I am 42 and I want to make a career change. Has anyone successfully used a career counselor? I only have my associates and I have been in hospitality for 26 years. I am looking to pivot but I still need to make over 65k a year. Is a counselor worth my time?
Posted by Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 88 comments
usernames_suck_ok@reddit
Asking the wrong question/considering the wrong thing.
The job market is nuts right now. Even if a career counselor could be helpful--and I doubt it--you're going to struggle to switch careers in this market. It's hard enough for people who have done the exact job before to get something right now.
three-sense@reddit
I agree with this. I know people over 40 (with Master's degrees) getting paid $16 per hour stocking boxes at a department store. If you have a stable career right now, it's not the best time to look for something else.
YourOwnPunkyBrewster@reddit
I feel so seenš š¤Æš«
ElPeroTonteria@reddit
Iām a RN, I worked a contract at a psych hospitalā¦ my psych techs (the entry level patient facing job, no license) held higher degrees than I hold. One of my techs had a phd in chemistry but couldnāt find work in their field, so was doing scut work at a psych hospitalā¦
Relevant_Isopod_6156@reddit
Whatās a psych tech?
ElPeroTonteria@reddit
Itās a non-licensed position in psych facilities. They do non-medical work (facilitate bathing, laundry, meals, activities etc)
three-sense@reddit
No shame in stable employment
Ok_Individual960@reddit
That's going to depend on the industry. I'm a manager in government finance. I can't find a qualified candidate with a bachelor's in Accounting. By qualified I mean a warm body that shows up and can actually do more than input data (basic A/P analytics). I'll train someone fresh out of school, but the attitude matters. A big issue is pay structure - salary isn't great but benefits, especially long term, can't be beat. Most people look at the starting pay and won't even apply.
mattinglys-moustache@reddit
I mean you canāt pay your rent with retirement benefits
Ok_Individual960@reddit
I definitely get that, I lived it. - but I stuck it out and I'm eligible to retire with a pension and health benefits today. I'm only holding out to get my replacement trained (almost done). I'm 47.
ShadowbanLimbo@reddit
But I can with a slice of cold pizza, right?
Confident_Win_5469@reddit
Do you need the bachelors? I only ask because I don't have a bachelors, but I can do more than basic accounting. At my age - going back for a 4 year degree to do what I've been doing for 20 years seems insane.
arcxjo@reddit
I have a Bachelors in another field that didn't work out, so I went back at 30 and got an Associates in Accounting.
Government jobs in particular will absolutely autoreject you if you do not meet every specific listed "requirement", or do but meet it via "or equivalent experience". It's a legal requirement of the civil service system. They don't even do tests any more, they just make you fill out a web form and you have to actually write in a box after each requirement how you specifically meet it.
It's just credential creep and kickbacks to Big Edu.
catforbrains@reddit
I work in government, so I feel your pain, but I also wish we could raise salaries across the board. Younger people don't care about health benefits because they're young and healthy, and by the time you actually need benefits, you also need a bigger salary because you're over 30 and can't live on Ramen with a roommate any more.
neon_farts@reddit
Itās because people need money now, not later, unfortunately
-OccultOfPersonality@reddit
At least you give people the pay rate in the ad and let them determine whether this is worth their time to apply.
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
May I ask why you say this? Are you currently looking in your field?
This is a a concern of mine.
It took my brother a year and half to land a new job in his field.
BetterThanAFoon@reddit
Right now this is going to be very sector and geographic specific. Overall trends are mixed. The job market has been shedding jobs in areas that are core indicators of overall health (tech) but have been adding jobs in other areas albeit lower wage sectors. If you are in the healthcare sector for instance there is a good chance to get into any hospital system because they are short staffed. PE and corporatization of healthcare has suppressed wage growth in this sector. Even doctors are feeling it. International travel spending has also been strong. Other areas are pretty stagnant like construction especially residential home construction.
So it really is a YMMV scenario but many people in this market are treating it like others have noted, hanging onto current positions and not seeking different employers.
I'm in tech and just interviewed a slate of candidates for one of our few openings and the slate was telling. Very good candidates that are looking for shelter from the pressures of AI.
