What are the best courses to complete after 55. Change profession in adulthood
I'll start in the style of Alcoholics Anonymous: I'm 42 now and have been an accountant for 19 years. It was not my dream profession, but at that time I didn’t really have to choose, and a stable job and a good salary don’t lie on the road. As the years went by, dissatisfaction grew. One day, the moment came when I realized: you can’t continue to live like this, you need to look for something new.
Why did I decide to change my profession after 40?
Until that time, I didn’t even really think about my purpose. First there was an institute, then attempts to get at least somewhere, then marriage and my first permanent job. It seemed that there was a lot of time ahead, and I would have time to decide what I really want to devote myself to. And then, as is usually the case with many women, she went on maternity leave, after a while the second time. All thoughts about myself somehow faded into the background, because it was necessary to raise children.
At the age of 31, I got a job in a large holding, where I worked as a chief accountant for almost 11 years.
Basically a good job. And the team is wonderful. But the feeling of own unfulfillment intensified every year.
I always hated these figures, and the phrase “cash discipline” gave me scabies. And even financial stability and the respect of colleagues could not compensate for this.
I was suffocated by the enormous responsibility entrusted to me, although I did not launch ships into space. However, I wanted something more free and creative, or something. Dreams were to be realized in a completely different area, far from endless reporting and documentation, which cast green melancholy on me.
And since the children had already grown up, a certain calmness reigned in life, I decided to correct this and began to look for adventures on my own “madame sitting”. Resigned from work. Fortunately, in this case there was a stash under the mattress. I set out to find my purpose.
First of all, I went to the career guidance center, where, after a two-hour test, they announced to me the suitable professions for me as a sales manager, dog handler, director and logistician. Nice spread, right? What a versatile person I am!
I must admit, the pictures seemed to me the most rosy (well, gray hair in a beard, demon in a rib - you yourself understand). But, as soon as I began to surf the labor market in search of possible vacancies, all illusions about my brilliant future in a new field crumbled in an instant. And the point “requirements for applicants” became the main stumbling block.
How to find a good job when you are over 40?
After watching it, my self-esteem plummeted. Everywhere you look - everyone is looking for 25-year-olds with a profile higher education and eight years of work experience in a similar position, not burdened by family ties. However, I'm not sure that such people even exist. But I have something to these requirements - as to the equator on horseback.
After 35, even experienced specialists are very reluctant to take. What can we say about me, who has neither experience nor relevant education. And to get errands in the area of interest, in order to advance in the future, I am beyond my strength, and not by age.
I must admit that at first I was very upset when I realized the real state of things in the Russian labor market. Indeed, if they tried to refuse in Europe because of the age limit, they would immediately sue. Yes, and the retraining system we have is not very sensible. Courses, of course, a lot, and quite expensive. But how to distinguish something really worthwhile from props, when she herself is not in the tooth in this area at all?
The decision came quite by accident, and not at all from the side with which I expected. But more about that a little later, but for now I’ll tell you what other difficulties I encountered, and what you should think about before deciding to radically change your profession.
What job should you not look for after 40?
- Do not chop everything from the shoulder, take a time out . Sometimes I feel sick not from the chosen profession, but from work in principle. Well, you are tired! So the best option would be a vacation, and you can have a good rest and think things over soberly. Maybe after two weeks of lying on the beach, you will want to skip to work and you will no longer have any desire to change anything.
- If, nevertheless, thoughts of change do not leave you, think about it. Maybe you are not satisfied not with the type of activity, but with your team or wages? Do not engage in self-deception, otherwise you will simply change the awl for soap. Who knows, what if it's best to change companies, not profession?
- Decide what you want to do , and learn about all the pitfalls. Otherwise, difficulties can discourage any desire to continue doing something. At this age, defeat is much harder to experience, I know from myself.
- look for some educational courses for this profession , they will help you get the basic skills. In addition, as far as I remember, many employers really appreciate certificates of completion of such courses, as they provide knowledge that is really necessary for work.
