If you’re a woman in your 50s, 60s, 70s, or possibly older looking for the next chapter in your career, then you’re in the right place.
If you have any doubts about finding work, let me assuage them right now. Because did you know that over 10% of the US workforce is made up of women age 55 and older? And that according to HR managers, workers over 50 usually have a more focused work ethic, and are more engaged professionally?
In theory, finding work should be no problem for you (though ageism in the workplace is real, and here are some ideas on how to combat it). The big question is: what type of job do you want?
In this article, we’ll go over 15 career change options for older women (especially those coming from a history of success) to give you an idea of how to continue your career journey.
What Do You Want in Your Next Job?
As you go through the list of jobs below, it might be helpful to keep the following questions in the back of your head:
How much do you want to leverage your existing skills versus learning entirely new ones?
Do you want to work full-time, part-time, or as an independent contractor?
Would you prefer to be an employee or work for yourself?
How important is purpose and meaning for your next job?
Is a regular schedule important, or do you prefer variability and flexible hours?
With these considerations in mind, let’s dive into some options.
Leadership Jobs that Leverage Your Current Skillset
Perhaps you’ve already built a successful career that you’re proud of, but you’re ready for something new. Either less stress, more freedom, or just a different day-to-day.
If that’s the case, here are a few job ideas that’ll use your well-earned skills.
Freelance consultant
Average salary (in the USA): $257,000/year
Minimum education required: Bachelor's degree and relevant career experience
Consulting is a career path that lets you stay flexible and independent while putting your decades of experience into direct use. You can stay engaged in your industry while only taking on projects that spark your interest.
It can also be a high-paying job. If you have built a strong network over the years, then that’ll be your runway to success.
As a consultant, you can help companies with marketing, HR, operations, finance, IT strategy, business development, or wherever you have expertise. And you can work with businesses, startups, or individuals.
Get started here: Here’s an article that’ll give you more details on the steps to becoming a consultant. It’s not required that you get certified, but if you’d like the extra training and credibility, here’s one consulting certification to consider.
Board member
Average salary (in the USA): $115,000/year plus stock
Minimum education required: Experience as an executive, senior manager, or successful entrepreneur
If you’ve spent time at the top of a company, you might enjoy joining a board. You’ll get to directly apply your years of business acumen and knowledge to help guide a company. And it tends to come with less stress than being in the C-suite.
You’ll usually need to attend quarterly board meetings, and in some companies, you’ll join a board sub-committee that meets throughout the year. It’s definitely less time-intensive than working as a full-time exec.
That’s why many board members serve on multiple boards at once. It can be gratifying to choose a spread of companies that speak to your values and mission.
The good news here is that your age will actually play to your benefit. There are so many roles where, unfortunately, ageism is at play. But when it comes to joining a board, your age gives you credibility. Not surprising that the average board member of S&P 500 companies is 62 years old.
If you want to stay in an influential position, but don’t want the weight of being an executive, this could be a perfect choice for you.
Get started here: Here’s a guide on how to become a board member.
And here’s a helpful board certification program to help your knowledge and credibility in becoming a board member.
Fractional executive
Average salary (in the USA): $71,000-$182,500/year
Minimum education required: Thorough industry experience
Here’s an alternative to consulting or joining a board; you’ll have more direct responsibility, but it’ll be on an impermanent timeline.
Whether your experience is in finances, marketing, operations, or anything else, you could use that expertise to help a small, medium, or transitioning company get to the next level.
People in the later stages of their careers are often drawn to fractional roles because they get the gratification of using their decades of work wisdom with less stress and fewer hours than a full-time executive role. Being a factional exec bears some similarities to consulting, but one perk is that you have a little more skin in the game.
Get started here: Here is a step-by-step guide to getting a fractional executive role.
Jobs Where You Can Mentor or Teach
At this point in your career, you’ve accumulated experience and knowledge. For many, it can be a gratifying next stage to share what they know. Here are a few ways to do that.
Career coach
Average salary (in the USA): $137,000/year (with an IACC certification)
Minimum education required: Bachelor's degree, career experience, and certification
If you've spent years in the professional world, you likely have wisdom to pass onto others. You can help them navigate their career with more grace, intentionality, and confidence.
