Is a Career Change for You?
About 6 percent of older workers surveyed by AARP are thinking about making a big career change. Maybe you're one of them - or want to be!
Some people are waiting a few more years for a pension to kick in. They're starting to look around now for a part-time business to create and run. Others know they have to continue earning money but want to try a different job -- before it's too late. They may be planning how to live with a pay cut, to get a chance at a new kind of work.
Grandparents in one state may move to another one, where their adult children have ended up. They don't want to miss out on grandkids. They look for a job in a new field, wanting a more flexible schedule than their former 60-hour-a-week work.
And aging hippies who never did join VISTA, or take that bus trip from London to Katmandu, may want to explore the adventure, service, or volunteer jobs they've had in their dreams for decades.
8 Simple Steps to Guide You
- Write the change you're thinking about at the top of a blank piece of paper. Divide it into "pro" and "con" columns. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Start writing. As quickly as you can, jot down all the ideas that come to you. Then list three more steps to further explore your pro and con list.
- Spend 15 minutes browsing one of the career-change Web sites in the Resources section. If something intrigues you, take one or two other steps to get more information.
- Invite a few like-minded friends over for snacks or a meal. Take turns telling each other your career-change ideas. Get feedback and more ideas.
- Hire a financial adviser to help you analyze the money implications of a big career change.
- Read a dozen stories of others who've made big career changes. What encourages you? What is holding you back?
- Invite family members to hear your top two or three career-change options. Ask them what parts they support or can help with. You may be surprised at the encouragement you get.
- Pick out another AARP Careers article, like "Get New Skills" or "Assessing Yourself to Get Your Next Job." Use three links to get more information about making career-change choices.
- After a month or two, try your pro-con list again. What other steps can you take to make up your mind? Which resources below will you use to make decisions about career change?
AARP Resources
7 Costly Pension Pitfalls
As you plan a career change, know what your pension benefits will
be.
Retirees Rocking Old Roles
Stories of new jobs and new adventures of people who re-invented
retirement.
Taking the
Plunge
Learn how one boomer went from corporation executive to college
professor.
Meet 8 Types of New Retirees
Eight quick stories of people who are redefining retirement,
including entrepreneurs and career switchers.
Financial
Advisors
Full of articles and resources about selecting financial
advisors.
Additional Resources
Career
Voyages for Career Changers
Information you need to make decisions about changing your
career. Link from here to needs and skills assessments, training
resources, job search sources, layoff advice, and many other
tools.
Too Young To
Retire
This site suggests that we retire the idea of retirement, and
asks what you are doing with the rest of your life. Links plus
100 stories from site users - about their own career changes.
Not Yet Retired
Reinvent retirement and re-imagine the meaning of work. Follow
the many helpful links for new ideas and inspiration
How One Entrepreneur Lives Large -- for Free
A Wall Street Journal Online story about an investment-banking
employee who became a mystery shopper after being laid off.
Volunteers-in-Parks with
the National Park Service
Hundreds of opportunities each year. In every state and from
trail maintenance to office work and visitor information.
Books
Find these books online at Barnes and Noble.com
The Back Door Guide to Short-Term Job Adventures, Michael Landes, Ten Speed Press, 3rd Edition, 2002. Browse more than 1,000 listings of off-the-beaten path opportunities. Includes information for career-changers and retirees.
How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas, Joseph Collins et. al., Penguin, 2001. How to find volunteer opportunities abroad. Research on more than 100 volunteer organizations includes interviews with older volunteers.
