Thinking its time to move on work wise, but sadly I've now hit 51 years of age 
Is this too old to move onto pastures new or is there any hope do you think ?
Have been in mechanical Engineering both in manufacturing and public sector maintenance for over 30 years now but seriously considering
a change.
Too old lads and ready for the scrap heap or is there hope ?
Can turn my hand to most things and don't have to earn a lot of money, But......
Any comments welcome, but a porn career is a no no 
move to do what?
Consider most things to be honest
Just wandered if anybody has ever felt "sod it.." and gone and done something different ?
Its the age thing that concerns me a bit though
I was chatting to a chap awhile ago who was an ex teacher as was delivering for a supermarket and loved it
Work in the NHS in Maintenance at the moment, So the pension is ok, BUT.....
Put a cv out and see what comes back. I have selected people in the past that are older because i know that if i treat them right they are there to
the end.
My biggest bugbear with older types is computer literacy. What is now considered basic use is beyond some. If you are good on pc say it, if not then
fix it.
Other than that I think age brings wisdom and contentment, who would not want that as an employer?
quote:
Originally posted by bi22le
Put a cv out and see what comes back. I have selected people in the past that are older because i know that if i treat them right they are there to the end.
My biggest bugbear with older types is computer literacy. What is now considered basic use is beyond some. If you are good on pc say it, if not then fix it.
Other than that I think age brings wisdom and contentment, who would not want that as an employer?
You are only as old as you feel
Age should not be a barrier for change, if you want a change go for it
But you must have the right mindset.
If you are able bodied , hard working , honest, have the right mindset and willing to accept change then that is fine.
If you want a comfortable life with a steady pension at the end then that is another matter
You have to have a clear goal to what you want in life.
Life is short you have do what you want but with a balance of what you are capable of
Or just wing it and see what transpires
I do hope you are not too old at 51, as i am 55, and just in the process of being made redundant after 26 years of
unblemished work with the same company
I will be looking fo a new job over the next few weeks
steve
Well, after years as a supplier quality engineer for Ford, jaguar, Nissan, Toyota etc they moved our factory making steering columns, racks etc to
Poland and we all got made redundant.
Move on 5 years and im 51, now totally happy as the director of my own PLC supplying myself as a HGV driver. I work when I want, turn down any crap
from anybody and have 3 holidays a year
. Just had 3 weeks off for Xmas, going away in march, July and 2 weeks in September. Its all good
Not at all, there is no longer a defined 'retirement age' employers cannot discriminate on grounds of age, if you are qualified for the new
job, then you should get a fair hearing and honest feedback should you not be selected.
If going self employed, good luck, I'm 56 in a couple of weeks, hoping redundo will come my way, I'm qualified in z/OS, Unix, many sub
components, and OK with IOS, after 38 years in the computer industry, I hope I've the bottle to do something completely different and never touch
a bloody computer of any size again.....
[Edited on 15/1/16 by r1_pete]
As everyone else has said if you feel up to it then go for it. I'm about 18 months behind you and have had three completely different careers in my life. I certainly wouldn't rule out a fourth.
As long as your pension is secure and you are happy that you retirement funds are secure.
Many years ago, there used to be an old chap dispensing petrol at a garage near Sevenoaks. He was very well spoken and used to be very senior in
banking in London, owned a mansion down the road.
he simply decided that he wanted to meet more people and have low pressure job.
certainly around here k could get a low paid job very easily, supermarkets, delivery drivers etc so not to old at 51.
You should whatever makes you happy.
I think you should have an idea of the type of job, if not the industry that would suit you. As others have mentioned, i know very senior management
that have worked in retail stores and loved the one on one engagement with customers rather than the nail everybody at all costs corporate scene. An
ex colleagues father was a senior barclays bank manager, got fed up and took early retirement and retrainex as an HGV driver, absolutely loved it.
Do you want to deal with people all day, or work happily on your own (landscaoe gardener, window cleaner etc). With your mech engineering background
ideal as maintenance for a smaller firm, there you will get to do all sorts of diy, as well as their machine maintenance so change every day.
Good luck and youre only as old as the woman you feel ;-) lol
Spotted youre shropshire based. The Shropshire Chamber of Commerce have a video CV portal which is good, allows employers to see the candidate and the
confidence and articulation comes across, young guns have great CVs on paper but rarely interview well, often crap communicators whereas mature people
often dont have the latest qualifications (O levels vs GCSEs for example) but exude confidence and have a more experienced manner of communication. We
have found the chamber a great way of networking to sell, buy in services etc, works well without being stuffy or snobby (unlike other chambers around
the UK), i would recommend them.
