Why 50 is The Perfect Age for a Career Change May 5, 2016My Career, My LifeOff

According to the much-quoted title of Walter Pitkin’s 1930’s book, life begins at 40. But time has moved on. 50 is the new 40.

If you think reaching your half century means that you’re approaching the twilight days of your life, think again. 50 is not the time to wind down, it’s actually the perfect time for a fresh start and a new lease of life. Think Brad Pitt, Nigella Lawson, Robert Downey Jr, David Duchovny, Sandra Bullock, Ben Stiller, Liz Hurley – all famous faces flying the flag for the over 50s.

As you approach 50 it’s the perfect time to take stock, change your career and revitalize. Here’s why…

Expectancy change. For one thing we’re all living a little longer. Looking back a generation ago the life expectancy was about 70 yet now, in 2016, that has risen to 81. That should warrant a change in thinking. It might sound cold but at 50 we’re now statistically much further away from the end of our lives.

That’s not the only change, however. The retirement is also creeping up – with men and women set to be working to 67 and beyond for the current generation of workers. By the time someone reaches 50 they’ve got the equivalent time left in work as a 35-year-old who started at 18. You could look at that negatively, or you could think back to what you achieved in your first 17 years in work and make a vow to replicate that.

Skills to pass on. By the time you’ve reached 50 you’ve learned a thing or two. Ok, so the technology might have changed since you got your first job but the essential skills of working with people, organizing your time, handling pressure and assuming responsibility are always needed.

Changing your career also allows you to transfer your skills and test your mettle in a new arena. So that time spent in ordering supplies or planning marketing strategies could be vital in carefully and effectively using teaching resources to inspire the next generation of learners, for example. By 50 you’ve got wisdom. By switching careers you could pass this on and feel rewarded and re-energized.

You might also wish to think about the skills you possess that have not been utilized in your career so far. Got a burning passion to do something that you missed out on earlier in life? At 50 you’ve got the expertise and the time to have one last go at achieving your dream. You might also seize this as the chance to do something worthy with your life after years in ‘dull but worthy’ roles.

Kids grown up. While it’s not fair to generalize, it’s also true to say that by the age of 50, many adults have done the large part of their parental duties. Their kids have often grown up and flown the nest and this can be the inspiration some require to grasp the nettle and focus on themselves once again.

If you need to move location to change career, for example, then by the age of 50 you are unlikely to disrupt your child’s schooling. Once your children are grown up it also eases the strain on your finances and frees you up to be able to take a chance and take the plunge into something new.

So there we have it. With 50-plus celebrities still shining, the life expectancy and pension age changing our way of thinking, and the fact that, by 50, many of us have the wisdom and a lack of ties needed – this can be the perfect age for a career change.

Photo by Deborah Kolb | Shutterstock

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