You might have heard somebody who’s an older worker say that they are too old to do something different professionally. “I’m too old to start a new career,” or “Nobody will hire me now that I’m in my 60s” or “They’re looking for someone younger.”
The thing is: That’s not entirely true. And if you want to remain working professionally for most of your life, you shouldn’t talk yourself out of it.
Sometimes these older people might be saying that they are on the “back side of their careers,” and from a financial standpoint, maybe they are. According to Bloomberg Businessweek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_earning_years), the peak income-earning years are between 40 and 55, so, statistically, that might be accurate. But it is not an absolute. It’s certainly not the case for everyone.
Consider Mother Angelica, the Franciscan nun who is best known for starting the internationally broadcast Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). She did that at age 58 with no prior cable TV experience.
Then there’s Ray Kroc of McDonald’s fame. Kroc was a 53-year-old milk shake mixer salesman who sold the McDonald brothers eight Multi-Mixers. He was so impressed with their operation that he started selling franchises. By age 59, he had bought the McDonald brothers out, and as the owner of 100 franchises, he proclaimed himself the new “founder.” Then the company really took off.
Harland “Colonel” Sanders first owned a restaurant in Corbin, KY, that suffered losses when Interstate 75 rerouted traffic away from his small town. Rather than give up and retire, he perfected his spice blend (that “secret recipe”) and improved his quick-cooking techniques for fried chicken. At age 62, he sold his first KFC franchise, and he sold the entire company to a group of investors when he was 73.
It’s really never too late to achieve goals in work and in life. Maybe there are some things you can’t do, but there are a plethora of opportunities for things you can do. If you are seeking new work, feeling burned out or at a professional dead end right now, here are a few things to consider:
- First, take a vacation or go on a personal retreat. Allow yourself time and space to mentally detox, reflect, pray and recharge. Get away from the crowd noise. Start journaling. Take an inventory of what you are good at doing, things you are passionate about doing. Write down 25 (or more!) things you could do.
- Go visit an industrial psychologist and have them run a series of tests to help you really assess yourself and your abilities. That might be the best money you ever spent.
- Consider learning a new skill. This can be something inside or outside of your industry. What are younger employees doing (from a productivity standpoint) that you aren’t doing? Start doing those things!
If you’re still not happy after you’ve taken these steps, maybe it’s time to change your career. I hear people say they can’t make that kind of change financially. That might be true based on your current lifestyle, but if what you’re doing now doesn’t bring you happiness and fulfilment, maybe it’s time to simplify your lifestyle. A great book on this topic is Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. But go ahead and take those first steps. As someone once said: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
Recent Comments