Considering Retraining at 47?

hairy_g

westv wrote: »

I am. What do I really love? That's really difficult.
If surfing the net looking for info was a do-able career then maybe I would choose that.

Then maybe you love researching? , I'm sure there are jobs doing that.

westv

hairy_g wrote: »

Then maybe you love researching? , I'm sure there are jobs doing that.

I've looked up "internet researcher" and such a thing exists. Perhaps I should investigate further.

CBR

Great to hear that someone else is also thinking of retraining having suffered redundancy.

The opportunities are out there and it really is up to you what your goals are. It all depends what your are hoping to achieve with the career change, ie job security, salary increase, more rewarding position?

I myself after years of accountancy (groan) chose various options only because they interested me and for no other reason. Various counselling courses, fork lift courses and next month my HGV.

All my courses were fully funded during my period of unemployment which made it more rewarding as if I was working I would never have been offered such opportunities.

The only point I would like to stress which I have come across - the dreaded no experience line when applying for positions. So sadly found myself back with accountancy/bookkeeping.

Good luck and I hope all goes well with the career move.

bristol_pilot

It's easy to advise someone on an internet forum to 'go for it' when one is not the individual who is going to be in a position of applying for jobs whilst 48 years old and having zero experience in that career.

By all means go for a career change, but I would suggest something at least vaguely connected with your previous career, for example teaching or writing about something in which you were previously a practitioner. If you really must change career totally, it will have to be something where there is a shortage of applicants such as being children's social worker (which is strugggling to attract applicants at the moment, for obvious reasons).

Zazen999

bristol_pilot wrote: »

It's easy to advise someone on an internet forum to 'go for it' when one is not the individual who is going to be in a position of applying for jobs whilst 48 years old and having zero experience in that career.

By all means go for a career change, but I would suggest something at least vaguely connected with your previous career, for example teaching or writing about something in which you were previously a practitioner. If you really must change career totally, it will have to be something where there is a shortage of applicants such as being children's social worker (which is strugggling to attract applicants at the moment, for obvious reasons).

I've just done exactly that at 42.

westv

Zazen999, do you mind me asking what you do/did?

Bristol_Pilot, I fully understand where you are coming from but I do know (or have heard of) people doing what I am considering. However, it can be very difficult to break out of the mould.

Zazen999

I'll PM you

Oldernotwiser

I do wonder whether training for a new career at 47 and hoping to retire 13 years early is a really good combination, but I wish you luck in the attempt.

westv

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I do wonder whether training for a new career at 47 and hoping to retire 13 years early is a really good combination, but I wish you luck in the attempt.

Of course, if the training was for something I really enjoyed then full time retirement might not be wanted.