I havent anything currently to offer, but know many shropshire business owners so will keep you in mind. If you have an idea of the area you wish to
work in, drop me a u2u and i may know someone in that arena that you can speak with.
Good luck and at 44 im not far behind you!
[Edited on 15/1/16 by CNHSS1]
Personally at 41, nearly 42 I'd say get your CV together and out there and see what you can do. Having employed younger people recently and been
very unhappy with the distinct lack of work ethic I'd be in favour of your age on the basis you probably work the right number of hours and do a
fair job for the pay (there are those at a younger age who need a real kick up the backside).
Overall I'd say do what makes you happy and if money is not the be all and end all even better!
ETA...I'm looking at finishing my mortgage in 4-5 years time and can't wait for the freedom to be less dependent on salary and more free to
look at lighter weight jobs
[Edited on 15/1/16 by nick205]
quote:
Originally posted by nick205
Personally at 41, nearly 42 I'd say get your CV together and out there and see what you can do. Having employed younger people recently and been very unhappy with the distinct lack of work ethic I'd be in favour of your age on the basis you probably work the right number of hours and do a fair job for the pay (there are those at a younger age who need a real kick up the backside).
Overall I'd say do what makes you happy and if money is not the be all and end all even better!
mate of mine was made redundant @ 56-57, he had worked at the same engineering company since leaving school, from fitter up to a plant manager,
He applied to the Highways agency and works in the control room, he has just entered his last 12 months before retirement,
completely different from what he had done all his life but loved it,
Good luck with the search, im sure you will find something you will enjoy,
Mitch
I did it ! 50 and a brain tumor, 18 months after I went self employed because no one would employ a deaf guy who had had the big C. Had to realise I
was at the bottom of the pile, got myself a good name by hard work and stepping in when others went sick etc. Best thing I ever did, wish I had done
it years before, the freedom of doing what you want almost when you want, that doesn't always work out though ! Now 64 and my own boss, teaching
others how to weld properly, its a laugh it really is, to see the shock on their faces. Go for it and take care, but know which way you're going.
And think about what you are leaving behind.
Am I retiring at 65?? I don't know if I really want to, enjoy the banter etc.
my dad was made redundant from the only job he'd ever had from 16 at the age of 57, and i really worried what hed do.
turned out he got offered a job within a week from a company that new him and what he had done, and he initially worked for them dealing with
contractors helping them maintain the stuff he built 30 years before.
for the past 5 years he's been packing, making big wooden cases and shipping stuff all over the world, because he';s reliable and hes the
only one that can do it without the things falling apart on a fork lift or en route to china. he's 70 this year and has no desire to retire, does
three days a week and more when they need him. so theres plenty of life left in you!
its a much easier job physically than his old one (he was a mechanical fitter in heavy engineering) but its a leap he'd never have had the
confidence to make.
good luck to you, i'm sure you wont regret it
in contrast to previous comments about younger folk. i have a mate who works in the estates department of a University. he's a sparky and in the
past has run his own business. he is appalled at how many people of 40 plus arrive at the uni with a trade and simply decide to toss it off until
retirement, avoiding as much work as they possible can.
when they fitted trackers to the estates vans 50% of all the drivers handed in their keys and refused to drive anymore. many had been nipping home,
going shopping doing odd jobs and 'man and a van'casual removals whilst 'at work'
so its not just the young.
:-)
[Edited on 15/1/16 by swanny]
Be careful i am 60 and had my own business ran out of work when the banks crashed the economy so sold up i have contracts manager site manager plant manager cscs cards and am struggling to get employment because of my age it seems wrong that we are all going to have to work longer but company's have a problem employing older people we dont seem to put any value on experience sadly i didn't renew my digger tickets or i would start at the bottom again would cost me 2500 pounds to get them back again.
My old man always reminds me that "age and experience will always beat youth and enthusiasm".... He's just hit 70 and still does
consultation on a P/T basis as and when he feels like it; for the enjoyment, not the money!
As for the age thing, I do recall CV's nowadays suggesting you don't have to include your age as it can be used as a discriminatory point.
Just include any education, work experience, and contact details - then you'll see if you appeal to any other jobs you apply for.
As already said, ensure that you're relatively happy with money before trying to adventurous; no need to get yourself into financial difficulty.
But if that's all in place, then there's no harm in seeing what else is out there. I've also found that it's always easier to
find another job when you're already in a job.... must be sods law!
At 52 I threw in my job as a municipal engineer with my wife's support. (It was a totally unplanned move brought on by red tape frustration)
Had no plans for the future except that I would have to find something to do within 2 years of resigning.
