Where to go for careers guidance in your 40s?

Associate
Joined
8 Feb 2004
Posts
258
Location
In the wetlands...
Hi all,

As the title really, is there a reliable sounding board where someone takes stock of your experiences, interests and qualifications and offers you potential next steps that you could take?

Thanks!
 
Thanks.

Essentially I didn't have a career plan as such, just worked hard in a variety of roles since leaving school and managed to make progress and gain promotions, however, one of these promotions has been a sideways move and now left me in a team and department that has a niche functionality and a dwindling lifespan (half the team are approaching retirement age, I don't want to spend the next 20+ years carrying it on!). Since the latest move - some 10 years ago - all other talk and opportunity has dried up and I feel very much forgotten about in the larger Company culture; which has led me to thinking that perhaps I should really actually have a thought about what I want to do, rather than just fitting into numerous new roles and picking up skills without certified training to go with it.

So, I was thinking about taking stock about what I am good at, and what I'd rather not be doing, and then actually trying to plan my next move rather than throwing in the towel at the next opportunity as I become steadily more demoralised. It doesn't necessarily even need to be 'up' it could just be a more useful function that transfers well across a variety of firms. Internally at my Company we don't offer such a service, which is a shame as it would be a great way to capture those that want to re-skill and are known hard workers - I'd expect a pay hit, that's not an issue (or it's one that I can cope with if I have a goal to work towards), it is just a case of I feel like I am floundering a bit and struggling to assert my dissatisfaction without a direction to push for.

I just didn't want to leap on-to a training course and career path then find out that it was not the right fit for me.
 
Haha! Yes, that thought does cross my mind most days - "what if this is just because I'm getting on a bit..." - but honestly, no, it's more that I feel a need for a change, and I don't see any with the current way my career path is going. I've slept on it, put it to one side until after periods of leave, waited out busy periods...
 
I've used Sarah Berry and her team before. Very good.


Thanks - certainly looks interesting and I'm willing to pay for quality guidance.

If you can find a good recruitment consultant they can give you an idea of roles that might be a good a fit and what jobs are in demand.

The problem is most will just see you a round peg and try and find another round peg hole to put you in

Also have you spoke to your boss about career paths simply taking a list of things you want to do less and things you want start doing or do more of should lead to a good open discussion to see what you can do at the current company. If the company values you they may create a role for you

Yes, I think recruitment consultants tend to match like-for-like, they may have an idea of the areas they are seeing a rise in searches in a given sector/location, but I don't think they'd be so good at suggesting a next step without me having an obvious direction.

I've spoken with my boss a few times around future directions, etc and it was our last conversation at the end of last year that led to me thinking about getting external advice, my line manager is clearly eyeing his retirement and less concerned about anything beyond the next two years - and his line manager has recently left, so very few senior people to speak with and my peers are a mixture of those that are set in their ways (20+ years), those about to retire, and those that have an actual career plan and know the next steps they need to take (which aren't steps that interest me).
 
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