Change profession in adulthood. How? New profession at 40 years old

How to change profession

More and more often, women are thinking about how to change their profession at the age of 40, despite the fact that in many countries the stereotype still persists - having received a profession, you need to work in this specialty all your life, and preferably in one place, gradually making a career. For many, this is a symbol of stability and success, which is generally true. Indeed, in this case, a person is calm about the present and confident in the future. But what to do if you were laid off, your chosen profession is outdated or just boring? That's right, you need to get a new one. As for the fact that at 40 it’s too late, I’ll say right away that I simply don’t understand this. Or rather, I don’t want to understand people who, after forty, simply live, counting the days until retirement. To those who consider themselves to be like this, I suggest that you simply close my site and never return here again. It is only for those who want more than they have, for those who want to live life to the fullest and make a living doing something interesting.

I want to change my profession: what should I do?

After surfing the Internet, I discovered that most of the articles on this topic are devoted to the psychological side of the matter. Perhaps this is due to the fact that 40 years is some kind of milestone for people. Some go to great lengths, trying to catch up with their youth, others, on the contrary, decide that all the best is behind them, all that remains is to get fat, acquire illnesses and raise grandchildren. In fact, everything is not so scary - you still have health and life experience. In general, psychologists believe that you will first need:

1. Awareness, that is, the understanding that you are bored with doing what you did in previous decades - there is no desire to communicate on professional topics, read specialized literature and improve your professional level.
2. Fighting fears - oh, what will I live on after quitting my job, will something else come out of me, how will people look, what will my friends think, etc. and so on. If these fears are seriously bothering you, just don’t rush it – you can learn a new profession without stopping doing your old one and only after mastering it, or even better, having acquired clients, can you quit.
3. Resource inventory - what do you already know? Many of us, up to higher education, managed to receive a secondary technical education, complete courses (and more than one), learn something for ourselves, acquire a hobby (also often more than one). It's time to remember all this and make a list.
4. Market research. Some professions are dying out, others are emerging, some enterprises are closing, others are starting up. What's happening in your region? Do you know what vacancies are in demand, what companies are ready to train workers themselves? Most likely, once you start collecting information, you will learn a lot of new and unexpected things.
5. Decide what profession you are interested in. You don’t want to spend the next 10-20 years doing something that annoys you again, do you? So, immediately look for a profession that interests you in itself. Now you are an adult and neither your mother nor your girlfriends can influence your decision.

By the way, there are special tests online and in employment centers that help you decide on your choice of profession. Among those on the Internet, there are quite a few stupid ones made by amateurs. So you shouldn’t limit yourself to one test, take several, maybe they will lead you to new ideas or remind you of some old dreams.

Maybe it's not the profession's fault?

It is worth noting that often a person, without realizing it, wants to change not his profession, but his place of work. There are many reasons for this:

• unpleasant atmosphere in the team;
• low salary;
• impossibility of career growth;
• the need to perform duties completely unrelated to the main profession.

As you can see, the profession itself is not to blame; perhaps you should try just changing jobs. Psychologists also advise you to think carefully about what your current life is like and what exactly you need to correct in it. Perhaps the desire to change profession in adulthood is just a way not to solve another, much more unpleasant problem.

How to change jobs and get a new profession at 40

1. Complete the courses. They are available in almost every city, but if you live in a small town or the list of specialties does not suit you, you can complete the courses remotely. .

2. Go to university. Many people, having decided to radically change their profession, go to study at a university. This is not necessarily a second higher education; many people with a technical secondary education by the age of 40 understand that they deserve more, but they lack knowledge, or just “crusts.”

3. Engage in self-education. Many professions can be learned independently from books, free (or paid) Internet courses, training videos, etc. The main desire. It is not necessary to start learning from scratch; perhaps it will be enough to deepen your knowledge in something that you already know how to do, for example, in some hobby, craft, etc.

4. Hire a personal teacher. If you ask me how to quickly get a new profession, I will answer that by paying someone who has already achieved success in what you intend to master. Yes, it often costs a lot of money, but these costs are recouped as quickly as possible. Although I had to deal with the fact that old masters were ready to share the secrets of their craft for free so that someone would continue their work.