- It's great if the chosen area is adjacent to your previous activity. . So you will learn a new job much faster, and your experience will become an advantage over young people.
- Be prepared for the fact that retraining will take a lot of time and money, so take care of the financial cushion in advance. Also, an important factor will be whether your loved ones are ready to support you, since changing a profession is a very difficult step, and you may need help.
How I changed my profession at 40
As I said, the decision came quite spontaneously and unexpectedly. I made my favorite "ministerial" poppy seed cake (I love baking, to be honest) and called my friend over for tea to chat and complain about how lousy employers are and how hard it is to get a job at 42.
In a leisurely conversation over goodies, it turned out that my guest's daughter would have a wedding in a week. So she asked me to bake a birthday cake, as they both simply adore my flour “masterpieces”.
Of course, I happily agreed! It was very exciting. I took out a notebook with the most proven recipes from the bins. I have been surfing the Internet for a long time. And on the eve of the celebration, I created something three-tiered, sprinkled with fragrant glaze and decorated with my signature candied flowers. I was shocked myself, to be honest.
At the wedding, all the guests were in awe of the cake. But what was my surprise when, within a week, 3 people called me asking me to bake something similar to order! So my love of sweets turned into a source of income.
My husband supported me a lot in my endeavors, for which I am immensely grateful to him.
True, after a couple of months I felt that my skills were still not enough, and therefore I signed up for special confectionery courses. So now I can make chiffon sponge cake, mascarpone cream, and even make my own fondant figurines.
Now I have an appointment for a month ahead. I finally feel like I'm just enjoying what I'm doing. Income, however, is still slightly less than at the previous job. But money can't buy happiness!
Instruction
By the age of 40, a person often manages to make a career, his life becomes orderly and stable. But at the same time, justified reasons may appear that force you to radically change your profession. Such changes can be driven by deep dissatisfaction with the present job, job cuts, as well as some personal reasons.
If you decide to change your profession in adulthood, try to follow some rules. First, do not make a decision under the influence of a negative moment. Did you have a fight with a colleague? Have you been denied an award? No need to defiantly slam the door and go into the unknown. Keep the same workplace until you develop a clear plan of action.
State your desires. It’s great if your skills and abilities allow you to move to an adjacent profession or industry. For example, a manager can start his own business, a musician can teach vocals, a military man can lead a security agency, an IT specialist can develop websites. It is much more difficult if you want to radically change the scope of your activity. In this case, it is important to soberly assess your abilities, skills and strengths.
Start preparing for a new profession. Learn, upgrade your skills, improve your skills. It is better to do this while you are still working on old profession. Go to evening or Sunday retraining courses, trainings, self-educate.
Find an opportunity to practice your new profession. Having practical experience when looking for a job in adulthood is taken for granted. If you don't want to shock new employers, take care of an internship and at least a little work in a new profession.
Stop being afraid. If you are well prepared, you will be a completely competitive specialist, and you should not be afraid to leave your familiar place. beware better than that that you will do meaningless work and receive a meager salary for the rest of your life.
Be inspired by the positive example of some famous personalities. Paolo Coelho's first book was published when he was 41 years old. Christian Dior created his own fashion house at the age of 42. Housewife Susan Boyle at the age of 47 took part in the show "Britain's Got Talent" and became one of the most sought-after and popular singers. Actress Katherine Joosten, who received the prestigious Emmy award for her role in the TV series Desperate Housewives, worked as a nurse until the age of 60. She went to acting classes at the age of 42, and then for more than 10 years she was refused after unsuccessful auditions.
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 is engaged in his profession, the higher should be the competence, better results and louder success?
However, this is not the case 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, subject to continuous practice and close involvement in the real industry.
In all other professions, there is a completely different distribution of competencies by age, with a peak between 30 and 40 years of age. 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 activity to management, which inevitably reduces competencies.
Some at the age of 30-35 create their own business, as a result of which they have to pump marketing, sales, accounting, business organization. There is less time left for professional growth.
