Am I Too Old To Change Careers?

You said you want to change your career at this stage of the game? Well, let me tell you that you are never too old.

Today, most of us are finding ourselves having to work much longer than we ever imagined. The days of an early retirement have been thrown out the window, so to speak. However, working in our later years provides an opportunity to re-invent ourselves, to re-discover our hidden talents, and to pursue new ventures. This time in our lives gives us the chance to pursue the dreams that were left untapped, those things that we really wanted to do, but couldn’t because you all of a sudden find yourself with a family and obligations. Now, we are much wiser, have a lot of experience, and have gained skills that can be utilized by an employer or by yourself to start your own business. We should, after all, be challenging ourselves.

According to the Kingston Business School, older entrepreneurs are more likely to be successful than their younger counterparts. Why? Because the older we get, we become more confident about our own self-worth and are more aware of our strengths and weaknesses. This is a major advantage over a young person fresh out of college who is pursuing their first career.  Working for yourself allows you to become dependent on yourself versus solely relying on others to give you a job.

Even if you aren’t interested in starting your own business, use this time in your life to re-assess your career and identify the areas that you truly enjoyed. Evaluate your life and job experiences and find the direction you want your career to take.

The Colonel Sanders Story has been told so many times. It’s a well known story. Colonel Sanders was 65 years old when he began franchising his infamous chicken. Prior to that, the Colonel was a gas station owner where he fried chicken for weary travelers. This story is often repeated to show that it’s never too late and one is never too old to come up with career changing ideas. However, things were different in the 1930’s. When Colonel Sanders starting serving fried chicken at a Kentucky gas station 80 years ago, he probably didn’t have as many health department hurdles to overcome as that same gas station would today. How do you know what you want to do?

CareerPath.com offers online resources that determines the same answers for free. If someone wants to change careers but is having trouble deciding on a new career path, these online resources can really help. Also, the website will even suggest actual jobs worth applying for.

Always remember that there are ways to transfer the skills you have gained so far into your next career. This is your opportunity to establish your real passions, interests, strengths and goals into your next career. However, do not forget what you have achieved or accomplished so far. None of it is irrelevant. You are simply building and growing from what you have done, even if you are taking a slightly different direction now. There is a connection there;  — you just need to find it.

No one ever stated that we were only allowed one career path. It’s never too late to make a change. Start now. Don’t focus on your age but rather on the skills and experience you are able to offer to others. Empower yourself with this knowledge and pursue your new career path.

Choose a new you! △

“When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”

~Benjamin Franklin