5. Get a new job. A couple of times they hired me simply with the words: “If you’re smart enough to graduate from college, you’ll master a new profession.” And nothing, I mastered it and even liked it. I think you also know such cases; too many people in our country work in areas far from their main profession. Many employers are ready to teach and retrain people themselves, the main thing is that they have a desire to learn.

6. Find new facets of an old profession. To make it clearer, I will give a couple of examples - a school teacher can go to work in a kindergarten, in a children's development center (or open his own) or become. An artist can start weaving or take up teaching, teaching children how to draw (and not only children).

7. Start your own business. Even if it is related to your previous specialty, I guarantee you that there will be more new knowledge, activities, and activities through the roof!

I got 7 real answers to the question: how to change profession at 4 years old, they are suitable for women and men. I will say right away that it is likely that you will have to use several of them at once to get a new specialty, and also that it will not necessarily be the last. Perhaps a few years will pass and you will change it too. There's nothing wrong with that. All over the world, people are increasingly changing jobs, professions, and even professions in general. Moreover, they continue to work even in retirement, and not because there is not enough money, but because they feel the desire to live life to the fullest and be in demand. So 40 years is not old at all!

It turned out that the level of competence of people is unevenly distributed by age. It would seem that the older a person is and the longer he has been engaged in his profession, the higher the competence should be, the better the results and the louder the success?

However, this is not observed in all professions. Perhaps only in some areas of art: in painting, music, sculpture, literature, partly in directing, in crafts, martial arts, and even then under the condition of continuous practice and close involvement in the real industry.

In all other professions, there is a completely different distribution of competencies by age, with the peak occurring between 30 and 40 years. At this time, people are actively immersed in real projects and are less involved in management.

After 40 years, many people move from direct professional activities to managerial ones, which inevitably reduces their competencies.

Some at the age of 30–35 create their own business, as a result of which they have to improve marketing, sales, accounting, and business organization. There is less time left for professional growth.

Individually, this age range of competency distribution varies greatly by industry. There are industries, such as software development, where the rate of change is so high that the peak of competencies falls in the range from 25 to 35 and does not grow much because technologies, tools and frameworks are actively changing. There are industries where the rate of change is lower, so the peak of competencies moves closer to 40–45, sometimes to 50, which is already rare.

But one way or another, there is a significant number of people over 45, 50, 55 years old who have a serious problem: they have changed many professions, but all these professions are outdated to one degree or another. As a result, such people are in a kind of illusion.

They continue to think that they are still professionals in these industries. Compared to novice amateurs - yes, but for the requirements of the modern market - no longer!

That means back to school! 45, 50, 55, 65 - this is the range when you can and should acquire, open up new horizons and opportunities. Why and why is this necessary?

Why study

Bad news first

If you are professionally illiquid, then an unpleasant prospect awaits you. You can continue to maintain increasingly simpler processes, and most likely within 10-15 years you will be laid off. It is difficult and almost impossible for you to compete with the next generation in the 35-45 age range. Moreover, the robots are advancing. Therefore, we will not discuss further why this is necessary: ​​it is already clear. Let's talk about the benefits of getting a new profession.

Good news: we have plenty of them!

1. Oddly enough, people do not get dumber with age, but get smarter. This is a proven fact. You can learn 10-20 times faster, especially in complex subjects and skills. Yes, teenagers will beat you at computer shooting games, but they won't even come close to understanding the complex concepts that you will intuitively understand instantly. Why? Because your erudition, contextual spaces, ability to operate with categories and connect concepts are several times higher at this age. And they will continue to increase if you take care of this in advance.

2. You read faster and, most importantly, understand faster. If it takes a young person several years to enter the profession, it will only take you a few months if you do it with the same intensity. Many people over 45 are afraid to study because they are used to thinking that it will take a very long time.

Children take a long time to learn, but adults learn 100 and 200 times faster. Now you don't have to be afraid.

