Career guidance for adults - Career change? It's not too late

Many people think about changing careers in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s – but feel that it's "already too late." The truth is that it's not only possible, but also becoming more and more common. The job market is changing, people are living longer, and many feel the need for a more fulfilling and meaningful profession. The question is – how do you do it right?

Why do older adults want to change careers?

The reasons are many and varied: exhaustion at the workplace, need for renewal, burnout, change in family status, understanding that the market is changing and there are many new opportunities that didn't exist before, the possibility to work from home, or even an old dream that only now is getting its place. There are also those who were laid off or took early retirement, and are interested in returning to the workforce in a new role that suits who they are today – not who they were at age 25.

But alongside the desire – there are also many concerns. Will they take me seriously? How will I start something new at this age? And what about income?

Key challenges in career change at a mature age

1. Professional uncertainty

   Many know what they no longer want to do, but aren't sure what they do want. Sometimes there is a general direction, such as understanding that there are many positions with a different structure than was possible in the past, like "a position that allows partial work from home," but what? how? This is a stage of natural confusion, requiring an organized process of discovery and self-examination.

2. Knowledge and skill gaps

   The market is changing rapidly. Fields such as technology, digital marketing, project management, and more require frequent updates. The feeling of "I'm out of the loop" is common, but often the gaps can be bridged faster than thought and they're not the main issue. Extensive research (Czaja et al., 2006) found that older people are able to learn new technologies efficiently as long as they are given access to adapted, patient, and focused learning. Often, the gap is not in ability but in the sense of self-efficacy.

3. Self-image and age bias

   Even if not stated explicitly – older candidates may feel (and sometimes rightly so) that their age constitutes a barrier. This is where emphasis on experience, maturity, interpersonal skills, and willingness to learn comes into play – traits that are highly valued in workplaces.

So how do we do this right?

Stage 1: Self-clarification and Professional Tendencies

Before everything - you need to understand what interests you. Which field are you drawn to? What is your heart's inclination and how can we identify it in relation to various and evolving professions. Career counseling at an older age begins exactly here - with questions about preferences, areas of interest, and occupational tendencies. One of the effective tools for this is an occupational tendencies questionnaire, which allows you to receive an initial mapping of possible directions. Recent studies show that occupational changes in middle age and beyond are not exceptional, but rather part of an expanding trend of "developing careers" throughout life. Super's developmental model (1990), alongside theories such as Savickas's Career Construction (2013), emphasize the importance of renewed occupational adjustment processes as a person ages, changes, and develops.

Stage 2: Matching Skills and Personality

After clarifying what attracts you, you need to check - is it also suitable for you in terms of skills and personality profile. I might be drawn to the medical field but I'm not sure if I could be a doctor, for example...

This is where skills tests and personality questionnaires come in, designed to check if the direction you've chosen matches your abilities - cognitively, functionally, and personality-wise.

At Logipass, for example, this process is done completely online, with a professional system that is adapted to the standards of the real work world. The advisee receives a summary recommendation, including compatibility percentages for each profession - and also an in-depth personal analysis of strengths and weaknesses.

Stage 3: Professional Focus and Career Selection through Conversation with a Professional Advisor

At the end of the guidance phase, a list of professions that suit you is built - not only because they interest you, but also because they match your profile. At this stage, you can talk to a career counselor, an expert in the working world who knows your skills and personality profile and can take this one step further.

But a career counselor is not a simple matter, it usually involves several meetings because they need to learn and get to know you, and it's really not cheap. This is exactly where "Logi" comes in. Logi is Logipass's AI advisor, who is endowed not only with artificial intelligence and infinite knowledge, but also knows at this stage what your preferences, skills, and personality profile are.

From here, you can consult with him in a free and open conversation, present your dilemmas and wonderings, and ask him to help you with the final choice - a study track, a professional retraining course, or even to start specializing in the new field.

Stage 4: Strengthening Abilities and the First Step

After you've chosen the direction - it's time to start. You may need new learning, experience in small projects, or gradual change. In many cases, combining past experience with a new direction - creates a unique profile that attracts employers.

Career Change at an Older Age – Not a New Path, but an Upgrade

One of the common mistakes is thinking that a career change at an older age requires "throwing everything away and starting from scratch." In reality, a proper career counseling process emphasizes your added value – everything you've accumulated over the years – and connects it to a new field that better suits who you are today.

As Hall & Chandler (2005) show, career success at this age is not necessarily measured by status or salary, but by a sense of fulfillment, meaning, and impact. The modern work world isn't just looking for certificates – it's looking for people with experience, flexibility, interpersonal wisdom and motivation, adaptability, and talent. You have all these. All that remains is to find the right place to express them.

Want to know how to do this in practice?

On the LogiPass website, you can find a free initial occupational tendencies questionnaire. You can use it to begin your journey to your next career, even at age 40, 50, or 60.

It's not too late – it's actually the right time.

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