Career coaches can meet with clients either 1-on-1 or in a group coaching format, It can be a meaningful job because you help clients find direction, purpose, and success in their work.
You’ll need to ask deep questions to help them unveil their deeper career desires. And you also need to help clients build practical skills like creating a compelling dossier and acing an interview.
One plus is that you get complete freedom over your schedule—you can work as much or as little as you want. And it’s a job that can be done remotely.
While you'll definitely get your people fix from working with clients, if you're the type who thrives on professional connections, you might appreciate also joining a coaching network. It's a great way to share inspiration and stay connected with others walking a similar path.
Get started here: Check out this guide on how to become a career coach to help others with their professional development.
Adjunct Professor
Average salary (in the USA): $3,000-$7,000 per course
Minimum education required: Masters, PhD, or sometimes extensive professional experience
Plenty of higher education institutions seek experienced professionals as adjunct faculty to bring real-world knowledge to their students.
If you’ve always been drawn to mentoring others, this could be an opportunity to take students under your wing to share your expertise.
It can be extremely gratifying to package all that you’ve learned from your career into a course and to help others learn and grow from it.
Students also benefit from adjunct profs. Learning from professors with theoretical knowledge is helpful, but it provides a whole new perspective for students to learn from someone like you who has been in the field and gotten your hands dirty. You have stories to share.
Most adjunct positions require advanced degrees, though for some institutions, substantial industry experience is enough.
As an adjunct prof, you're typically hired for just one semester at a time. This arrangement can be perfect if you're testing the waters of academia or you just want short-term commitments. But it might not be the best gig if you’re seeking steady, long-term employment.
One important consideration is compensation. Adjunct teaching isn't particularly lucrative—universities typically pay around $5,500 per course, while community colleges offer about $3,000.
It can take months to design a new course. And then there’s teaching weekly classes, grading papers, and supporting students through the 15-week semester. It’s a fulfilling option but not the most financially sustainable one. Though, if you continue to teach the same course year after year, you won’t have to build your syllabus from scratch each time.
Get started here: Check out this job board for adjunct professor roles.
Substitute teacher
Average salary (in the USA): $63,000/year
Minimum education required: College degree and passing a certification exam
If you’d prefer to work with a younger crowd, then consider being a substitute teacher.
Plenty of school districts want to build their pool of reliable substitutes, and many schools don't require a teaching degree.
One nice thing about being a substitute teacher is that you can typically accept assignments as they fit your schedule. You could work five days a week or one. Want to spend next week on the beach? No problem, just don’t take on any assignments.
It’s a job that’ll offer plenty of novelty—you’ll be in new classrooms with new faces all the time. Some subs specialize in a particular age range, while others are happy to teach high school chemistry one week and read stories to kindergarteners the next.
That said, if you are drawn to the stability of teaching the same class year-round and the creative control of planning your own lecture, then becoming a full-time teacher would be a better fit. However, it would require more schooling.
Get started here: Here are some clear steps on how to become a sub, and here’s an article written by a substitute teacher who gives some insider advice.
Jobs That Take You on a New Career Path
Perhaps it’s time to try something new. If you’d like to enter a new career path, but still want a job that is challenging and well-paying, consider one of these options.
Real estate agent
Average salary (in the USA): $238,000/year according to Glassdoor
Minimum education required: High school and real estate licensure
Real estate can be a terrific option if you want to try a new career. Especially given that the typical age of a real estate agent is between 49 and 60.
If you are a people person with great communication skills, then this could be an amazing fit. Real estate is all about building trusting relationships.
It can also be a fulfilling career, because you are ushering people through one of the biggest financial decisions of their life.
The beauty of real estate is that you control your destiny. You can work part-time or full-time. And depending on your charisma, industry knowledge, connections, and effort, the sky is the limit for your income.
It’s common for real estate agents to join a brokerage, which offers mentorship and a community of colleagues.
Get started here: Here’s a helpful article that walks you through the process of getting licensed and starting a career in real estate.
Financial advisor
Average salary (in the USA): $159,000
Minimum education required: Bachelor's degree, licenses, and certifications
If you have a deep knowledge of money and you’re also good with people, this could be right up your alley.