3. You see new opportunities faster when you connect with new knowledge. Why? Because opportunities are the other side of problems, and you see them and are able to recognize them more and better precisely because you are more experienced and sophisticated in life. The problem for new startups is that they quickly gain expertise in technology, but they do not have knowledge of life and understanding of problems. Therefore, new knowledge will give you 10–20 times more opportunities than young people.

5. Intensive education dramatically reduces the likelihood of age-related dementia, which is too early to think about before 40, and after 55 it’s not too late. More details about this can be found in the presentation of my TED talk “Non-drug approaches to active aging.”

6. New learning means new contacts, new horizons, new meanings, new countries. Children and household problems in the past.

The second youth has arrived - the time to discover the world, gain new sensations, new experiences. It's only begining.

Feel like you are young again, again a student, leave the constraining role of an experienced person. Experience is there to help you, not limit your ability to grow.

What to study

The general approach relies on two simple criteria.

1. What do you like, what do you have a passion for?

People often make mistake No. 1: you get excited about many things that you know and have experienced. But there is a lot of everything. There is a lot more that you don’t know and that could possibly embarrass you much more. To avoid making this mistake, you need to read more in various industry press, go to events in different areas that are far from your everyday life.

Mistake #2: Choosing a profession. A profession is just a tool for achieving and realizing your desires and ideas of success. Therefore, first you should understand what the picture of success looks like, the experience that you want to gain. What does the role you want to play look like? Once you understand this, everything becomes much easier with the choice of profession.

2. What will develop promisingly and intensively within 5–8 years?

The calculation is simple: 5–7 months will be spent on training, about 7–9 months on entering a new field and getting to the forefront (remember that you do this faster than young people) and about 5 years of unlimited professional, social and financial growth. Then, most likely, either a transition to a higher level - management and business - or another change of direction.

The older a person gets, the more careful he is; fears and uncertainty hinder him. Is it possible to get a new profession at 40 and is it worth doing? It's never too late to start over.

Causes

I want something different: more active work, other responsibilities, creative tasks. Feeling unfulfilled is a strong motivator to change jobs, but it is not the only reason.

There are situations when work becomes torture. The need to serve the allotted time in the office squeezes out all the physical and moral strength.

5 effective ways

You can change your profession at any age: both after 40 and after 50. The secret of success is not to give up. Young people have just completed their studies at schools or universities, but you have successful experience and the ability to behave in a team. You know what to do and what to avoid in a new place. Let's look at five effective ways to change your profession.

Importance of Education

It's prestigious to have a diploma. It is no less known that no one needs a diploma. The latter opinion arose partly because yesterday's graduates shine with theoretical knowledge, but they have no practice. Older people have both a diploma and experience. It makes sense to look for vacancies in your first specialty, and gaps in knowledge will be filled by courses or self-study.

If you want to change your profession to one that you had only dreamed of before, it makes sense to study at a university. Basic training is a strong basis for changing jobs.

Promising areas

Beauty, sales, real estate - these are areas where anyone can get a job.

1. To work in sales, you don’t need experience and your age doesn’t matter. You can get a job selling food, equipment, books, office supplies, clothes. Online shopping is becoming increasingly popular. Sales is a huge field of opportunities for development and career growth.
2. Do you want to try yourself in a creative profession? There is always a demand for hairdressers and makeup artists. It is important to gain experience and find clients. This field is very suitable for a woman, but a man can also change his boring office job to become a hairdresser.
3. Real estate agency is a promising field for people of any age. It is difficult to master this new profession, so it is better to find courses, get a job at an agency as an intern, or take online training.
4. If you are an active person, love to communicate, know the history of your hometown and remember English, it’s time to find out if tourism managers are required.

Starting a business

Entrepreneurship can be undertaken both at 20 and after 40 years of age; it is suitable for both men and women. It will be difficult and uncomfortable for a person who lacks self-confidence. Enter your new activity prepared. First, think about why you are going into business. Formulate a business plan, think carefully about the idea and prepare for a difficult journey. Stress comes with this type of work and you need to be able to rest from time to time.

