Business expert explains how to switch career later in life

More than one third of the workforce in the UK is aged over 50 (ONS), with many offices comprising workers of all ages. Sadly, however, ageism is not yet a thing of the past, and older employees are still subject to feeling overlooked and undervalued in comparison to their younger peers.

According to most recent data from a 2021 survey of over-45s by Workingwise, 27% said that employers do not value their years of experience, with 52% saying they had seen less-experienced younger colleagues be promoted over them.

With so many older employees feeling that their years of hard work aren’t appreciated by their employers, many might now be contemplating switching their career, but how easy is this to achieve later in life?

Connor Campbell, business finance expert at NerdWallet comments:

“The UK workforce is very diverse, with people of all age groups working alongside one another. But this, unfortunately, hasn’t necessarily improved the ways in which older workers are treated.

“With a higher number of businesses focusing on hiring graduates with specific skills and degrees, those that were hired beforehand may find themselves struggling to keep up with employer expectations, or may feel that they are not taken as seriously due to lacking qualifications held by their younger coworkers.

“Although many of these employees have built the same skill set as their colleagues through years of experience, the lack of an official qualification can cause them to feel that their employer does not value them on the same level as those with a degree.

“In many cases, the employer may be entirely unaware that their employees are feeling this way. However, feeling undervalued and that your skills are unappreciated can be a major cause for employees seeking new employment opportunities.

“Switching careers after so many years can feel daunting, and older employees may feel that there is nowhere for them to go, due to their age and lack of official qualifications. Thankfully, however, there are a wide range of opportunities available to older workers, with staff shortages continuing to persist, particularly following the losses businesses faced during pandemic.”

For employees looking to change careers, Connor has shared the following tip:

Seek out free educational resources to build qualifications

Whilst we typically tend to think that degrees are the only valuable qualification to employers, this actually isn’t the case. One way to make yourself more marketable to new employers if you’re attempting to switch careers is by obtaining free qualifications relevant to the skills you’ve already acquired through experience. This is a great way to refresh your CV and highlight your skill set in a tangible way.

And for business leaders planning on hiring older workers, Connor suggests the following:

Consider the leadership potential of older employees

Whilst there’s no reason that younger employees can’t make great leaders and mentors, those that have a seniority and a wealth of experience in the workforce can naturally take to team leadership roles and can provide a great mentorship to younger generations. Although there are a range of benefits to hiring older employees, many naturally would like to progress to a leadership/managerial role, which can tie in nicely with helping to organise younger workers within the office