that my 20+ year career V1.0 has petered out and I may need to consider a career V2.0. I don't want to go into details about the what and why because it's complicated to explain. Suffice it to say that my career has always been a young person's career and we used to joke that you never see anyone over 50 doing what we do. And, funny or not, that's kinda true now. FWIW I work within the "tech" field (though not on the tech side of the fence).
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has struggled to find good work in their field as they get older and instead have pivoted to something else (related or not). I'm trying to figure out how to make that transition. TIA!
Sep 7, 2018
Parent Replies
I'm going through the same thing. Not sure I have advice but happy to meet for a brainstorm. (Also empty-nesting)
I am nearing 50 and can't imagine getting back into Advertising (creative side) after taking a freelancing break with a personal "off" break this year. But I need income next year so I'll be looking to 'take my talents' to the non-profit sector... either in-house or more ideally, with a Marketing/Design/Ad agency that services 501-c-3s that have budget to pay for 'real' services. Maybe there is something similar in your situation.... Good luck!
My husband is in a similar situation. He is in tech marketing. He is now trying to pivot by taking a UCB program in Data Science. Not sure where it will take him but I'm crossing my fingers for him. Best of luck to you!!
Yup, i'm going through the same thing. Ageism is alive and well and really, really insidious and cruel. I was a journalist for 25 years and it's just not possible for me to keep finding work, getting laid off, struggling to get paid, struggling to convince people to let me do the thing I'm great at. I am currently in school to become a nurse and my plan is to work in hospice care. It's very difficult, and I might have been better off doing something like occupational therapy or speech-language therapy, they both pay very well and are always in demand. But I'm already on this path and I think it'll be all right. It's very humbling to be back in school doing stuff I never, ever, ever was good at, but being in the community college system reminds me daily that there are people scaling much bigger obstacles, so I just keep on chuggin'.
Tl;dr, health care is one of the few fields that are burgeoning in this rotten economy and these unsure times, and there are health-care jobs that are not terrifying.
You might like to read "Designing your life" - it's about using design thinking for finding your next move for people of any age, from first job to an encore (retirement) career.
I did this - got my masters in a new field at age 48. Spent several years before that on the transition. Finally got there. It was hard to start over, and I do sometimes feel too old, but it finally worked. I do think there's age discrimination out there, but there are also lots of good situations too. It just means you may need to try more things than a younger person (hence the book, which is all about generating lots of options).