Tutoring

Can you play the guitar? Have you worked as a teacher, painted, or been an athlete? Why not teach it to others for an appropriate fee. Knowledge is a very valuable commodity, and training brings great profits. Tutoring and preparing schoolchildren for exams is always relevant. Grown men and women also need knowledge. For this job, you only need your experience in the field you want to teach.

Hobby as a source of income

A hobby is an activity for pleasure, and a job is for money. Is it so?

You can find a job that gives you pleasure, or make your favorite hobby bring money.

While you are developing, you should not change your main job. If you're lucky, your hobby can start to bring in a lot of income. What talents do you have? Do you like to knit? Sell ​​your unique knitted products. Do you draw pictures? Why not sell them? Organize master classes, publish your work on the Internet, in blogs, all this will help you find more fans.

Changing your profession at 40 or more years of age is possible, you just need to start.

“I worked for 20 years in one profession right after graduating from college. She made a good career. I even get a good salary. But every day when I come to work, I start to feel “sick” from everything.

And the question is not even about the company where I work. Because Over the course of 20 years I have changed them several times. The problem is that I no longer want to work within this profession. I want self-realization in a completely different direction. But I'm 40 years old. And give employers 30-year-olds, without children, and with at least 2 years of work experience in a similar position. Don't know, what to do».

Or this option:

“After college I got a job. She worked for three years. I didn’t really like the job, but then I didn’t have much choice. Then she went on her first maternity leave. Before it was over, she gave birth to a child again. I was on maternity leave for a long time, now the children are already going to school, I’m about forty years old.

There is practically no work experience, but I already want self-realization. Who will hire me like this? After all, even candidates with extensive professional experience at this age are reluctant to be accepted into companies.”

Here are just a couple of examples of letters and requests from my clients during consultations.

Today I will try to answer the question: what to do? Today I will not talk about finding a calling and choosing what you love. By default, we will assume that you have already decided on the chosen direction. If not, then first read the articles in my, or sign up with me, and we will not only determine your vocation, but also write a plan of action.

If you are planning to start your own business or information business, everything is simpler here - no employer will interfere with you, and your age will most likely play a plus to your authority.

But not everyone is comfortable doing business. Many find it much calmer to work for hire. Therefore, today’s recommendations will be just for you – those who are afraid to change their career and field of activity because of their age.

I would like to consider common stereotypes among employers and candidates today. And I will try to encourage you with specific recommendations and examples.

First, about stereotypes.

In fact, you are right when you say that employers want young, unencumbered employees with incredible education, professional skills and experience in a similar role.

Let's start with the fact that this is not the case in all companies. There are companies that do not hire employees under 35 years of age. There are employers who are willing to interview you if you sell yourself well in your resume and cover letter.

1. Who seeks will always find! Search! Don't limit yourself to job exchanges or job sites. Find at least 20 companies in your city that you would like to work for. Write them letters. Even if they don’t have a vacancy right now, or they are basically not interested in you, you have nothing to lose!

In my practice, there were at least 7 cases when a person sent out his resume in this way. As a result, I either received a response that there were no suitable vacancies at the moment, or received an alternative offer for another position, or did not receive a response at all. But after 3-6 months (!) his efforts were more than rewarded: he received a letter offering him an interview for the desired position!

The main thing is to understand that all the efforts you make will not be in vain.

2. Sell yourself! What benefits will a potential employer receive if they hire you? First, just write it all down on a piece of paper. Include in this list all your strengths, your skills, knowledge, achievements. Read and decide whether you would “buy” yourself by looking at your resume?

If not, what is missing? What knowledge do you lack? What needs to be developed in the near future? Make another list based on the answers to these questions. Before you begin answering these questions, review job postings for similar positions. Look carefully, what does the employer want to see in a potential candidate for this position? Pay attention first of all to the tasks that the employee must perform and what skills he must have. Don't look at age wishes (see point #1).

Your task is to collect the necessary information and draw up a plan for your development.

