It’s never too late to shift your career, whether you’re 25, 55, or 65. However, if you’re not sure where to start with making a late-life career change, this is the guide for you—from finding training programs to polishing your resume, we have you covered.
Specialized Training for Transitioning Careers
Starting a career change after 55 is possible—and it doesn’t have to require going through four more years for a university degree. Programs and organizations like SkillUp are designed to help people of any age find a new career they love that can support them and their families. Here are some of the steps you can take to move toward a new career:
- Identifying durable skills: Durable skills are the professional talents and capabilities you have that allow you to grow in the workforce as a person and will never become obsolete. Some examples include leadership or management skills, creating problem-solving capabilities, and collaboration.
- Career-transition training: These training courses leverage your existing career skills and allow you to easily learn new ones, often within a relatively short period. Many also help you find the resources you need to get a new job in your field or industry of choice.
- Career coaching: Working with a dedicated career coach makes it easy for anyone at any age, even those experiencing a career change late in life, to discover the career path that’s best for them and access the training they need.
Training Programs for Late Career Changes
At SkillUp, we help connect people with training programs that get them the certifications they need, no matter when they’re changing careers. Some of the best training options for late-stage career change include:
- Online career training programs: For many people finding a new career at 55, online career training programs can be a great place to start. Most allow you to complete your coursework and receive a valid certification on your schedule, whether you need to fit schooling in on the weekends or can only take classes in the evenings. These programs provide all the training you would find in an in-person training course.
- In-person career training programs: Some types of careers benefit from live and in-person training. These programs provide a more traditional way to learn without requiring years of schooling, all with the interactivity you need for success.
- Training for high-paying careers: Many high-paying careers—such as those in software development and testing or graphic design—offer training with minimal requirements. In a matter of months, you could start a high-paying, stable career in a skilled trade through these programs.
- Earn-and-learn programs: Some career training programs go a step further than the rest and provide paid on-the-job training. These programs are often company-sponsored, but the skills you can learn from them are applicable almost anywhere in their industry.
Finding Jobs for Midlife Career Changes
A lot of people know they want to change careers and may have gone through the effort of specialized career certifications and training. But what happens after you have that new certification? Following these steps will make it easier for you to find work in your new field:
- Knowing how to rebrand yourself: Some companies may question why you’re changing careers so suddenly later in life. However, positioning your personal brand to employers as one of finding new opportunities to support both yourself and the demands of their industry can make it easier to answer those questions early in the interview process before they become concerns.
- Highlighting your work experience: While certain types of skills are industry-specific, others are universal and will shine when a prospective employer sees the extent of your experience. Emphasizing your durable skills and specific areas of experience in the working world makes it easier for you to stand out as a job candidate.
- Upgrading your resume: Chances are, a few things have changed about your resume since you last updated it—including the things employers most often expect. Working with a career coach and some current colleagues or friends can make it easier to refine the contents of your resume and add the keywords HR specialists use to look for relevant skills.
How SkillUp Can Help
SkillUp works with learners at any age and any stage in their career journey to help them find careers that are relevant to them.
As the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way. People of all ages and backgrounds work with SkillUp’s career coaches and affiliated training partners to find the perfect job for the second half of their careers, all while providing the support they need.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Do I Know It’s Time to Change Careers?
You might need to take a step back and reflect to see if this applies to you. However, a lot of people who have changed careers point to these indicators as a sign that it’s time to move forward:
- Lack of growth: Salaries are one thing. However, if you aren’t seeing many opportunities for professional or personal growth in your career, it may be time to consider something more fulfilling.
- Lack of fulfillment: While some people are less inclined to feel passionate about work in general, feeling disconnected from it can be a sign that you might be ready to move on. In practice, this often looks like dreading going to work or getting what some people call the “Sunday scaries” after they’ve taken even a short period off.
- Feeling undervalued: Maybe you feel like your talents, skills, and time are being overlooked. Combined with other factors, this may be a sign that it’s either time to look for a new job in your existing field or find one in a new industry altogether.
Is It Too Late to Change a Career?
Nope! As long as your heart is still beating and you have the will to learn and train for it, you can change your career to something that suits you. In fact, some people who change careers successfully do so when they’re well into their sixties.
What Can I Do to Get a New Career Without a Degree?
While most skilled careers require at least some training, many don’t require you to go back to school full-time or take out student loans when you’re over 50. For example, becoming a real estate agent often just requires taking a required course or two, passing a licensing exam, and applying for a license with a certified broker.
That’s just one option—many people take temporary courses that take only a few weeks to complete to become dental hygienists, elevator mechanics, or electricians, all with little more than a high school diploma or a GED.
