Several of my friends are making mid-career and late-career job changes – by choice, not because a position was lost – and this reflects an interesting trend, especially in the United States. Older workers who once might have been happy to stay put where they are, riding out their final years and looking forward to retirement, are actively jumping into new positions, and sometimes entirely new careers.
At the same time, those who do find themselves leaving a job not out of choice – due to a reorganization, downsizing, or company relocation – are finding the market more accepting of their experience and knowledge than many of these workers anticipated. They have a lot of company: as population growth has slowed in the US, the workforce is expected to lean increasingly older.
The Wall Street Journal recently wrote about how the stereotypical notion of bleak job opportunities for older workers is utterly false. In fact, WSJ points out, the working segment 55-and-older is the only age group with a rising share of the labor force. Currently, workers 50 and older are 33.4 percent of workers, up from 25 percent in 2002. And more than 60 percent of workers 65 and older hold full-time positions.
This is not to say age discrimination doesn’t exist; it is a real challenge, and (like most forms of employment discrimination) highly insidious and devilishly hard to prove. The worst treatment of older workers appears to be the IT industry, particularly Silicon Valley, where the median worker age at any given company is likely to be 10-15 years younger than the national median of 42, and where a worker with experience is often presumed to be out of touch with the newest generations of coding language. (Not that the field will be safe for anyone soon enough, since some say that artificial intelligence will replace at least 80 percent of coders in the future.)
But in most industries, smart employers – faced with disruption, battling unprecedented competition from start-ups at one end of the market and established overseas firms at the other – are increasingly aware that today’s experienced hires bring a breadth and depth of background well-suited to these challenges. They’ve been there, and seen that, and keep their cool even as they are surrounded by change.
Baby boomers are living longer, staying healthy, and can compete with younger peers. Academic studies show little to no relationship between age and job performance, and many companies are realizing this and applying it to their hiring practices. In fact, for jobs that require good judgement, solid analysis, and the wisdom that comes with experience, older adults are at an advantage.
Many of these experienced workers are setting out on their own, as well. The WSJ cites a recent study that found over 24 percent of entrepreneurs who launched businesses in 2015 were between 55 and 64.
Be purposeful when taking the leap
Some people are absolutely bullish on telling you to make a move late in life. A recent Gallup poll found that only a third of baby boomers and gen-Xers feel engaged at work. In an article bluntly titled ‘Quit Your Job,’ Barbara Bradley Hagerty writes in The Atlanticthat, “Even if you could endure your mid-career doldrums, mounting evidence suggests that you would probably be better off adjusting course.” Waiting it out could cost you in more stress, more aches and pain, and more ennui. If you want to thrive in the years ahead, Hagerty says, “A new challenge, and a new purpose, may be the things your brain needs most.”
Video from 2013: Linda Spencer, Assistant Director and Coordinator of Career Advising at Harvard Extension School, on changing careers.
NPR recently posted a sampler of older workers who made a career shift. One left a law firm to work with seniors; an HR executive began work at a charter school. They were all happy they made the change, and quite deliberate in how they did it.
An excellent example of how to make a purposeful late-life career change is Lucy Kellaway, who was a highly respected columnist at Financial Times for over 30 years. She planned her escape carefully, co-founding a charity called Now Teach, which focuses on enticing business executives to take their knowledge and experience to the classroom, to finish out their professional careers by helping young people develop. As illustration and example, Kellaway recently left FT and will begin teaching math at a secondary school in London beginning in 2017.
“I think there is an untapped pool of people who might become brilliant teachers but who aren’t thinking about it at the moment,” Kellaway explained to The Guardian. “My target audience is somebody who has been in the workforce for a couple of decades, maybe more, and who has had a successful career but who are feeling that their best years are already behind them, they are fed up with it and wondering what to do with the rest of their lives.”
When you do land the new role, embrace the differences. Look upon this as an opportunity to improve yourself as well as your professional situation. Career coach John O’Connor makes some recommendations:
- Increase your focus on other people, on and off the job. With your experience you should be mentoring and encouraging others, and you’ll get a lot of benefits back from the relationships.
- Don’t be afraid to change patterns. Be willing to travel more, volunteer to help on projects, wade into unfamiliar territory.
- Be positive. One energetic, optimistic person can lift up everyone. Be that person.
Having a sense of purpose is a powerful indicator of a mentally and physically healthful life. It is never too late to find a professional role that gives that sense of purpose to you.
Originally published on LinkedIn on 5 December 2016.