3. Improve the necessary professional skills. You have compiled a list of required skills for your desired position. Now determine how and where you can purchase them. There is no need to obtain a second higher education. You can always find retraining courses or advanced training courses, or short-term training courses.

If there are none in your city, pay attention to online distance learning. Many training centers in large cities have long created distance learning programs, upon completion of which they will send you a supporting document (certificate, certificate or even diploma). Read specialized literature, educate yourself.

4. Try on a new profession. After all, in fact, everything may not turn out to be as “romantic” as you pictured it in your imagination. Consider remote work options so you can stay in your current job and still try yourself in a new profession.

Also consider freelancing or volunteering. In your free time, you can work for free or take on small one-time jobs.

5. In addition, many companies are interested in employees without work experience and train them themselves. If there are no such companies in your city, again, consider working online. Many companies in large cities or large private entrepreneurs and information businessmen recruit employees and conduct interviews via the Internet. There is no need to go to the office every day, you can work from home. Search!

If you are afraid that you will not be officially employed, what about interrupted service and pension... What can I say! Either look for an official job and hold on to apparent stability, or take risks. I will disappoint you - there is no stability. The Lord did not promise tomorrow to anyone. The economic and political situation in the country and in the world can change at any moment, and your work history and all your pension savings can depreciate at any time.

Determine for yourself what is more important to you now: self-realization in your favorite business or an entry in your work book, which may guarantee you a pension in old age? But I’ll make a reservation right away: nothing prevents you from finding a job where you can have both. Search!

6. Prepare for the interview. Before you go for an interview, think about your answers to this question: “Why should we hire you instead of someone who is more experienced in this field?” This is where listing your skills and talents (see point 2) that are suitable for this job will come in handy, and if you were actively involved in improving them (seminars, courses, special literature, volunteering, etc.), the effect will be even better.

Think about examples from your past professional activities. Surely you have had to perform similar tasks and cope with them successfully. If you remember at least 3-5 such examples, you will feel more confident and will be able to mention this at the interview.

And finally, examples that will give you self-confidence.

The famous Russian artist Yuri Larin, whose works are exhibited in museums in Paris, Moscow and New York, worked as a hydraulic engineer until the age of 40, when he entered the Stroganov School.

A resident of an island state in Oceania, Francois Latil worked as a lawyer and designed bows in his spare time. At the age of 62, he made his Olympic debut in Sydney, taking part in archery competitions.

JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, published her first book at the age of 33. Before that, she worked as a researcher and secretary-translator for Amnesty International. And since writing her first book, in five years, Rowling has gone from living on welfare to becoming a multimillionaire.

The famous Louise Hay, who wrote the first book, Heal Your Body, when she was 50 years old. Moreover, the author only has high school, religious courses and life experience behind him.

There are such examples all over the world and beyond. Many women aged 40-50-60 come to me for consultations. And even if at the age of 60 it is really difficult to get a permanent job in any company, they do not give up and start their own business! Some are offline, and some are online.

The main thing is self-belief, confidence in the chosen direction and motivation, supported by practical actions.

Related articles:

Where are the limits of personal effectiveness?

The secret impact of the right goal

If you do not have specific skills, but have the desire and determination, you can try yourself in one of the listed vacancies. Work for women on the Internet The Internet is a place where both men and women can earn money. But there are much more opportunities for girls and here's why:

• Working on the Internet requires perseverance, and this trait is characteristic of girls
• Housewives and girls on maternity leave have more free time than men working their main jobs.
• There is more space on the Internet for the creative expression of female nature.

If you decide to find employment on the Internet, first determine which category of users you belong to:

• Beginning
• Advanced.

If you are at the entry level, your earnings will be small, but this is a good opportunity to gain experience.

Is it even possible for a woman to find a job after 40 (a normal job)?

You can learn through courses, but you will also have to study a lot on your own.

Knowledge of foreign languages ​​and related education will be a huge advantage.

Vocational training for unemployed citizens at state expense. The state also supports people left without work.
By contacting the employment service, you can receive a referral for free training in a new profession.
Most often, this requires registering for unemployment, but sometimes you can do without unnecessary formalities.

