Working when you get older

[DogTailRed2]

I'm 53 and at a turning point in my working life.
Not enougth years to practically retrain in anything significant.
Becomming mentally tired so having difficulty keeping up with technology and trends (I work in IT).
Feel like I should just become another manager because that's what old people do.
Need a total change of career but doubt that will ever be possible.

Just wondering what everybody else did when they reached 50 something career wise.

[Paul K]

The first thing I would consider is what provision you have made for your retirement ( whenever that comes ). If you are set up in terms of pensions and mortgage paid off ( or close to it ) then that frees up your options between now and then. As for your age, I don't think 53 is considered too late to retrain for something. Brain surgeon or ISS commander are probably a little unrealistic as goals, but there must be some vocation or skill that interests you - any clues ?

[511Flyer]

When I was 48, I was the field service supervisor for Hotpoint in Surrey. On office with a secretary, company car, good salary, 28 engineers on the road. Got where I wanted to be, but where would I go from there?

So one evening I sat down with my wife, who was working in a delicatessen, and had a heart to heart. She is two years younger, and felt the same as me. Our three kids, a son and two daughters, were consulted, and they were also up for a change.

So we sold our house in Woking, and bought a pub in the lovely Herefordshire countryside. After five wonderful years, having built the business up, we decided to call it a day. Sold the pub for a profit, which is a rarity, and went to live on a farm just two miles away from the pub. We rented an old cottage that was built in 1451 from friends who owned the farm, and spent the next 16 years there.

Our kids had meantime married, and were all living back in Surrey. In 2007, we also returned to Surrey, and have been happily retired since then.

We have absolutely no regrets about any part of our lives together. So my advice would be to go for whatever your dream is. Don't live your life wondering what if? It isn't a rehearsal, and you only get one shot at it.

[TSR2]

Sound advice. I’m 45 now and don’t really know where it’s all going. The girls are still young though so options at this stage are limited, but I can see me doing something completely different in the not too distant future. Nothing lasts forever.

[adysmith]

I'm almost 66 and still in the same profession (Air Traffic Control) that I started at age 18 a few months after leaving school with my shiny new A levels, and I have been at the same airport for 19 years.

I really must get out of this 40 hour week malarky soon!

[Buggyman]

At 45 I left the Army after almost 30 happy years. Over my time in the forces I had racked up the usual medical problems and I had a badly repaired smashed ankle (6 ops) and a very dodgy back so I knew that a full time job would be hard to hold down. There were just the 2 of us, our son was already making his own way in life and my wife had a good senior management job in the Civil Service so her salary and my Army Pension would pay the bills and keep the wolf from the door.

I decided to just strike out on my own, doing what I knew - administration and accounts. The premise was that small businesses are unable to pay full time support which means that their admin is done by mother/partner to varying levels of efficiency. My business could do everything from chasing bills, wages, VAT end of year accounts or the client could cherry-pick what suited them. I was also lucky enough to fall into a Small Business Start Up Scheme which gave me a short course on the basics and a small grant to set up.

It was interesting and hard work at times such as the end of the month invoices being sent out, meeting VAT and HMRC deadlines. I was never going to be a millionaire but I enjoyed myself, learned a lot and made some money. Also I worked from home, our house was big enough to have a separate area for work so I could 'commute' to/from the office. I worked for 10 years then, on medical advice, hung up my pen for good.

I suppose the message is; it is never too old to change, find something you enjoy and see if you can make it pay the bills and go for it.

ATB


Allan

[Brian Franklin]

Very true Allan. I'm 70 in 6 months and I'm still working as the IT Manager at a London Hospital. I love it and it definitely keeps the grey matter grey! Got no date in mind for retiring. I'll just go when I'm not enjoying it anymore.

[chrispbits]

It sounds very much as though you need a change to regenerate that enthusiasm you once had. It doesn't have to be anything major, perhaps a change of direction or new project where you currently work or work out want you want to do for the next few years and go for that. Age shouldn't be any kind of barrier. You could always consider striking out on your own ( a few grey hairs helps promote credibility) or join some kind of consultancy for variety. To be honest 53 is still pretty young so embrace change and go for it.

I've worked for the people who pay me for 22 years now (eek, how did that happen!) but in that time I've probably done at least 10 quite different "jobs" so haven't had the opportunity to be too bored. I'm approaching the third year in my current job so it must be nearly time change again. The very best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

[airboatr]

58 and still wiring the world, crawling through attics and crawl spaces fixing electrical circuits.
I plan on going out swinging a hammer ... Clutching my chest ...gasping

I love it

[simondix]

I took early retirement for a couple of reasons. I don't regret it at all. Should have done it at seventeen. However, now is not the time during the current climate due too Covid and Brexit, to change jobs. At present hang on to what you have. When things get better do something, if possible, that you always wanted to. I always loved animals and wildlife and at 31 I gave up a possible career to work with them. I took a 60% cut in income but loved the animals. Cannot say the same for the people I worked for. There is nothing worse in life than having to say 'If only I had'. If you have enough money to retire comfortably take the money and run whilst you can. If you want to do something once you have retired then do voluntary work for something you like.