Looking for a career change at 50? Stop dreaming and start your own business!

You’ve put in the grind as a time-poor parent or undervalued employee. You’ve paid your dues in early mornings, stressful commutes and hectic schedules. You’ve banished the insecurities that plagued your early career and survived the mind-numbing drudgery that's thwarted the last 15 years of it.

Now the kids are self-sufficient and you’re welcoming in the next phase of your life, it’s time to switch off from ‘survival mode’, and instead, focus that energy and wisdom into something for you.

Something you’ve always wanted: your very own business where YOU are the boss.

It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds.

In fact, according to the Office of National Statistics, 43% of new business starters in the UK are over 50.

Why? Because a career change at 50 is the perfect time to make it happen – and with CTT’s Be Your Own Boss programme, you get the all the training and support you need to make a smooth transition into successful self-employment in a new career.

Switching careers at 50 – a better work/life balance

According to research, one third of UK employees feel they don’t have a good work/life balance. While sacrificing everything for the sake of your career is one way to get ahead in the short term, it’s not a sustainable approach, and certainly not something most people want to keep up until retirement.

In fact, burnout is a very real danger for those who spend too long putting their work first, with 88% of British workers saying they've experienced burnout in the last two years.

With the kind of perspective that only comes from hard-earned experience, it’s unsurprising many people over 50 are seizing this milestone as an opportunity to reevaluate their career and put their wellbeing above work matters. In fact, over 30% of workers aged 45-55 plan to change careers before retirement so they can achieve a better work/life balance in the run up to retirement.

50 plus: the perfect time to start a new career

It may sound daunting, but without realising it, you already have most of what you need to start a new career at 50.

A big thing that holds a lot of people back from changing careers is a feeling that they lack the necessary skills to get a job in a new field – a whopping 34% of UK adults feel this way.

But while job-specific skills relate to knowledge in a certain field, ‘soft skills’ are those that can’t be taught; you are either born with them, or you learn them through experience. They include things like organisation, problem-solving, and the ability to communicate well with others; skills you naturally acquire through time spent with others in a working environment.

Soft skills are more intuitive and transferable than job-specific skills. They cross over into a great many other professions, and when you change careers at 50, you bring with you a wealth of transferable soft skills to help you excel in your new role.

Think about the soft skills you already use every day in your current job. Also consider the skills you’ve developed over the course of your lifetime. Which of these lean into your interests? This is where your strengths lie in carving out your new career and self-made business venture.

Training for a career change at 50

Of course, a complete change of career requires some professional retraining. The good news is that by switching careers at 50, you have access to a broad range of training opportunities that offer flexible learning in a host of new and lucrative professions.

Often, vocational courses for mature students are tailored to fit around your current work/life schedule. Remote learning comprises a mix of tutor-led online sessions and coursework that makes switching careers at 50 easy and achievable.

Alongside any vocation-based training, you might also want to consider a business management qualification to get your new business off to the right start. Some courses even offer business management modules as part of the training.

Be Your Own Boss – career change help at 50

CTT’s Be Your Own Boss programme is an entirely remote training programme. It combines professional Estate Planning training and business management support to help you launch your own Estate Planning business and get it off to the best possible start.

The only existing skills you need are your all-important soft skills: problem-solving; organisation; good communication; customer relations. Everything else you need to know to start a successful new career as a self-employed Estate Planner is covered in the course.

You also get access to all the necessary software and training to draft clients’ legal documents, process their orders, and manage client cases, so getting to grips with your new role is made easy and intuitive.

Once you complete the course and are ready to put your newfound Estate Planning knowledge into action, CTT’s team of expert advisers remain on hand to answer your questions and provide one-to-one support on client cases, so there’s nothing you can’t handle.

Ready to make that career switch?

It’s both exciting and overwhelming to have the freedom to make a career change at 50. Not only that, but the dream of owning your own business is much closer than you think!

If you’re considering a career change as you approach mid-life – and the chance to be your own boss, there’s no better place to begin your journey than with CTT.

During a free, one-hour consultation, we’ll have an open and honest discussion about your personal and professional ambitions. More importantly, we’ll explore how we can best help you achieve them and the work/life balance you deserve in the run up to your retirement.

If you’re interested in a role as a professional adviser, will writer, or estate planner and the opportunity start your own business, book a consultation with our Professional Services team today.