Individually, this age range for the distribution of competencies is highly dependent on the 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 there is an active change in technologies, tools and frameworks. There are industries where the rate of change is slower, so the peak of competencies shifts 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 requirements modern market- not anymore!
It 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 it needed?
Why study
First the bad news
If you are professionally illiquid, then an unpleasant prospect awaits you. You can continue to service ever simpler processes and you will most likely be made redundant within 10-15 years. It is difficult and almost impossible for you to compete with the next generation in the 35-45 year range. Especially since the robots are coming. 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 a lot of them!
1. Oddly enough, people do not get stupid 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 overtake you in computer shooters, but they won't even come close to understanding the complex concepts that you intuitively understand instantly. Why? Because your erudition, contextual spaces, the ability to operate with categories and connect concepts are several times higher at this particular age. And they will continue to grow if you take care of it 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 who are over 45 are afraid to study because they are used to thinking that it is a very long time.
It is children who learn for a long time, while 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 with novice startups is that they quickly gain expertise in technology, but they do not have the knowledge of life and understanding of the problems. Therefore, new knowledge will give you 10-20 times more opportunities than young people.
5. Intensive training dramatically reduces the likelihood of age-related dementia, which is too early to think about before 40, and after 55 it is not too late. For more on this, see the presentation of my TED Talk "Non-drug Approaches to Active Longevity".
6. New learning means new contacts, new horizons, new meanings, new countries. Children and domestic problems in the past.
The second youth has come - the time to discover the world, get new sensations, new experience. It's only the beginning.
Feel yourself young again, again a student, leave the role of an experienced person that fetters you. Experience is there to help you, not limit your growth.
What to study
The general approach is based on two simple criteria.
1. What do you like, what is your passion for?
Often people make mistake number 1: you get a fan of many things that you know and have somehow encountered. But there is a lot of everything. Much more that you don't know and that would probably put you in a lot more. In order not to make this mistake, you need to read more different industry press, go to events from different areas that are far from your everyday life.
Mistake #2 : choosing a profession. Profession is just a tool to achieve and realize your desires, ideas about success. Therefore, first you should understand how the picture of that success, the experience that you want to get looks like. 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 over the next 5–8 years?
The calculation is simple: it will take 5–7 months to study, about 7–9 months to enter a new field and come out on top (remember that you do this faster than the young) 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 a change of direction again.
A change of profession after 40 most often causes a skeptical smirk among others: "Gray hair in a beard ...". Nevertheless, the “mid-life crisis” makes many think: have they been doing this all their lives? Is it too late to change everything and choose new landmarks? The issue was studied by Izvestia correspondent Maria Rogacheva.
Change of world view
“Revaluation of values begins already in the region of 30 years,” says psychologist Anna Mukhina. “On one side of the scale is what a person has really achieved, and on the other, the goals and objectives that he set for himself. And this happens to almost everyone, regardless of whether a person is successful or not ... By reconsidering what he wanted and what he succeeded, a person adjusts his goals ... "
However, only a few decide on cardinal steps. It is curious that doctors not only do not object to such drastic changes in life, but even welcome them. Change opens the prospect of new victories, rejuvenates the soul, and ultimately improves health.
Today, the Internet is full of various career guidance tests. And in special centers for career guidance, they admit that they used to help schoolchildren and students orient themselves, but recently an influx of adults has begun.
“About four years ago, we organized a special program for adults,” Nedelya was told at the Center for Testing and Development Humanitarian Technologies. “We used to work more with children, but then their parents began to come. To be honest, it’s more difficult with them. it is a matter of helping a teenager with the choice of a profession, it is quite another thing for a person with an education and a current life situation.
test the dream
“We conduct tests for adults on weekends, and each time 20-25 people gather,” they say in the Center. “At first there were more women, now there are about half. achieved, but ... it did not bring him joy in life. We tested him and it turned out that he needed to be ... a cynologist. And he, imagine, decided on cardinal changes in his life.
