Your career does not have to decline as you age. In fact, it can be a great opportunity to find fulfillment and keep growing.
Once you have been in the workforce for two, three or even four decades, you may not dare to think about changing your career because it seems like the odds are stacked against you.
You may be listening to the negative voices taking up rent in your head saying that you’re too old, too qualified, or that you’ve achieved everything you’re going to achieve. Or you might believe that age discrimination is so entrenched, you’ll never get your resume passed a recruiter.
Not going to lie, ageism is real. Data suggests that workers aged 45-plus face an uphill battle toward employment — and that was true for all countries surveyed. Mindsets around aging and stereotypes exist but they have no basis in fact.
Today, people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond still want stimulating jobs and have no intention of jumping off the retirement cliff anytime soon. In fact, we’re moving towards the age of unretiring. (We’ve been moving there for awhile.) This change benefits everyone.
It’s time we debunked the myths.
Myth #1: You’ve passed the peak of your career.
Says who? The days of having one job for life are well and truly over. The average person now changes jobs 12 times in the course of their career, and stays with an employer for just 4.1 years. Even those who start their own business say they plan to scale it and then sell it within five years.
These facts speak in favor of later-life career transitions. Since no one stays long doing one job, it is better for employers to hire someone with years of accumulated skills, knowledge and life experience who can add value from day one.
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