Middle Aged Career Change - Advice Wanted

[Gregzilla75]

Spent 20 years primarily on magazine layout, typesetting and design, but as the company seems in a downwards spiral and I'm unhappy with my work I'd like to consider something slightly different. However, I'm just about to turn 43 and the prospect of becoming a middle aged officer junior is quite frightening!

Ideally I'd still like to be sat behind a computer but without having to 'be creative', and as quite shy wouldn't want to be customer facing. Is there any jobs you'd recommend?

Are there many opportunities for data inputting (fast touch typist)? Coding maybe?

Really unsure what's out there as been in my own bubble so long and not had to attend an interview or put together a CV in decades. Want to sign up with an employment agency but really unsure what sector to push towards. Any advice???? TIA

 

[malachi]

Just to pre warn you that data input jobs will kill you with boredom after a few weeks.

 

[the_worrier]

No suggestions Re/ career but just wanted to wish you luck! I’m the same age as you and did the same last January. Went from 20+ years nursing (most of it in the Military) to being a student again! Now training to register as a Paramedic. Good luck!!

 

[Bounce]

Spent 20 years primarily on magazine layout, typesetting and design, but as the company seems in a downwards spiral and I'm unhappy with my work I'd like to consider something slightly different. However, I'm just about to turn 43 and the prospect of becoming a middle aged officer junior is quite frightening!

Ideally I'd still like to be sat behind a computer but without having to 'be creative', and as quite shy wouldn't want to be customer facing. Is there any jobs you'd recommend?

Are there many opportunities for data inputting (fast touch typist)? Coding maybe?

Really unsure what's out there as been in my own bubble so long and not had to attend an interview or put together a CV in decades. Want to sign up with an employment agency but really unsure what sector

Joins computer forum, and first post is on career advice just shows how this forum has developed...

 

[dowie]

Are there many opportunities for data inputting (fast touch typist)? Coding maybe?

Well there are lots of opportunities for typing (among other things) but they would generally involve starting at the sort of office junior level you want to avoid. In various organisations I've worked in they would be the sort of jobs that report to the office manager and have titles like "office junior", "receptionist", "executive PA" etc.. and while you might be able to work up to the level of "executive PA" and thus be trusted to draft some letters dictated to you by an exec (or group of) you've been assigned to, you'll probably also need to spend a fair bit of time prior to that sat at a desk answering phones, greeting visitors, booking meeting rooms, booking taxis, collecting post from the mail room, re-stocking the kitchens with tea, coffee, biscuits etc..

I'd suggest the "coding maybe?" is probably a better call (if you find out you enjoy it) - fast typing skills aren't particularly relevant themselves but maybe your experience with magazine layouts would be quite useful re: websites too. Maybe a front end web development job? Or perhaps a UI developer?

 

[SPG]

CAD jockey, i miss the times of not having to speak to anyone all day, listening to audio books

 

[Freddie1980]

Spent 20 years primarily on magazine layout, typesetting and design, but as the company seems in a downwards spiral and I'm unhappy with my work I'd like to consider something slightly different. However, I'm just about to turn 43 and the prospect of becoming a middle aged officer junior is quite frightening!

Ideally I'd still like to be sat behind a computer but without having to 'be creative', and as quite shy wouldn't want to be customer facing. Is there any jobs you'd recommend?

Are there many opportunities for data inputting (fast touch typist)? Coding maybe?

Really unsure what's out there as been in my own bubble so long and not had to attend an interview or put together a CV in decades. Want to sign up with an employment agency but really unsure what sector to push towards. Any advice???? TIA

It may not glamorous and on the surface may appear boring but there are lots of opportunities in Accountancy, there are plenty of companies a looking for good management accountants right now and demand always seems to remain steady for this line of work. The work can be tough at times and there will be occasions where you required to work late as we all work to deadlines. If you interested AAT is a good qualification to obtain, it's not to hard but once you get it and with some experience there's no reason why you can't be earning 30K+. If you want to earn big money you will need to do something like CIMA or ACCA, your earning potential then limited by your ambition.

 

[AHarvey]

Joins computer forum, and first post is on career advice just shows how this forum has developed...

And I remember all the fuss created that this subforum wasn't needed!

OP, where are you located?

I worked at a company in the midlands (Nantwich) that specialised in creating print for people with visual impairments. It'd be similar to what you already do but without the design side of it, you're basically taking existing print and learning to format text, pictures, graphs and maps in a manner where people hard of sight can use them.

Might be worth looking locally just in case.

 

[radderfire]

"Do what you love". Is there anything you really love doing that you could make a career out of?