Making a wholesale career change can be a scary prospect - especially when it follows a redundancy - but it can also be an exciting opportunity to embark on a new path. When you’ve been working in a certain field for a number of years, starting from scratch in an entirely different line of work can give you the chance to reinvent yourself and find new avenues for professional fulfilment that you may not have previously considered.
Successfully changing career requires a specific mindset and the correct approach, especially for those considering making the move at the ages of 30, 40 or even 50. This isn’t a decision to be rushed into, and you’ll need to make sure you’re asking yourself the right questions and preparing yourself properly for the challenges ahead.
By preparing yourself properly, you’ll soon realise that it’s never too late to make a successful career change - and that there are a number of professions that anyone can learn to thrive in, regardless of their previous experiences and qualifications.
When planning a career change, it’s vital to consider what you actually want out of your new career before considering all the options available to you. If you’re thinking about moving into an entirely new field, the chances are that you weren’t fully satisfied by your previous professional choices - and you now have a chance to change all that.
As such, those considering a career shift should consider a number of factors:
These are the kinds of question that anyone looking for a new job should be thinking about, and those who are changing career in later life will actually have an advantage when it comes to answering them; you’ll have a more realistic and informed understanding of your own needs and capabilities than someone who is just starting out, which will increase your chances of making the right choice.
Another key issue to consider when changing career is the skills you possess, and how they could be applied to a new field of work. If you’ve been in the labour market for a few years, you’ll probably have a better and more informed view of your professional strengths and weaknesses than someone who’s just starting out, so you’ll be in a better position to pick out a role that plays to your best qualities.
However, the flipside of this is the likelihood that much of your prior job experience or existing qualifications will no longer necessarily be directly relevant in your new field, which poses a challenge when putting together a CV. Rather than putting together a resume that focuses on the past roles you’ve held, you’ll want to instead place the emphasis on your transferable skill set.
To achieve this, look over your work history and identify key accomplishments and projects you’ve completed that really demonstrate the practical application of your talents, in a way that highlights how those skills could be transferred to a new setting. The key is to get prospective employers to focus on what you’re capable of doing in future, rather than what you’ve done in the past.
If you have never created a professional CV for yourself before, it can be difficult to know where to start. For more information on this topic, have a look at our guide to CV writing for manual workers, or download our free manual workers CV template.
Making a career change is unquestionably difficult, and there will be points when you may feel that you’re not entirely prepared to make the step into a new line of work. At these times, it’s vital to think practically about what exactly you need to turn your ambitions into reality, and the steps you’ll need to take to achieve this.
If you lack the training and qualifications necessary to apply for a given role, then consider whether you may need to pursue a vocational course, or to start looking for roles that offer training for new starters; if money is a short-term concern, it’s also worth looking into the funding options available that can help support you through this retraining process.
Meanwhile, if you feel that you lack a practical understanding of what it’s really like to work in your chosen field, then have a look around for sector-specific talks, seminars and recruitment events that can help give you an insight, or look for relevant testimonies from current professionals on recruitment websites and online communities.
For those who are short of ideas about the kind of role that might be suitable for someone making a midlife career change, here are a few suggestions of sectors that might offer the opportunities you’re looking for:
Those with an aptitude for languages could consider taking advantage of this skill by making the move into teaching. TEFL courses are fairly common, and can open up opportunities to find work as a teaching assistant, working with students overseas. This can be an ideal choice for those who are keen to use their career change as an opportunity to expand their horizons and see more of the world.
Providing care and support for people with physical and mental health care needs can be extremely rewarding on a personal level, providing empathetic individuals with an opportunity to really make a difference to vulnerable people’s lives. The health and social care sector are always in need of additional support, and there are plenty of roles within these fields that do not require high-level medical expertise. Community-based roles are also available, offering a great degree of flexibility for those seeking it.
Of course, there are other ways to help people in the community beyond the healthcare sector. Personal training or massage therapy are two examples of roles with relatively low barriers to entry, while others may be more keen to get qualified for beauty sector professions, such as hairdressing and salon work.
People with an aptitude for practical work may be well-served by looking into the traditional trades, including carpentry, gardening, and painting and decorating. If you’re already good with your hands, you could find numerous opportunities to work your way upwards in what can often be a very lucrative sector.
Driving is a common skill for many working-age people, so why not consider making a living from it? Whether it’s becoming a haulier, an Uber driver or a driving instructor, professional driving jobs can offer a wide range of potential prospects, and you may already have most of the qualifications you’ll need.
For a less commonly explored option, those considering a career change may find the drainage industry represents a challenging, active and dynamic career path. Drain repair and maintenance provides staff with plenty of opportunities to get out on the roads and carry out hands-on work for households and businesses, working directly with clients as part of a team and gaining significant technical expertise over time.
As the UK’s market leader in drainage and wastewater utilities, we employ a number of talented individuals who have joined us after changing career, including former barmen, car salesmen and teachers. You can read more about their success stories here.
If you’re interested in the opportunities this exciting sector has to offer, Lanes Group has a large number of roles that are suitable for people without prior experience, with the promise of industry-leading perks and long-term career progression. To find out more about the vacancies we currently have on offer, you can explore our jobs here.
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