What do you do when your career implodes in your 50s?
August 15, 2021 12:45 PM   Subscribe

I've made some incredibly stupid career choices in the past decade or two, flamed out of a few jobs, and now - entirely due to my own failings - I'm facing unemployment in a couple of months. What should I do?

I'm in my mid-50s and most of my life have worked in a pretty narrow technical field related to international development and foreign assistance, and I think I've destroyed any chances of work in that field. My last assignment was an 5-year long contract that I started because I thought it would lead to a permanent job. It didn't. Before that I was laid off from a job about 8 years ago (and was able to work as a freelance consultant in the years in between). During this time I've let all my technical skills slide and failed to keep up with new developments in the field. (There was an article in the Atlantic warning about career obsolescence a while back but I ignored it.) I have zero personal relationships with other people in this field; and in a few cases I've burned some bridges with bad-quality work. This is one of those fields where everyone knows everyone, and I'm pretty sure I have a pretty terrible reputation in this small world. Even short-term consultancies are going to be hard to get.

I have a mortgage and a little equity in a shabby house in a high-cost suburb; and a wife (who is in education and doesn't make enough to support us on her own, but at least health insurance is covered thank god) and a relatively young (elementary school age) kid whos going to have to go to college at some point. I don't know what we'll do if I'm not earning any money. And its not going to get any easier as I get even older.

Please tell me: what do I do if I just can't get a job in my field? What kind of work can old guys do when they're not wanted in their own profession anymore? Even if its just to make enough money to survive. I have a masters degree in my field, experience managing and evaluating projects and writing proposals, and stuff like that but those are all jobs that usually go to people 20 years younger than me, how do I convince a company I can do them? Maybe accounting? Technical writing? Start my own thing? A hot dog stand? I'm willing to do some retraining if needed. (PS: for these purposes please accept that my self-assessment is accurate and not the product of my non-existent self-esteem.)
posted by anonymous to Work & Money (14 answers total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
Let me preface this with IANAC (I am not a counselor) - but here are some ideas.

1. Take _any_ job even if it is outside of your field, to make a little money and invest in your own sense of self-worth a bit. You could, for example, get a teaching certificate since you have a degree; or you might prefer to be a teacher's aide or substitute teacher. If not that, do you like working as a solitary person or do you prefer interacting with people? There are a broad spectrum of jobs that you can get without degrees in that particular field. Maybe you will find something you like better than what you have been doing.

2. Non-profits often need help with grant writing - do you have any experience on that end? How you get paid is "interesting" in some cases (for example, they can't use grant money to pay you for writing a grant) but the demand is always there.

3. If you end up being unemployed for a while, be sure to take an active, or more active role in dealing with your child and with household chores - it will keep you busier, keeping you from dwelling on "failure"; your child will always appreciate good times with you; and your spouse will appreciate the help.

4. Along with the first two items - maybe your field was something you thought you wanted to do, but have found out you don't like so much. It happens, even in middle age. What do you _like_to do? Maybe you can find work related to something you really love.
posted by TimHare at 1:02 PM on August 15, 2021 [4 favorites]


Do you have any friends/contacts/people you can go to for advice inside your current organization? I would get a second opinion on how bad the situation actually is. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but it’s pretty hard to screw up badly enough to poison your reputation outside a single employer, and you might get a different perspective on whether there were any employers in your field who would still be willing to hire you.
posted by LizardBreath at 1:08 PM on August 15, 2021 [2 favorites]


I know you said that your harsh self-assessment is not due to low self-esteem, but it definitely sounds that way. Will your wife’s benefits cover a few sessions of therapy?
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:10 PM on August 15, 2021 [3 favorites]


I agree that you sound really low and counselling might be something to think about to help you get through what sounds like a potential mental health crisis for you.

However, if you have the money you could consider going to a head hunter or career consultant of some kind. This is the thing that older professionals I have known to be in your situation do. Even if the consultant does not find you the right job they might open your eyes to a lot of options that you haven't considered. You have a lot more transferable skills and know-how than you think you do - everyone at your stage does.
posted by spibeldrokkit at 1:23 PM on August 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


Consider looking at a staffing agency — with your administrative experience and given a few solid references you might be able to rustle something up.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:37 PM on August 15, 2021 [4 favorites]


Can you adjunct at a community college?
posted by Don Pepino at 1:40 PM on August 15, 2021 [4 favorites]


Your knowledge and skills seem very relevant for community building. Most regions have areas that need local development, and the work is interesting and mostly very kind and open-minded. From your question it seems like you might be good at the accounting and fund-raising elements, which are very sought after skills in that field. Depending on where you are, this may be publicly or privately funded, but it doesn't make a huge difference. Older people are valued, both because of their experience, and because the local stakeholders often prefer mature partners.
It may be necessary to start out by volunteering to get some knowledge of the culture and credibility. I don't know your local situation. But if I were you, I'd start applying for jobs in the field right away, based on your previous experience.