Impressive-Cod-7103@reddit
I was going to say, healthcare is the only thing I can think of off the top of my head thatās going to have a decent amount of opportunities. But thatās because the burnout factor/turnover rate is particularly high right now.
YourOwnPunkyBrewster@reddit
I definitely have a 21, 22, and 24 yr old who are all struggling to find something
NYCWriterOfAllThings@reddit
Just do a google search on the job market since early 2024.
Jacgaur@reddit
This is at least in the US nationwide and across fields. The job market is very stagnant. People are mostly keeping their jobs, which is why it isn't obvious. We don't have high unemployment, but there is job movement.
Obviously there still is some jobs out there but it is tougher right now.
Plus, you can prepare yourself to retool your skills, keeping your eye open to opportunities if they do arise. Just do it with your eyes wide open.
Turtis_Luhszechuan@reddit
Things are bad and going to get worse. Probably much worse.
I have used career counselors and they did have some good advice on how to answer certain tricky non technical questions. The culture fit / HR type stuff that will sink you even if you are good at the actual job.
Whether it's worth it to spend money on them in your particular case is a gamble. Anyone can call themselves a career counselor so you really got to try to suss out if they are legit. Most will probably talk to you 15 min for free so you can figure it out.
multiballs@reddit
What do you do in hospitality? Beer, wine, spirits rep for a supplier or wholesaler pays well and donāt need a degree.
Hour_Affect3046@reddit
No it doesnāt. Not until you get to the regional side. Iāve worked as a rep for beer and liquor and itās taxing. You spend most of your day in your car, your nights are filled with events, weekends filled with tastings. It was great when I was 32, but at 42 Iām over it. Plus, the market is all over the place right now. Alcohol is down drastically and thereās constant realignment
ShadowbanLimbo@reddit
Damn Zoomers and their hope.
multiballs@reddit
Well aware, 15+ years as well. Still plenty of opportunities. Especially on the distributor side. Go off-premise sales to limit nights, weekends, events.
M_J_E@reddit
Do you know what you want to do?
Interested in technology? Trades?
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
I have no idea. I have a lot of doubt and I do not know how to pivot. Hence my reason to reach out to strangers on the internet.
M_J_E@reddit
Maybe try selling cars?
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
I am not cut throat and I am not attractive.
M_J_E@reddit
Truck driver?
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
My driving record says nope.
M_J_E@reddit
Post office?
ShadowbanLimbo@reddit
They just sent me a thing the other day soliciting me to apply. Went to fill out the form and despite the "EEOC" notice on the home page, the actual ad said anyone over 40 can't get.
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
They are hardly hanging in there.
deadflagblues@reddit
Sounds like you should maybe just stick where you are?
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
No.
tettoffensive@reddit
Trades would be more resistant to AI.
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
Why do people down vote for being honest?
YoghiThorn@reddit
well because he's gotta actually think for a second and figure it out instead of fucking around and wasting everyones time
-OccultOfPersonality@reddit
This comment is wasting everyoneās time.
elsie78@reddit
Can you check with the school you got your associates at to see if you can still utilize their career resources? The advisors may be able to help you with aptitude eval for other industries etc too
ShadowbanLimbo@reddit
Judging only from the information in the title, and assuming you're the average person in that scenario (i.e. not fresh out of prison, no major disabilities/drug addictions, etc.), the only option any more is using your personal network.
I literally just got a new job this week after 16 months of unintentional sabbatical, so I have quite a bit of experience with the programs they make you go through for unemployment benefits. Anyhow, the "career counselors" who are available to the general public are mostly just civil service grunts who print out postings from LinkedIn (which are really just offshore data mining) and put them up on a board in the welfare office, and maybe once a fortnight they have a "class" on writing resumes that AI systems are just going to ignore anyhow, or how to dress business casual. It's more about telling the federal government that they're trying to get druggies clean so they can get federal money than anything else. Or they're grifters charging you $500 for a seminar at the Ollidy Inn to tell you to apply for civil service and postal jobs that you won't get unless you're a veteran (and which are legally allowed to discriminate against us being over 40).
Lopsided_Orange_2177@reddit
Start thinking about how much you really need to live. Can you get by on 50k? maybe 36k? Once you figure out how to live on the least amount of money, you will quit asking yourself about a career change at 42 and start asking yourself about how you can retire and be done with the rat race.