To do well in this role, you’ll need a holistic understanding of finances. You’ll have to help clients with investment strategies, tax services, retirement savings, and insurance policies. You’ll also have to be able to adapt a different plan to each client’s unique circumstances.
Just as important are your interpersonal skills. Clients will come to you to discuss their money situation, life goals, and family dynamics. These are deep topics! Think about how private most people are when talking about their money. As such, you’ll need to be a pillar of trust.
To become a financial advisor, one option is to join a firm like Merrill Lynch or Vanguard. Often, these firms will help you get the licenses you need. Firms typically pay a flat salary.
The other route is to join a Registered Investment Advisory (RIA), where you’ll often earn fees as a percentage of client assets, and you’ll build long-term, trust-founded relationships with clients.
Alternatively, you could also work for yourself and build your own practice. You’d still have to register as an RIA and build credibility from the ground up, but you’d also get full creative freedom.
You’ll need to get licensed by passing exams from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Additionally, if you want to up your credibility, consider taking the Certified Financial Planner exam.
Get started here: Here’s a great article that goes into the full process of becoming a financial advisor.
Project manager
Average salary (in the USA): $136,000/year
Minimum education required: Bachelor's degree and certification
As a project manager, you’ll build a tight schedule, hold people accountable to their work, and keep the train on the tracks.
To see if this is a role that calls to you, think about times in your personal life when you’ve had to bring a project to completion—maybe that was orchestrating a family trip, renovating your bathroom, or planning a wedding.
This is another role where your age may work to your advantage. Project managers need to command respect and manage diverse personalities—abilities that tend to ripen with age.
Not all companies require credentials, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to get certified as a Project Management Professional.
It’s also a role that every industry needs. Whether you’re drawn to tech, government, or construction, everyone needs their projects managed. You can also work full-time or freelance, often dependent on the field.
You’ll need to be both spectacular with structure and comfortable in chaos. You’ll have to master the PM tools and software, document thoroughly, and run focused meetings. And when things don’t go according to plan, you’ll have to hold space for people’s challenges and get things back in line.
If people management and organization are your thing, this might be for you.
Get started here: Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to get into project management.
Purpose-Driven Jobs
If you’ve spent your career focusing purely on climbing the corporate ladder and bulking up your salary, it could be time to step back and ask how you want to help others and what type of legacy you want to leave.
If you’d like to transition to work centered around meaning, try out one of these careers.
Non-profit program director
Average salary (in the USA): $127,232/year
Minimum education required: Experience in leadership
If you're drawn to humanitarian work, consider bringing your business expertise to a non-profit. Whether helping refugees build new lives, supporting homeless LGBTQ youth, or serving veterans in need, these organizations need experienced professionals like you.
Especially if you have leadership experience, you’ve built directly transferable skills to excel in this role.
If you work as a program director, you’ll oversee all aspects of a nonprofit’s programs and keep them in line with the organization’s mission. You’ll lead teams, manage budgets, and engage with stakeholders.
Alternatively, if you’re at a point in your career where you want less pressure and stress, you could also work as a program manager or program coordinator.
Get started here: Here is an article detailing more about what to expect in a non-profit director role.
Social worker
Average salary (in the USA): $62,000/year
Minimum education required: Master’s degree
Social work is a path many choose in order to find purpose in helping others.
It’s a career that requires empathy, patience, and wisdom. Your personal life experience—whether managing difficult workplace dynamics, supporting aging parents, or dealing with the loss of loved ones—has already built the depth and emotional intelligence you’ll need for this role.
You’ll likely need to earn a Master's in Social Work (MSW), though many MSW programs welcome career-changers and offer flexible evening or weekend classes.
Social work is a broad field, and you can help all kinds of people in all kinds of ways. You might support families with adopting kids, help patients through medical crises in a hospital, or support immigrants with paperwork. Some social workers focus on counseling, while others tackle system-level change through policy work.
It’s not the most lucrative career, so if you don’t have a financial cushion to lean on, prepare to shift your lifestyle.
