Career Change after 50: What’s it Take to Make it a Reality?

In my 10 years as a writer for and about second act entrepreneurs, I’ve seen a lot of amazing career transitions. Some of these include:

Neurosurgeon to Olive and Wine Store owner

Nutrition expert to creating a product line of healthy dog treats

Chemical Engineer to glass blower

And my own career transition: exercise physiologist to writer.

These aren’t isolated stories but very common occurrences for many people over 50. While some can find their second act transition easily, others struggle to find what their path is.

In a recent conversation with Brad Finkeldei, The Career Coach, he shares a few of the fears and obstacles that many Baby Boomers and Gen Xers struggle to overcome. Perhaps a few sound familiar to you or someone you know:

• You are unhappy at work.
• You’re in a rut and desire a break from the norm.
• You are retired or near retirement but need something that generates income.
• You’re feeling trapped by family, societal, or cultural ideals that keep you stagnant and unfulfilled.

These are just a few of the situations that drive us to pursue something new in life and our career. However, as ideas or opportunities begin to fill the mind, so do the fears. I’ve experienced plenty of these. How about you?

• Not good enough
• Not enough experience
• Too old, young, disabled, etc.
• Not enough money
• What will others think?
• My partner won’t support me
• No visible path to get to where one wants to be

It’s a vicious cycle!

When Brad meets with clients, he explores this cycle and helps them dig deep to get to the core of desire with the following processes.

Gaining clarity on where you want to go

Once the idea enters our mind, or someone asks, “What do you want to do?” the first response is often, “I don’t know.” Most of the time, the I-don’t-knows are masking our fears. Perhaps you were ridiculed when you first expressed your desire. Maybe someone said to you, “You’ll never make money as a [your dream job], you’re better off with [a more acceptable career path].” Here’s the kicker: usually these well-meaning people are unknowingly nudging their fears onto us.

The challenge is to start by recognizing their fears are NOT our own! This can be an ongoing internal battle since we’ll encounter many people who will shut us down before we even get started.

The next step in the process is to outline what you really like to do. What is that one thing that gets you excited? Not sure what that is yet? Then ask yourself what have you buried within while awaiting “someday”?

Still struggling? Try this: if you had a magic wand, what would your ideal job look like?

Beware: this series of questions can delve into an emotional pool as you discover what’s missing, what you’ve put on hold, and the reasons why it has this been put on hold. Also, don’t be surprised if these thoughts are followed by the fear that it is too late.

The good news is—it is NEVER too late!

Digging deeper

You don’t have to have all the answers as you dig deeper, the process will help you define and refine what your second act will look like. It can be fun, eye-opening, and exhilarating at the same time. So the next questions are:

• Why do you want to do this new “thing”?
• What is the force or desire driving you to pursue this shift?
• What do you really want that you haven’t admitted to yourself?
• What do you NOT want to do? This helps avoid wrong turns as you develop the proper direction.
• And for the TOUGH question: On your death bed, what will you regret NOT doing?

Give Yourself Permission To Explore And Do!

This is the toughest hurdle to overcome, especially when built on a foundation of fear and pressure from others. In order to proceed comfortably and confidently, the process is gradually developed by building a footpath toward your dream.

Brad shares an experience with one of his clients.

“Mark” spent over 25 years building a career in the IT industry. He has a family of 5, and the oldest child is entering college in two years. However, as the primary bread winner, he feels obligated to continue to provide the living standard they had come to rely upon. Unfortunately, Mark is unhappy. His work no longer fulfills him, he works long hours, and misses his family. He is restless and feels his life and dreams are fading away. One of his primary dreams is to be a chef. He loves exploring with food, seasonings, and world flavors, sharing his creations with his friends and family. He even makes a little money here and there catering small events like family reunions and graduation parties. While he’d love to drop the IT world and become a full-time chef, he fears the financial burden it would place on the family and in unable to identify a comfortable path to get him from point A (his IT job) to point B (a chef). This has been Mark’s vicious cycle for nearly 10 years.

During his work with “Mark” or any client, Brad rarely advises a client to drop all that has been built. He helps review possibilities such as entrepreneurship and alternate job possibilities while seeking ways to incorporate previous skills and knowledge. As in Mark’s case, Brad helped him to build a path toward what he really desired, which is currently seeking a job as an IT executive in the food industry. This process gradually introduces Mark to the food industry while utilizing his 20 year expertise in IT, and keeping the family finances in check.

During the permission and identification phase, it helps to interview those who are already working in your dream industry.

• Get to know them.
• Get the inside scoop of what the job is really like.
• Perhaps you’ll identify an untapped idea or opportunity through listening, talking with, and observing these experts in action.
• Consider volunteering or interning within your dream industry.

A point that Brad mentions, and one that I have experienced as I’ve built my business is: we are our own worst enemy. By asking the right questions, giving ourselves guilt-free permission, and seeking out the experts to share their insights and experience, we can effectively and confidently transition to a fulfilling second act. Are you ready? My guess is YES!

Here are my final questions for you:

What do you NOT want to have regrets about?

-and-

What will you give yourself permission to do?

Kristen Edens

photo credit: pixabay