Often, among those who want to change jobs, there are top managers and businessmen of large companies. Prestigious work helped to put together a decent capital. The fear of losing the usual standard of living allows businessmen, at best, to realize their unfulfilled dreams as a hobby.
“We had one wealthy man who was very tormented by the fact that he made a mistake in his profession. According to the test, it turned out that he had to work with children ... As a result, he took up charity work, created some kind of children's fund and thanked us very much, that we suggested to him an occupation for the soul.
The employees of the Center offered to retrain the 52-year-old chief accountant as a designer. The woman was on the verge of a nervous breakdown...
The 38-year-old businessman, the second person of the Russian representative office of the German concern, was supposed to take the place of the general director. This is what he wanted and was afraid of. The test showed that he is generally not disposed to professions associated with active communication with people, negotiations and meetings ...
According to psychologists, the growing pace of life dictates new rules. In the next ten years, the number of people wishing to change their profession will only grow. Moreover, not only people of 30 and 40 years old will be drawn to the changes, but also those who are much older. And who knows, maybe among the new talents there will be people whom others have long written off?!
Is it easy to find a job after 40?
If you climb the Internet in search of work, the picture is sour. Wherever you throw it, workers from 25 to 35 are required. So what should an optimist do, who joyfully decided to start life from scratch and mastered new profession?
“No one says that it will be easy to get a job in a new profession in adulthood,” says psychologist Anna Mukhina. “Moreover, a person has no work experience. It is somewhat easier if it is a specialty related to his previous profession. There will be no special problems and for those who have capital or their own business... For the rest ... it all depends on the character and inner determination.
If you are sure that you need it, then a dozen refusals at an interview will not lead you astray. And there are such examples, believe me. I had a woman who got a new profession and went to get a job with a ten-year gap in her work book. And she succeeded, because she was left alone and had to somehow feed the children. All problems, of course, rest on the technology of our labor exchange. Someone in the West would have tried to inquire about the age and nationality of a candidate for a position! The company would have been immediately sued.
True, in recent years, age requirements have also begun to disappear in our vacancies. By the way, Russian labor legislation stipulates that a person cannot be refused a job because of age. So you just need to be able to fight for yourself - and everything will work out."
Who managed to start everything from scratch
The writer Edgard Burroughs, the author of the sensational adventures of Tarzan, was both a military man and a policeman, and a shopkeeper, and even a gold digger. He began to write after 35 and this is what brought him worldwide recognition.
The famous Russian artist Yuri Larin, whose work is 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 nation in Oceania, Francois Latil worked as a lawyer and designed bows in his spare time. At 62, he made his debut at the Sydney Olympics, taking part in archery competitions.
Nikolai Ershov, a 70-year-old resident of Volgodonsk, having worked as a policeman and engineer at the airport, retired and entered the South Russian State Technical University. There he is now studying to be a welding engineer.
Ten professions that are not dominated by inflation, sanctions and creative crises.
Interview: Maria Mikulina @MariaMikulina
Yes, difficult times have come. if in one word. The economic crisis, if two. Quite the edge, if in two pathetic words. and creative agencies are closing. Office plankton flocks to the street. Scooter prices skyrocketed, smoothie blood levels dropped. On Facebook, you can only hear: “Reduced! Fired! There are no jobs!”
But this is not true. We intend to prove the opposite to you: there is work, there is. Real man's work. This is always in demand - and in well-fed times, and in a crisis. And this is not an unfounded statement. Meet ten men who know how to make money in any conditions. And take an example from them. Or at least just exclaim: “Wow, well done!”
Electrician
Where to study
Studied for several months professional retraining frames. In general, I graduated from the Institute of Culture and Arts. He worked at, was even a store director, a business coach. Some people like to work in the office, some don't. To me - no.
Where to get clients
I work for DES. Each of the electricians has either its own client base, or foremen with whom you constantly cooperate. The client base develops by itself: a good specialist is always needed.