Within 15 minutes of my resignation hitting my boss's desk the head of finance phoned and offered me a tariff setting and modeling job to ensure
rates and tarrifs for the City to obtain few Billion Pounds worth of income. The pay rate would be double that of my income at the time. The job was
fascinating and a huge success. After doing that part time for two years I moved on to other forms of municipal consulting.
I have been working roughly 6 months of the year consulting around the country for the last 11 years. (My wife assists me in my work so we travel
together and each job feels like an holiday) We have seen and explored parts of South Africa that we had never been to before and we love the
adventure. We never know when the phone rings where and what our next job will be.
Am 66 now and don't intend to pack it up till I really can't face or cope with the work - this from someone who swore that he would retire
at 50 - but the work is such fun now!
Some general comments:
1/ Don't do it if you have debt and commitments - we had zero debt and no children.
2/ Make sure you can adequately provide for retirement - don't spend any retirement savings on clearing debt.
3/ Make sure your wife supports the move.
4/ Don't burn bridges behind you.
5/ Remember it is a huge risk but if you are lucky, well worth it. I have had the happiest 13 years of my life and our marriage has gone from strength
to strength.
6/ Don't do what I did - have a viable plan - I didn't but was lucky as I never realised how much demand there was for my skill set and
experience and how good my contacts where and how well they thought of me. Most of my work has come from contacts and satisfied clients.
Simply: No, it's not too late.
[Edited on 15/1/16 by Badger_McLetcher]
Just had a meeting with a potential customer and business owner. She commented on employing older people as worthwhile due to their ability to take on a role and make it their own. She also made the point that older people have more about them than many youngsters - timekeeping, diligence, flexibility etc. From where I'm sat all good traits to bring to the workplace.
quote:
Originally posted by v8kid
quote:
Originally posted by bi22le
Put a cv out and see what comes back. I have selected people in the past that are older because i know that if i treat them right they are there to the end.
My biggest bugbear with older types is computer literacy. What is now considered basic use is beyond some. If you are good on pc say it, if not then fix it.
Other than that I think age brings wisdom and contentment, who would not want that as an employer?
Jeeze that's the most patronising thing I've read this year
I changed my direction at 54 - worked for years in higher education and got myself in a situation where I had to leave by the time I was 57 or I would
lose loads of pension. Started a business at 52 with the aim of retiring at 57 (pt whilst still doing ft). Business grew and Ileft at 54 ad an
opportuniity came. Kept the business going until I was 56 and sold it - loved the business and it was great working for myself rather than a bunch of
idiots but I work to live not live to work so retired an have never been so busy doing things I want to do.
My point is that there is a load of opportunity out there - age is a number you can ignore- do what you want to do and don't do what you
don't - life is just too short
You will be fine, my old man used to say, there is a lot of ways of making money. As he was very right. Make a plan and go for it.
Why do us younger people get such a bad name? We have a decent work ethic, just not ready to die for a company. End of the day its only work. I work
with a very young team. They deliver multi millions pound revenue for the company with their creativity and alternative approach to problem solving if
managed well. Older people always think everything should be done the way they did it.
[Edited on 15/1/16 by femster87]
At 51 I had been in tourism and catering management for most of my working life apart from training as a mechanic in the early part. I then started up my own property maintenance business and at 63 I have now retired to concentrate my time on restoring Minis. The plus side is that I have a wife who has a full time job so money is not a real problem. LIFE IS SHORT - GO FOR IT you will be surprised how many new avenues will open up when you get out of the rut. Good Luck.
Thanks everyone for your comments, Some very good comments and advice
One of the reasons I love this site
First step is to get my CV up to date as its been awhile since I did that and then go from there...
Go for it I say, we pass this way only once so no regrets and the best of luck .... Life's or living
quote:
Originally posted by perksy
Thanks everyone for your comments, Some very good comments and advice
One of the reasons I love this site
First step is to get my CV up to date as its been awhile since I did that and then go from there...
I once got so fed up with office work doing engineering I decided to become a city bus driver instead (First Bus) for 4 years! Diving bendys and
deckers it was great fun tbh and was one of the best things I ever did.
Boosted my confidence levels no end having to deal with so many people and so much responsibility, pay was very average and did not reflect the job at
all but diving jobs are often like that.
That job also meant that you had to help disabled and frail folk on and off and unlike working in an office just making more money for rich people I
felt I was really making a beneficial difference to these people life’s and you realised how much a simple bus journey meant to them.
I think people can get stuck in a rut job wise and then are scared to try something new, I get bored quickly and feel trapped especially if I know
everything about my job and nothing is new, then it’s time to just leave!!