More People Than Ever Are Changing Careers Later in Life- Why?

It used to be the case that you’d leave school, start the world of work and pretty much stay in that career path until you retired. This is the very straight and simple path that many have walked in, and for some, it made sense to do so. However, there are lots of reasons why people these days are doing things a little differently, and sometimes even making a complete U-turn in their career choices much later down the line. Here’s why more people than ever are changing career later in life.

Less age discrimination

Unfortunately, discrimination of all kinds still exists in many forms, and this is true with age discrimination. However, as citizens, we’re protected by law in many more ways this day in age than we were decades ago. Employers now have to show that they have a good reason for discriminating because of age. For example, if a role requires a lot of physical strength and fitness day in day out, it would be justifiable to say that anyone over a certain age (or with specific health complaints) would struggle doing the job, or it would be dangerous for them to do so. However, while this might rule out some jobs, there are many that are still essentially fine for a much older person to do. For this reason, those that are a little later in life have the ability to leave one job and apply for another, knowing that they can’t be discriminated against purely based on age. It gives those people the chance to apply for new things, when in the past it wouldn’t have been an option.

The world is changing

Many people would start their career in one industry and stay in it, hopefully working their way up over the years. However, the world is now fast paced and is changing at a much quicker rate than it has done previously. Due to increased communication across the globe and improving technology, some of the old stable industries that people worked in for years are now dying. It could be because they are being made obsolete (either through new technology or lack of customer demand) or it could be because it’s now cheaper for these industries to move to other places across the globe. Take Britain’s steelworks industry crisis for example. The drop in demand, and high cost and environmental factors of setting up new plants has meant a once thriving industry to make a career in is now massively at risk. Many people later in their career are now finding it at risk, which is a reason for them moving elsewhere.

Flexible education

There was once a time that changing careers meant going back to university for a number of years. This isn’t something that everyone could afford to quit their job and do, meaning changing careers was often out of reach. However these days, education is much more flexible. You can study for a degree, train to get your real estate licence or gain the necessary qualifications you need for most jobs online. Online study is flexible meaning it’s something you can do around a full time job, and then you can apply for new positions once you’ve qualified. No need to take years away from earning to study, and you can do it all from the comfort of your home.

Ability to improve work satisfaction

A career that suited you when you left school might have been perfect at the time. But fast forward thirty or even forty years down the line and you’ll have most definitely changed as a person. People are realising that changing career later in life can enable them to find a role that’s more suited to who their are now- not continue with a choice for who they were at sixteen.


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