Also, be ready because social work can be an emotionally challenging path. You’ll witness some troubling corners of humanity, and for many, it’s a constant battle with burnout. But for those who feel called to make a difference, few careers offer such direct opportunities to change lives.
Get started here: Here’s a candid article from a social worker who gives advice about getting into the field.
Low-Stress Jobs Related to a Hobby
Often, when people get late in their careers, they want a lower-stress job—something to keep them busy and allow them to explore a non-professional interest, even if that means much lower pay from the job itself.
If that’s the case for you, here are three great options.
Retail sales
Average salary (in the USA): $51,000/year
Minimum education required: None
One of the best ways to immerse yourself in a hobby is to work at a store that sells its products.
If you’re a plant whisperer, you could work at a nursery. If you’re a bookworm, consider a bookstore. If you’re a photographer, how about a camera shop?
The beauty of working in retail is that it places you at the pulse of your hobby of choice. Especially if the store offers classes and workshops.
Let’s take photography as an example. Who else but photography lovers would work at a camera store? You get to spend your days testing out the latest gear and nerding out with other photographers. All while instilling your passion and knowledge into customers.
It’s not going to be the best-paying job. And you’ll have to be on your feet for long periods of time.
But it’s a great job for extroverts that will have minimal stress.
Get started here: Just walk into your favorite stores and ask if they’re hiring!
Museum educator
Average salary (in the USA): $62,000/year
Minimum education required: Bachelor's degree
If you are an artist or art-lover, this could be a dream job for you.
A museum educator will lead guided tours, work the information booth, write informational pamphlets, and create content on the museum website. Some museum educators may even do research for the museum.
You’ll get to immerse yourself in the art exhibit du jour and the stories behind the work. And then share those with visitors.
If the idea of working at a museum sounds appealing, but you’d like a little more responsibility and a higher hourly wage, you could also consider working as a business officer or membership officer.
Get started here: Here are some tips for finding work in a museum.
Selling crafts
Average salary (in the USA): $37,000/year
Minimum education required: None
If you’ve always enjoyed pottery, sewing, painting, or any other craft, you could make a second career selling your work.
This is probably only a viable option if you’re already financially secure. Selling crafts will give you a small income bonus, but it’ll be hard to live off of.
But if you have the means to make it work, there are a few ways to sell your creative work. Namely, you could:
Pick a few products to produce in high quantity and sell them to gift shops and craft shops
Set up a booth at craft fairs
Sell online through sites like Etsy (this can be hit or miss)
Teach workshops on your skillset
This path will let you deepen into your art and will likely be creatively fulfilling.
However, one thing to be aware of is that sometimes, monetizing a passion can shift your relationship with that art form. If you’ve only ever done ceramics from a place of pure joy, then doing ceramics in order to sell mugs could change things a bit. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but just be prepared for change!
Flipping furniture
Salary (in the USA): $500/month
Minimum education required: None
Furniture flipping has emerged as a lucrative side hustle in a market worth nearly $40 billion annually.
The concept is pretty simple. You find undervalued furniture from places like Craigslist, Goodwill, and consignment stores, then sell them at their true market value.
For those with an eye for style and design, it can be both enjoyable and profitable.
It’s interesting to see massive Facebook Groups like Handy Women take off. It points to a changing in times, where women of all ages are stepping into what were once male-dominated industries.
Get started here: Here’s a great guide on how to get started in furniture flipping.
Resources for Finding a Jobs as an Older Women
If you’re a woman over the age of 50 and are looking for a career shift, here are some resources that might help:
The American Association of Retired Persons job board; when job opportunities have a red circle around them, it means the company has made a pledge not to partake in age discrimination.
Humana job board for “jobs after retirement.”
The National Experienced Workforce Solutions supports job seekers age 55+ to find contract work within the government.
Retirement Jobs is a job search directory made up only of companies who are certified as age-friendly.
Additionally, if you feel daunted in your career transition and would like someone in your corner, consider working with a career coach.
Career coaches can help you clarify exactly what you’re seeking in a job, help you home in on what your dream role looks like, and then take the practical steps to get there.
If a career coach sounds helpful, fill out this form for the International Association of Career Coaches, and we’ll connect you with a handful of career coaches for you to choose from.
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