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
I need to make 65k. Otherwise I have to sell my car and stop eating.
I actually cannot afford to contribute much to my 401k because my rent is 1,500. That is before groceries, car payment, health insurance, car insurance, electricity and internet.
Lopsided_Orange_2177@reddit
Why do you need to make 65k? Why can't you live off of 20k? I understand you can't do it in your current situation but what about changing that? Ever thought about just moving to a low-cost-of-living area and just living in a trailer? Putting up a few solar panels and drilling a well. Now you've got your basics for under 10k a year. There is a way to live frugal, its a mindset and can be difficult if not brought up poor, but it's really easy to do and that 60's hippy era lifestyle is more accessible than you think.
Cararacs@reddit
This is the dumbest thing Iāve read all month.
DrewBaron80@reddit
āBut have you tried extreme poverty?ā
People on Reddit will never cease to amaze me.
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
I am asking for career advice not someone to tell me the income I need.
I am actually living below the poverty level at that income for location.
coolrivers@reddit
u/Ali_in_wonderland02 I understand how difficult it is to figure out your next steps; it's a very tough challenge to navigate. Brutal, honestly.
When I was going through a career change seven years ago, I found that even the free 15-minute sessions offered by career coaches were helpful for sparking new ideas, even if their full services were too expensive at the time.
What ultimately worked for me when transitioning into GIS software was creating technical blog posts. By sharing what I was building, it demonstrated that I could code and think through problems coherently. This ultimately impressed an employer and helped me make the move. My advice would be to start reading or working on side projects in your field of interest now to build that familiarity.
I also agree with othersā suggestions to lean on ChatGPT and Claude. They are incredibly helpful for exploring your interests and strengths, and can provide great ideas on how to transition into a new field.
SpaceAgeHamburger@reddit
I changed careers last year at 47. It may sound lame, but my primary tool was Claude. I had Claude analyze my cv, analyze job postings, identify skills I could take advantage of, etc. It took months to start getting interviews, and I was simultaneously considering a return to school for a certificate program. But I eventually landed a job in a different field that raised my pay significantly. It's not my dream job, but it's a foot in the door of a better industry.
Healthy_Raise_7131@reddit
I spent a career in hospitality and left it a few years ago, rose to Director of Services (housekeeping, laundry ect) at large convention center hotel. Went to somewhat related/adjacent field for contract services provider, think Sodexo, Compass Group and the likes. Not quite the excitement of the big conventions and sporting events but managing services for a school district- I eat dinner at home every night, donāt work weekends, and actually get to take vacations! Iād say look into positions with adjacent/related fields and not spend money on career counseling. If you work with vendors/sales people, lean into your network of people you know.
Chemical_Butterfly40@reddit
I feel like I responded to this already but if I havenāt, your skills would transfer to project management. There are tons of certification programs available; Google to see what would fit your free time and budget.
Good luck!
sly-3@reddit
Agreed. I could have taken courses in a PM track during uni, but now that I'm taking a prep course for a cert, the material just ties together and puts fancier names on stuff I already knew and was using. Worth it, especially if yr company has a reimbursement benefit, even though it's relatively cheap (if you pay OOP) considering how many new windows it opens in the job search.
Whiskey_Water@reddit
Iām 40 and ADHD, so I start a new business, sometimes selling the old one, like every five yearsā¦ doing it again today. Itās hard work and isnāt for everyone, but it keeps me interested every day.
I must say I wouldnāt want to be searching for a job right now, though. Our applicants for relatively simple job descriptions include lawyers and other professionals looking for jobs way outside their field.
kalequinoa@reddit
Depends on the change you want to make. I pivoted careers in my 40s under the guidance of a career counselor. Iām still earning around the same, but Iām much happier. If you want to make a big change, this may not be the market for it. If you want to make a tweak, then it should be possible. I would identify a couple, ask them some questions about their focus and methods, and then decide if you think itās worth it for you. You might even be able to find some tools online to get yourself started, and then connect with a career counselor if you need more guidance and support. Good luck!
VistaLaRiver@reddit
Your local library might have free career navigation resources.
