It’s Never Too Late for a Second Act
Has the start of a new year kindled memories of the good ol’ days back in the office when bustling activity and lively banter always seemed to make time fly?
Forget the clock. It’s never too late to start something new, but be mindful of the marketplace’s transitions. Twenty years of experience may mean little if your computer skills are out of date, causing the youthful hiring team to perceive you as gramps or grandma. And even when your background meets all the requirements for the job, age discrimination is real, though can rarely be proven for not being hired.
If you’re not deterred by a bit of rejection, refresh your resume, update skills, be open to flexible roles, and consider further education.
Relaunching a career requires patience and resilience. If your motivation begins to wane after too many closed doors, why not create a new one?
Even if Retired Rock Star isn’t on your resume, consider Jeff Baxter, who retired from the Steely Dan band. He laid down his guitar to join the Pentagon as a defense and security consultant.
Then there’s Brian May. After performing for decades with Queen, the guitarist went back to school and completed his PhD. He then became an acclaimed astrophysicist and was a scientific collaborator on a NASA mission to Pluto.
Colonel Harland Sanders worked a variety of odd jobs before he began franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) at the age of 62. Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses) was a housekeeper and farm laborer whose folk art didn’t become a serious career until she turned 78 years old. Julia Child was an intelligence officer before publishing her first cookbook at age 49.
College professor Harold Kahn chose a new path after retiring from 30 years of teaching English as a Second Language. The 73-year-old is now an artist and nude figure model at local colleges and art centers in Florida. How daring is that!
You don’t need to come from celebrity status or strike out on a daring path like Professor Kahn’s to enhance your self-esteem and put a little extra cash in your pocket. If an enjoyable pastime has been knitting sweaters and mittens for friends and family, consider selling your finished items online with a platform like Etsy. Signing up is free, with a small fee for listing and selling products.
Do you find great pleasure when friends rave about your specialty dishes? Might this be a new door? Educate yourself on food regulations, then offer a café owner a sample or two of your biggest hits. Being prepared with a simple system for delivery and payment will send you through that door like a pro.
My aunt and uncle would rise at 4 am each day to make grapefruit-sized muffins for local ski resorts near Nashua, New Hampshire. It was tiring, but their venture paid for years of their grandchildren’s private education. Today those kids all have successful careers in law, medicine, and the service.
There is always a unique door to create, open, and follow. And as many have shown us, they needn’t have anything to do with your past work to lead to great accomplishment and pleasure.
Johanna Skouras
50plus Magazine
Johanna Skouras is a psychotherapist and author of the book Standing Up for Yourself/The Art of Self Assertion.