Initial set
DEZs do not issue anything. However, a large amount of tools for working in the DEZ is not needed, because the work is mainly with the operation of equipment. The tool will cost literally two thousand rubles, if you know what you need.
How in general?
The working day starts at 9 am. Officially. But that doesn't mean you have to be there exactly by nine. You can safely drink coffee without fear of being late. The most important thing is that there are no complaints. Personally, I work in shifts, two after two. I don't like being tied down, I love relative freedom, and here I feel like I'm on a horse. Here you can see the end result. The light bulb does not light - you changed the light bulb, it caught fire. Immediately satisfaction from own work.
You can have from 70 to 100 thousand rubles a month. The question is where do you live, how do you work. In any case, there is always work and you can always earn a piece of bread. I still remember very clearly the crisis of 2008, when I was not paid for four months in my place in the office wages.
Pechnik
Andrey, 45 years old, Moscow
Where to study
In Moscow, there are courses called - School of Russian Masters. Education - two months, there are full-time and correspondence courses. It costs something around 30 thousand rubles. Then they can take in assistants - the second person, the third person in the team. Courses do not provide practical knowledge. You know the theory, but how in practice ... But the community of stove-makers does not leave its people in trouble. You can choose any of the list - call, ask. Gradually, you learn from your mistakes, from your bumps.
Initial set
The more you plunge into the profession, the more tools you need. And at first you can get by with a grinder, a trowel, nothing else is needed.
How in general?
I have been laying stoves since 2010. There are professions where people earn money. There are professions that people do for the soul. And in this work, you can combine both. All my clients constantly call, congratulate me on all the holidays, invite me to visit: “If you drive by, stop by for tea.”
There is also a negative. Now there are many guest workers everywhere, they do everything. Starting with the construction of fences and digging wells and ending with the construction of houses and the construction of stoves. When you arrive at the facility and find out that you are already the third stove-maker, that the person was burned twice ... But if you know your job, after 5-6 days this negativity disappears and normal relations appear.
At least 100 thousand rubles a month. More than the average salary in Moscow.
carpenter
Where to study
I have a secondary special education, I studied after school. You can get a job as an apprentice to the master - usually not very qualified workers go.
Initial set
A basic set of carpenter's tools will cost about 30 thousand rubles.
How in general?
In general, I like the work. I get pleasure. Again, variety: you can make furniture and stairs, especially if you work for yourself. So I just started building a workshop on my site. The only bad thing is the injuries. Well, yes, two days ago I drilled my hand. I'm already used to the fact that for each order a drop of blood is standard. When I make furniture - either a deep splinter, or something else.
If you work for hire, on average you can get 40-50 thousand rubles. And if you yourself, like me, then you can easily receive from 30 to 100 thousand rubles a month, depending on orders. You choose when to rest, when to work. I actually have a higher economic education. But what's the point? Then I will receive the same 30 thousand rubles, but by working all month. And as a carpenter, if I work hard, I can earn them in three days.
Nurse
Where to study
You can not study at all, since often nurses are required without special education. A few years ago I found myself in Moscow without work and housing, and at first it so happened that I contracted to sit with the grandfather of a friend, and then I realized that, in principle, I was satisfied with such a life. I work under private agreements, but there are also agencies where they will train, if necessary, and draw up documents. If you have a medical education, you can do injections, droppers, dressings - you will earn more, although sometimes the difference is very small.
Initial set
All that is needed, including rubber gloves, is provided by the relatives of the ward. All you need is physical strength. And more. Sometimes patients are very full, and they have to be lifted, turned over, and some even carried to the bathroom, for example. And if a person has it, then you need to be able to hold him, fix him, if necessary ... It is also important that there is no physical disgust and what I would call good-natured indifference: if you worry too much about the patient, it’s harder for you, but it’s also the last thing to get angry at him, get annoyed .
How in general?
