The changing nature of mid – and late careers essay sample
A career is a long and promising path for those starting it in their 20s. People have plenty of time to gain experience, develop new ideas, and implement them into life. However, a career prospect is entirely different for those heading retirement. Life changes fast, and what was relevant for people during their university years may become a complete waste of time in future. New trends and values naturally make people change their occupation, even though it does not seem logical for a specialist with a huge experience in their area.
The lifespan development career model highlights gained skills, career interests, and personal values of the worker. On the other hand, people develop in a very narrow context gaining decades of experience in the same field. Many of them are incapable to try something new or afraid of becoming a junior employee in their 50s. Nevertheless, senior people take certain advantage from working at junior positions. They enjoy the new occupation more and are less likely to be pushed away by the young and ambitious.
Today people change their careers more often in general, but it becomes especially urgent for middle-aged and senior citizens. While those in their 30s feel strong enough to start an entirely different career, aged people take a career as a remedy from the retirement. Pushed out of the workplace by their former employers, senior citizens cannot stay at home feeling useless. A person needs to stay active if they want to preserve perfect physical and mental health, and the demand in some work is especially acute for the retired. Truly, people still develop in their 60s and later if the society does not exclude them from the active community. That is why being flexible in late career years is critical to one’s well-being.