40 yr old Career Changer - marketing, graphic design, instructional design, HR

[Anonymous]

I currently work in the financial industry as a customer service rep in a call center. I probably will stay at my company because there are lots of job opportunities there, but I would like a change. I plan on taking a few classes online to explore different areas that interest me. A few that I am considering are marketing, graphic design, instructional design, and HR. Which of these options have the most opportunities for a career changer in their 40s? Do you work in one of these fields? How do you like your job? Are there any other related fields that you would recommend? I already have some experience in training, public speaking, and design from previous positions that I held prior to having kids and hope to apply these skills to my next position. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Marketing is crowded with young people in entry level jobs and frankly there is a lot of age discrimination

[Anonymous]

Are you looking to make more money? Grow? Get away from customer work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Marketing is crowded with young people in entry level jobs and frankly there is a lot of age discrimination

+1 I’m 40. I’m VP of Marketing, I have 2 grad degrees, multiple certifications, and impressive wins and work history. I see the future of my career and it’s bleak. Marketing is about “what’s now” — the older you get the further from “now” you are perceived.

Also, it drives marketing leaders crazy when everyone thinks our job is so easy that anyone can do it. It’s both an art and science - how are you at data analytics? Driving revenue? Negotiation? Psychology? Marketing is no longer just making pretty pictures.

To note, I would never hire a graphic designer who “took a few classes.” I want a degree, professional experience, and a portfolio. Canva doesn’t count. Making websites on Wix does not make one a “website designer”.

[Anonymous]

Other than general HR, all of these fields are crowded with people trying to enter them, often younger, and these people will have much more impressive credentials than a few courses. (The pp covered marketing and design, but instructional design is getting crowded because of teachers leaving the field and trying to enter it).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other than general HR, all of these fields are crowded with people trying to enter them, often younger, and these people will have much more impressive credentials than a few courses. (The pp covered marketing and design, but instructional design is getting crowded because of teachers leaving the field and trying to enter it).

Agreed

OP- try to get a foot in the door as a HR coordinator level.

[Anonymous]

Op, are you a woman?
Would you be interested in staying in the financial field the call center is in?
As a woman, who came up in the CC environ many many years ago, and has pivoted several times in my career successfully, now is a wonderful time to lean into the financial side if you enjoy, or more than tolerate it.

Are there industry groups you could join? Women in Financial Services? There are many others if I knew what aspect of the industry you are in. These often have Boards and Committees where you could volunteer your time, make an impression on, and possibly transition into a role you enjoy within Financial Services.

[Anonymous]

The biggest growth area in my opinion is cybersecurity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Marketing is crowded with young people in entry level jobs and frankly there is a lot of age discrimination

+1 I’m 40. I’m VP of Marketing, I have 2 grad degrees, multiple certifications, and impressive wins and work history. I see the future of my career and it’s bleak. Marketing is about “what’s now” — the older you get the further from “now” you are perceived.

Also, it drives marketing leaders crazy when everyone thinks our job is so easy that anyone can do it. It’s both an art and science - how are you at data analytics? Driving revenue? Negotiation? Psychology? Marketing is no longer just making pretty pictures.

To note, I would never hire a graphic designer who “took a few classes.” I want a degree, professional experience, and a portfolio. Canva doesn’t count. Making websites on Wix does not make one a “website designer”.

Totally agree on marketing ... I did it for almost 20 years and frankly started to feel like one of the elders and got tired of having to keep up with all of the social media and online advertising changes and got the hell out of it. OP - I would not try to enter this field at your age.

[Anonymous]

What else have you done in your career?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest growth area in my opinion is cybersecurity.

Np. Agreed. I work in fraud and risk management for a payments company and this is a hot skillset right now. The OP could go far in a short period of time if it is a fit for her.

[Anonymous]

Federal gov often hires instructional designers (Curriculum specialists) as a limited term appointment, not to exceed (NTE) a few years. a cool way to get to know an agency and often times they convert people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Federal gov often hires instructional designers (Curriculum specialists) as a limited term appointment, not to exceed (NTE) a few years. a cool way to get to know an agency and often times they convert people.

Those roles don’t go to people with no experience or training other than a random course.

[Anonymous]

I would look into corporate learning and training departments.

My Fortune 500 has a big training team that does all the training and online classes for our employees. It’s a big team and rolls up into hr, but it’s more like curriculum development, training videos, standards, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest growth area in my opinion is cybersecurity.

Np. Agreed. I work in fraud and risk management for a payments company and this is a hot skillset right now. The OP could go far in a short period of time if it is a fit for her.

NP. Is cybersecurity actually a good move for a middle-aged female career changer? Serious question.