Fine. Of course, you are tied to the place, it is not always possible even to go to the store if there is no replacement. But I am a loner in life, I like to read, watch movies, play games, surf the Internet - and there is enough time for all this. I now have a paralyzed patient who is quite elderly, he sleeps most of the time. You wash him, change his clothes, feed him, give him pills, read something to him aloud, go about your business - and the day has passed.
I have my own room in an apartment, travel card, Internet, full meals and 30 thousand a month for personal expenses. In principle, there is nothing to spend on, I convert almost everything into foreign currency and save it for the future.
crane operator
Where to study
I studied at the company, there were three-month courses. And he immediately got a job there. In general, now there are many courses for crane operators, any licensed institution teaches. I don't want to learn. There are also requirements for candidates, mainly medical ones. Still, we are dealing with different factors: chemical compounds, elevated temperature. Completely pass the medical examination. If healthy in all respects, they give admission to training.
Initial set
The cost of the courses is free. And during the training, you also get paid some kind of salary.
How in general?
This is an interesting job. Mechanisms and pieces of iron are what any man is interested in. Be sure to know the basics of repairing equipment. Work in shifts: there is a morning shift, there is an evening shift. Morning - from 6:30 to 14:00, evening - from 14:00 to 22:00. The actual workload is about half the shift, 4–5 hours.
The first time you study, you work in tandem with a slinger who walks under a crane. It shows the commands you need to understand. Stress, of course, is still there, as it is dangerous: the cable can break at any moment. But you get used to it with time.
The average salary is 40-50 thousand rubles. For our region, this is a very good salary. My wife works in a kindergarten for 10 thousand. The average salary in our city is 30 thousand rubles. So I'm not complaining.
Greenhouse assembler
Where to study
I came to the organization when I knew nothing, and I was trained. They saw the enthusiasm and took me. The main thing is to have a desire to learn. Started working in 2005, the work was related to glazing. Now for several years I have been engaged in greenhouses.
How in general?
If I didn't like the job, I would look for something more interesting. I think a person should always strive for the best. The number of orders depends on the season. In the spring, the snow melts - everyone leaves for the gardens, they start ordering greenhouses. But, in principle, in winter there is a demand for greenhouses: they are cheaper out of season. If you practice in different directions glazing, you can occupy yourself all year round. The working day can start very early - sometimes you have to wake up, for example, at four in the morning. Hours of operation are not standardized. I adhere to this principle: "If a person does not find time for rest, he will find time for treatment." Weekends are a must with the family, family comes first. In general, I have time to relax.
The average salary of an assembly worker, if we take our region, is about 40 thousand rubles. This is quite enough for our places. During the season you can earn more. There are a lot of wrong things going on in our region when it comes to work. They don't pay salaries to people. At my old place of work, in a different specialty, I still owe money. Now I am much calmer financially.
plumber
Where to study
I have been in the profession for over five years. I did not finish the course, I studied along the way. I consulted with the guys and coached myself, so to speak.
Initial set
A basic set of plumbing tools is at least 40–50 thousand rubles. You also need a power tool: a puncher, a grinder.
How in general?
In general, I like the work: I am my own boss. At least I haven't found anything better yet. My working day starts at six in the morning, because I live in the Moscow region, and I work in Moscow - it takes a lot of time to get to the object. But it all depends on the order - if anything, I can later. The main negative in the work: misunderstanding with the customer. Fortunately, this doesn't happen often.
We work piecework, month after month is not necessary. On average - from 70 thousand rubles a month.
Groomer
Where to study
I studied for three months at the Master Groom firm in St. Petersburg. To sit on the tail of a specialist - now there is no such thing. Lots of courses and seminars. Within a year you become a normal groomer. Training is not everything, experience is needed.
Where to get clients
Our firm has a VKontakte page, and I have a VKontakte page. For example, people walk with dogs: “Where did you cut your hair so beautifully?” - "Over there." - "Okay, give me the phone number." Word of mouth is stable.
Initial set
Desire and understanding that this is a physically and psychologically difficult profession.