We can't know from your question why you have burnt bridges in your career, but there is one thing about community organizing that might be a challenge for you, but I'm sure you can handle: you need to accept a lot of chaos. You can contribute with your knowledge and professionalism, but at the same time, you must acknowledge that the people in "your" project have a lot of other things to deal with and don't always seem logical. Maybe therapy can help you with that aspect. The good thing is that while you need to accept some lack of control, you will also get a lot of slack, which you can use to rebuild your professional identity.
posted by mumimor at 2:10 PM on August 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


If you were on the technical side before, but aren’t up-to-date on those skills/competencies, would a switch to operations/contracts management work? Are you finding anything for project/program management, budget support, coordination roles with universities, municipal/state/federal governments? Logistics is becoming very in, and I know a friend who took an online supply-chain logistics certificate and really enjoyed it. Would a PMP help? A lateral move to project/product management for tech?

I am also going to make an honest but uncomfortable request: please take some time to think about why and how you did low-quality work and burned bridges in the past. These are not gendered actions, but as a woman in a narrow technical field in international development, I’ve spent the past ten+ years watching and hearing about and cleaning up after men doing low-quality work and burning bridges and still getting hired more often and paid more money than women. They are not you! But our field has a lot of this kind of energy, and we are the only ones who can help change the culture to be less toxic and more productive for the ultimate beneficiaries of aid.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 2:34 PM on August 15, 2021 [13 favorites]


Volunteer in your field. Many non profits need technical help. It looks good on a resume, helps you learn and update skills, gets you out of the house (or virtually out of the house), and allows you to network and scout for jobs.

(My spouse volunteered when he was trying to break into programming. The staff loved his help with their database and his interviewers were impressed.)

ETA: not a replacement for a paying job obviously but it can really help even just a couple hours a week.
posted by Crystalinne at 2:55 PM on August 15, 2021 [4 favorites]


If you’ve ever thought about coding or UX design, Lambda School boot camp can be done for a payment agreement of $30k coming out of future salary, at 18ish% of monthly earnings, only if you get hired, with what sounds like significant support from their jobs team.

If you’d like a fellow-traveler to brainstorm or rant with, send me a message. Job-hunting in our field sucks.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 3:16 PM on August 15, 2021 [6 favorites]


Temp agency in an admin or project manager role.
posted by emd3737 at 7:46 PM on August 15, 2021 [1 favorite]


The insurance industry might work - but I agree with doing some reflection on the less great moments that have happened and using that information to choose a role that would capitalize most on your current skill strengths.

If interpersonal conflict or dynamics have been a factor, please be open to any suggestions that would help you (whether from a counsellor, anonymous discussion group, wherever). Books, coaching, therapy etc.

If health (including mental health) is part of the picture, definitely get more support and work on maximizing any needed treatment.
posted by cotton dress sock at 8:09 PM on August 15, 2021


First off, where, generally do you live? A lot of your decision should be based on what industries are thriving around you. While you are searching you should either dedicate a good part of your day to learning something new, volunteer your time, or get some kind of temp job.

There are tons of jobs with low barrier to entry and high potential income if you are willing to put in the effort. Life insurance and Real Estate sales for example. It’s hard to succeed at these, but definitely possible.

I am also pretty sure you could get a job in project’s management if that is your background, but you might have to widen your net to include other areas of specialty.

IT is my main gig and there are always jobs.
posted by peteshaw at 4:58 AM on August 16, 2021


In my fifties, I got laid off and had to reinvent myself. I spent some time thinking about what jobs or parts of jobs I had actually liked, and then figured out how to make decent money at it. In my case, what I had actually liked doing was customer service, but that’s a notoriously low paying job. What I eventually hit on was waiting tables, but not just anywhere - I thought about where I could make the most money. I landed at a very popular restaurant that had been featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, and which was located in a high traffic area where tourists spend a lot of time. I ended up making nearly six figures, in a low cost of living city. So what I’m saying, I guess, is think outside the box. Figure out what you like to do, and then figure out how to make money at it.
posted by MexicanYenta at 2:09 PM on August 16, 2021 [5 favorites]


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