Older Adults — Share With Us How You Pivoted Careers Later In Life
There's a strange division happening in the US labor market right now — while the US unemployment rate remains low, workers everywhere feel it's impossible to find a new job.
just applied to be an FBI agent like seriously fuck it at this point
— blizzy (@blizzy_mcguire) October 15, 2024
Across social media, I keep seeing repeat stories of people on the job hunt applying to hundreds of jobs with no response. It can go on for months, or in this person's case, even a year:
I got laid off June 1, 2023. I created a spreadsheet to track all the roles I’ve applied to. A year later, I’ve submitted 463 applications 🙃🥲
— Gripper (@Tr3_GK) June 4, 2024
In response to the above tweet, one person suggested that applicants need to be applying to 10 jobs per day in the current market. This obviously sparked a flurry of replies, with many people calling the idea completely unrealistic and lowkey absurd:
I understand we gotta “do what we gotta do” but applying to 50+ jobs a week is absolutely absurd and a sign of how terrible of times we’re living in. Having to create an account for each application, is ridiculous. Having to go through 4+ rounds of interviews, is ridiculous. The…
— Cindy Noir✨ (@thecindynoir) June 5, 2024
They're not wrong for feeling this way — while the labor market saw an increase in new jobs in September, overall, the number of job openings in the US has fallen back to levels not seen since early 2021.
So, while the job market remains precarious and many contemplate their career paths, for those who've had success pivoting careers later in life — how and why did you do it? What's your life like now?
Maybe you worked at the same company for 20 years and were devasted when you were laid off at 45. You felt disposable, but it gave you the chance to reflect on what you wanted the rest of your career to look like. You realized you actually had been stuck in a job you didn't enjoy and fully intended to endure until retirement. While it wasn't easy, you went back to school and became a child therapist — your pipe dream that never felt possible. Now, you feel a renewed sense of purpose and excitement every day.
Perhaps after spending 30 years as an accountant, you were starting to feel like you were at a dead end. At 55, with your kids grown and a little more financial freedom, you decided to take a "risky" step and pursue your passion for cooking. You enrolled in culinary classes in the evenings after work, even though starting "over" seemed daunting. After cooking locally for friends and family, word-of-mouth got you enough gigs to start catering. One thing led to another, and you opened a small farm-to-table restaurant. Being a business owner is a whole new ballgame, but you feel the risks associated are far less than if you kept at your job as an accountant.
Maybe after a decade in corporate sales, you felt drained by the constant grind of chasing unrealistic quotas. You'd always had a creative side, but it took a backseat as you climbed the corporate ladder. You realized you were chasing goals you didn't value, so you decided to pursue graphic design, a hobby you'd always loved. You took online courses, built a portfolio, and transitioned to full-time freelance work within a year. The change was challenging but gave you the freedom and purpose you were missing.
Whether you changed careers to pursue a lifelong passion, have more freedom, make more money, or something else — tell me all about it in the comments or at this anonymous form. Your response could be featured in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post.