The best professions for women after 40 years

It is difficult and almost impossible for you to compete with the next generation in the 35-45 age range.

Moreover, the robots are advancing. Therefore, we will not discuss further why this is necessary: ​​it is already clear.

Attention

Let's talk about the benefits of getting a new profession.

The best job for a woman: a list of the most in-demand professions

The five best professions For women who want to achieve high material well-being, the five highest paid professions for women will help them decide on a profitable profession:

• executive director responsible for the activities of the entire company as a whole;
• a pharmacist whose consultations, along with dispensing medications, bring in a good income;
• a lawyer whose services are highly valued in both civil and criminal proceedings;
• a computer manager who earns a generous reward for the smooth operation of a computer network, equipment and software;
• a company analyst who receives income for the ability to organize the organization’s activities to improve efficiency and, as a result, receive additional profit.

As you can see, there is nothing wrong with changing the type of activity.

Your new level

The only downside is that it will require time and financial costs.

If time and funds allow, then you can try to get a second higher education.

• A good option when changing activities is remote work, which provides the opportunity to try yourself in a new business without requiring immediate dismissal.

  If everything works out, then you can safely leave your current job and devote yourself to something interesting and attractive.

• An excellent solution would be to open your own business, where you have the opportunity to work without depending on anyone. This inspires, encourages, encourages energetic action, and previously acquired experience increases prestige.
• There are companies that are interested in employees with no work experience. These companies have their own methods of training their own employees.
• You can complete nail extension courses.

Such vacancies are characterized by great competition, high requirements, and have many directions for climbing the career ladder. The following specialties are considered promising:

• pharmacist;
• sous chef of the restaurant;
• photographer;
• choreographer;
• machine operator, production line.

Prestigious Many specialties for girls are often distinguished by prestige. There may be a tough selection process for such vacancies, it is difficult to get into them, but the result is worth it.

The list of professions for girls looking for a well-paid, interesting, prestigious job is wide:

• lawyer;
• economist;
• medical representative;
• interior designer;
• clothes designer;
• TV or radio presenter;
• stewardess;
• fitness instructor;
• nutritionist.

Fashionable Many courses for girls will help you get into the most fashionable professions.

In-demand professions for women after 40 years of age

However, a significant part of professions closely related to legal services are occupied by girls. This work requires concentration and may have a strict work schedule, but in return it offers prospects for career growth up to regional managers, directors of an enterprise, a company, or a corporation. It can be:

• advocate;
• notary;
• legal consultant;
• simultaneous translation specialist.

Working professions for women Women workers are not such a rarity.

The list of specializations related to physical labor, but suitable for the fair sex, does not have a large selection.

Such areas of employment will offer work immediately after graduating from school or completing specialized courses, graduating from technical schools, or colleges with a shortened program.
In this article you will learn about the most basic types of income for women, and we will start by listing the leading areas of employment: Contents:

• Criteria for choosing women's professions ↓
• Hobby as work ↓
• Jobs for the talented ↓
• The best home professions for women: choosing work from home ↓
• The most popular professions for women ↓
• Jobs for women on the Internet ↓
• The highest paid professions ↓
• Which job should you choose in the end ↓

• Social sphere. Sociability is a distinctive feature of women.
• Accounting, finance. Here such feminine qualities as perseverance and monotony of work are manifested.
• Sales manager, seller.

The most in-demand professions for women over 40 without experience 2018

For more serious work you need special education:

• secretary;
• accountant;
• financial director;
• HR manager;
• marketing specialist.

The most interesting professions for women Representatives of the fair sex’s predisposition to communicate when working with people and their desire for self-expression make them excellent workers in the field of marketing, art, consulting, simultaneous translation, and journalism.

The following areas of employment are considered the most interesting:

1. Journalism.

   Processing and collecting information, presenting it to a wide audience, communicating with interesting people - all this makes this specialization ideal for girls who crave communication and strive for self-development.

2. Psychology.

   The vast majority of women have obvious empathy, compassion, and sympathy.