Top Jobs For Over 50 Career Change

By martijn on November 25, 2007

What Are The Best Careers To Consider Changing To Over 50?

CNN Money published their take on the top jobs to make a career change over 50. They rated the jobs on some sensible criteria that people our age would tend to think about. Of course, some of the factors might appeal to any job seeker from 30 to 80 years old, but I think other factors tend to become more important to us as we age.

Note that this article has been a perennial favorite with our visitors since it was published I have appended some updates at the end of the article with more resources.

Let us discuss the pros and cons of the CNN Money List of good job changes for older workers and professionals. Then, we will also present some of our suggestions that may help answer some of the problems we saw with the list.

More Flexibility And Less Stress Rank High With Older Job Seekers

I know that when I was younger, excitement and prestige where more important to me. I wanted to be challenged every day, and also for other people to respect me for what I did.

As I aged, I still did not mind a challenge, but I wanted more flexibility and less pressure. Also, I really stopped caring so much what other people thought about my job!

Update: Also see our Over 50 Job Change Resources Page.

Top 5 Over 50 Career Change Picks Criteria

Compensation — OK everybody wants to know what a job pays. While older people may be less motivated by prestige and perks, they also probably have current obligations. So some minimum income may be required.
Job Growth — Again, this is probably a meaningful factor to people of any age. The survey gave more weight to jobs with the potential for growth and advancement.
Meaningful -- Aha! I think we get a little more introspective as we get older, and we want to feel that we are not just going to work every day, but doing a job that makes a positive impact on society.
Flexible Hours — Many of us are juggling families, including kids, spouses, and even elderly parents. We also want some flexibility in our lives now, and not just an 8 – 5pm grind.

Top 5 Career Changes Over Age 50

The article lists the top 20 jobs they feel are worth looking into for the 50+ crowd, but I think I can go over the top 5. Of course, the article does assume some prior and education and experience that would help a hopeful candidate ease into the new position fairly quickly.

Non-profit company manager
Patient representative
Celebrant/religious leader
Financial adviser
School teacher.

Required Degrees For Career Changes

Now most of the jobs do emphasize a college degree, but they do not always require one. Also the degree can be in a different field, and quick training can be obtained to enter the field.

For instance, many school districts will provide evening certification classes while letting a potential teacher get trained, especially in disciplines where they lack qualified teachers. Many community colleges will substitute relevant work experience for an advanced degree too. Some financial and insurance positions require training, and a license, but no degree.

Change Your Career Fast

If you need to get back to work very quickly, you may consider taking a related para-professional position that will provide an income now – but give you a window into a higher paying position later.

You may take a teacher’s aid position, for example, while working on your certification on week-ends or during the summer break. This gives you a foot in the door at a school district, plus some income while you are moving forward with your education.

Jobs With Lower Training Requirements

You may also be interested in a newer article about good jobs that do not require degrees. You may, of course, also be interested in some fast retraining jobs and more fast job retraining ideas.

Updates About Midlife Career Changes

We published the original article a while back, but nothing substantial has really changed, except older workers seem to be having an even harder time getting back to work.Note our description of the long term unemployment problem here.

Social networking sites, which can help you expand your network – and get tips about jobs quicker – have become important tools. You may want to begin learning how to use LinkedIn, and other social sites to help you look for a new career in midlife.

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About martijn

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30 Comments

golly

November 26, 2007 at 3:49 pm

Interesting. It does get harder to switch jobs as we age. Employers are less likely to hire us and we also have higher expectations I guess. Thanks for the article.
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Top Jobs For Over 50 Career Change

What Are The Best Careers To Consider Changing To Over 50?