DadBreath12@reddit
Local government jobs. Possibly look for something that your skills can translate. A lot of local government agencies offer tuition reimbursement for training. If you already have your associates there could be a bachelor program out there you could finish a degree
MrsSamT82@reddit
I agree with everyone else in the comments to sit tight while the economy is tanking.
That said, there is no reason you canāt go back to school and study in a whole new field. By the time you get done with a degree, things will have (we can fucking hope) calmed down, and itāll be fairly simple to move to that new career.
As an example, I am 44 and currently a nursing major. For me, this is a āfirst tryā at a career after 2 decades of being a stay at home parent. (Life-long dream, started in my 20ās and got diverted). For a friend/classmate who already has a bachelorās degree in business, this is a second career after having been in Law Enforcement and helping to manage a family business.
Drewskeet@reddit
Talk this out with ChatGPT. It will help you understand your skill set, what it transfers too, and help you write a resume. Just talk to it like you would any person. Itās awesome. Where people struggle when switching careers is understanding their own skills sets outside of their current role. If youāre in hospitality, you have great customer service skills and those translate to a lot of jobs.
Background_Title_922@reddit
Maybe think about nursing? You could get an RN in less than 2 years at a community college. You probably need to get another year or two in credits to get a BSN for some opportunities but there are so many options and the pay is generally quite good. I went back at 36 to become a nurse after another career and then became an NP. I do very well and am extremely happy in my career. Itās not for everyone but itās a good option for many.
ThisIsACompanyCar@reddit
My husband is also in hospitality, tried to shift industries in the past and had no luck. He has a masters degree in management with a specialization in organizational leadership (not hospitality specific) and still couldnāt get out. Have you looked into the contract companies- Aramark, Sodexo, and Compass Group? Often times an associates degree is enough to get in the door in lower level leadership and depending on where you are or if you are willing to move the pay can be decent.
CarmenxXxWaldo@reddit
Realistically if you dont want t0 move you probably want to go to nursing school, like night classes.Ā See if your state has grants to help pay for it. If you can relocate learn to operate heavy machinery and go to where the work is, but I suspect that isnt as easy to get into these days as it was 5 years ago.
red_bird85@reddit
Thatās what Iām doing now. Tuition is covered. Iām signing a contract next month with a local hospital to work for them for 2y in exchange for a 12mo monthly stipend of 1K during my last year. I work as a massage therapist on the weekends. Iām going to take a full time nursing position in their long care facility (3/12ās nights) and bridge to my BSN remotely. That program, should I not acquire funding, is only 12K. I currently have no student loans.
Natural-Honeydew5950@reddit
I was coming on here to say the same thing.
Natural-Honeydew5950@reddit
I would take classes part time for nursing. Itās well paying and a solid career choice.
red_bird85@reddit
Iām 47 and back in school making a career change. Healthcare needs workers if you can stomach it.
flitcroft@reddit
I've hired people to help me in the job search. Nothing was too effective or significantly better than I'd do on my own.
Have you tried prompting an LLM to be your career counselor? ChatGPT could act as a career counselor and start this path at a high level.
VVrayth@reddit
Get this AI trash out of here, don't bring your scammy awful life advice in here. OP, don't listen to this guy, AI is not your "counselor."
flitcroft@reddit
You're missing my point completely. The question is, will a paid counselor help me? AI demonstrates some questions and topics that could come up, without spending money.
Natural-Honeydew5950@reddit
I agree with you. Iād use Claude first before paying a career counselor.
Ali_in_wonderland02@reddit (OP)
I am not familiar with LLM.
flitcroft@reddit
LLM = Large Language Model. ChatGPT is the most popular, but Claude, Gemini, CoPilot and a few others. The reason I suggest it is that you can have a dialog, not just get a few comments. Here's an answer to a quick prompt.
Reality check on your goal (>$65K):
Itās achievable, but not automatic. Youāll likely need one of these:
Advantages of using ChatGPT as a career counselor
VVrayth@reddit
AI wrote this. Don't listen to this guy, AI is not the way for somethiing like this.
flitcroft@reddit
Why? The question was, will a paid human help me? I'm illustrating a way to see if it feels useful without spending money. I did not say to replace a professional with ChatGPT.
VVrayth@reddit
That's 100% what you're insinuating with your initial reply.
