How To Change Careers At 50 And Be Future Proof

The year: 2012

Age: 40

Here’s how a typical work day felt for me after realizing I needed a career change.

Open my eyes, mope to the shower, slog to the car and drive to work.

Then, at some point during the day, start daydreaming about being anywhere else but there.

All while doing everything I could to keep myself from clicking on the web browser to work on my business.

Rinse and repeat until July 2013.

Ugh!

Yep, I know the feeling.

So, now when someone asks me…

“Hey Corey, I need to get out, can you help? Where do I start?”

I know it’s urgent.

I know that I need to give them options that don’t involve four more years of college.

Or, on the other side of the spectrum, quitting their job cold turkey and putting themselves and their family in a bind.

They need a plan that takes them from point A to point B, ASAP.

Every situation is different, but here’s one of the simplest and most future-proof plans I’ve given out.

1. Find an in-demand skill

2. Learn that skill

3. Offer that skill

Let’s dig a little deeper into each.

Find A Skills That Is In-Demand

If you are going to invest time and energy into changing careers, you want to make sure you are learning something that is in demand.

One company that knows a lot about what’s in demand is Upwork.

If you aren’t familiar with Upwork, they are a global online work marketplace that connects businesses with freelancers and independent professionals.

Every quarter Upwork publishes a list of jobs and skills that are in demand right now.

Here’s the link, look through the list and see if anything interests you.

Learn That Skill

Now that you’ve found a skill you know that businesses are looking for, it’s time to learn it.

You can learn profitable, in-demand skills in weeks and sometimes days.

“But Corey, who the hell is going to hire someone who just took ChatGPT 101?”

Well, a lot of people.

Business owners and managers who know how a skill like ChatGPT can benefit their business but don’t know how to do it themselves OR don’t want to learn or don’t want to do it themselves (which is why they are looking for help in the first place).

Just the fact that you even took a course often means you know 80-90% percent more about the topic than the client.

So wipe that from your mind, and let’s get back looking for a course.

There are sooo many ways to learn pretty much anything.

Let’s say you chose something related to one of the most in-demand skills today, using ChatGPT.

You can go to a site like Udemy ($) and find a highly-rated course to help you get up to speed.

And that’s just one site. There are literally thousands of other places to get high-quality, specialized courses on your chosen skill.

Offer That Skill

Now that you have some skills, it’s time to use them to pay the bills.

To do that, you’ll just need to set up a profile on Upwork and start applying for the jobs that interest you.

Here’s a category that has 101 jobs available and a listing with very low competition.

The key is to set a goal to apply to as many jobs as you can every day.

When I was crushing it on Upwork, I was applying to 5 to 10 Monday through Friday.

I created a short course called “Proposals That Pop” so I won’t go into detail here. If you’re interested, it’s located in the Business Builders Toolbox.

And you don’t have to just stick with Upwork to find clients:

• There are other Upwork-like websites: Freelancer, People Per Hour, Fiverr, and more.

• Depending on your chosen skill, there may be more niche sites, job boards, and forums where people are looking for help.

• You can use social media to find clients on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

• Your network. You might have family, friends and colleagues who need this help or know someone who does.

There is SOOO much opportunity out there. So many business owners are looking for help in thousands of different categories.

Wrapping It Up

If you want to change careers, it’s never been easier.

It’s a pretty simple formula.

1. Find an in-demand skill

2. Learn that skill

3. Offer that skill

That’s it.

The great thing about this strategy is it will make you future-proof.

If opportunity dries up, you get bored, or you just want a new challenge, just start the whole process over again. There will always be cool new, in-demand opportunities waiting for you to learn.

It would be fun to do a workshop on this. If that interests you, let me know you are serious by signing up for the Annual Plan here, and I’ll put it together.

I can help you like I helped Brad…

Chevrolet Van

Remember that dude Ralph on Friday the 13th who was telling the camper they were doomed?

You probably had a few friends or relatives over the years who were like Ralph.

Handing out free career advice…

“That’s not real work, how are you gonna make any money?”

“You know how many businesses fail every year?”

“That internet stuff is just a fad?”

Blah, blah, blah.

So I have a song to help us deal with all the anxiety caused by all the Ralphs in our lives.

The song is “Chevrolet Van” by a band called The Nude Party.

Listen now because it will put a smile on your face

Add that to your playlist for when you need a pick-me-up.

So, there ya go. I hope today’s post helped you out.

Remember, if you want some help getting started, let’s do a workshop.

Sign up for the annual plan, and I’ll get you started.

Have a good one,

Corey