I agree with others in terms of the job market just being a challenge. I think paying a person is probably not the best, certainly not in this economy, but ChatGPT is not avalid replacement solution.
flitcroft@reddit
I see the confusion. Sloppy writing on my part.
flitcroft@reddit
If you're not being purposely obtuse, that's not at all what I wrote, which was:
To distill the point further, Reddit comments do not condone a dialog. Sufficiently answering OP's question probably requires questions and answers. The result I pasted a snippet of output was simply to show that you can get useful output for free with an output completely different from what the Reddit format leads to. I did that because OP didn't know the term LLM.
AI is a very useful tool with tons of limitations. I was trying to be helpful in showing some ways to get value on this topic.
epcot_1982@reddit
LLM is the acronym for Large Language Model, the more accurate term for what most call āAIā. Basically they are suggesting you talk to ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or the like, to help you find what might be a good fit and how to go about pivoting.
I donāt usually recommend AI to people for many things, but this would definitely be a good use for it. Basically itās a search engine that allows you to talk to it like a normal conversation with a person, and uses the context of your entire discussion to narrow down your results and provide contextual insights. This would actually be a great use but keep in mind it will inherently agree with you so careful how you phrase things.
norcalxennial@reddit
Go to your local community college and talk to an academic//career counselor. Talking to someone, a professional, can help you find clarity on next steps to take. Depending on what youāre doing in hospitality thereās definitely transferable skills from project management to other customer facing roles like go to market or customer success. Yiu can explore via a temp agency for contracts as well. Join professional networking groups and get out there, jazz up that LinkedIn.
All that said the market is pretty dire right now but if you can afford to explore something different, do it if only for yourself to quench your wonder about it.
If it doesnāt work out you can always go back to hospitality. All the best to you.
Signed: fellow Xennial who changed careers/industries at 37 and comes from a family of Career Counselors (mom and 2 brothers)
aroundincircles@reddit
Look at your local community college and their certificate programs, see what is available, what makes sense to you, look at job listings for your area that list pay numbers, and see what matches up.
A lot of jobs in health care pay what you need to get, and need basic certification.
cassydez@reddit
Check out operation roles in tech or healthcare. Thy need people who can handle chaos and people
WasteOfBerries@reddit
I just went through a career coach program after being laid off. It's like having an investment advisor or real estate agent: worth it when they're good at their job... but how often are they tho :(
Hour_Affect3046@reddit
About a year or so ago I did a career assessment. It wasnāt a counselor, but I took a day and took a series of tests to see what Iām naturally good at. It was really eye opening and assured me that Iām on the right path for my career change. Turns out my lifelong dream of being a drummer is dead in the water. Now, mind you, Iāve never played the drums. Iāve always wanted to though. My rhythm memory was by faaaaaaar my lowest test score. Note inherently this doesnāt mean I canāt be a drummer, it just means Iād have to work harder to be mediocre than most
avalonfaith@reddit
Are you in a city? Have you tried workforce. It's actually really great, free and they put you up for jobs not listed on regular thingies. It's a gvmt thing.
Funkopedia@reddit
I was in catering when the pandemic started, so was out of work for a whole year. Instead of counseling, I took the aptitude tests at Johnson O' Connor ($800). These tests began as a way to figure out which low level factory role to place your low level factory workers, but has expanded to a kinda pseudo-science ~~skills~~ ability battery. (Instead of knowledge or skill, they test extremely basic stuff like spatial reasoning, dexterity, and memory). They don't directly recommend careers, but i learned a lot about how my mind works and what types of basic task i enjoy. This inspired me to apply to the Post Office and now I have a pension 5 years vested.Ā Ā
Of course, as far as finding work goes, I could have just skipped to that last step. But I've always wanted to know what I'm innately good at as opposed to what I've learned to do via training or practice.
Far-Bumblebee-7216@reddit
Actually, my current career is due to me following my gut and directly doing the exact opposite of what my career coach said (he thought the industry I was considering was a blip and headed for obsolescence- he was very, very wrong).
But I also agree with the folks talking about the current job market- itās exceptionally bad. If you know something you enjoy, start making small moves to improve the skills you need but donāt give up a solid job for the unknown in this economy.