Best Careers For Women Over 40
Do you crave more meaning in your career? Is it time you had more control over your schedule? Want to work in a growing industry?
You are not alone.
According to a recent article in More magazine’s November Issue, 98% of women over 40 surveyed wanted to feel as if they were contributing positively through their careers. 73% wanted a flexible schedule and 89% wanted to work in an industry with a bright future.
If you’re not happy, perhaps its time you considered a career change. Start by thinking about what you would do if you could easily make a change. Are you interested in green careers, technology, philanthropy or another field? Are you open to building new skills or leveraging the ones you have? If money weren’t an issue, what would motivate you to get out of bed in the morning – helping others, completing projects, improving the environment?
This kind of Soul Search is the first step in contemplating a career change. Once you’re clear on what you’d love to do with your skills and talents, you can research careers that fit. The More article highlights 10 of the best jobs for women over forty including salary information, skill/education requirements and specific organizations looking to hire.
Here are some of my favorites:
- Community Service Coordinator/Program Director. Make a living making a difference with this field expected to grow 48% by 2016. The top 10% make over $96K/year.
- Environmental Scientist. For those with a passion for protecting the planet’s ecosystems, this career requires a master’s degree and the chance to work both in the office and out in the field, literally.
- Small-Scale Niche Farmer. If you prefer on-the-job training and working outside, being part of the healthy, local food movement may be for you. Small farms are growing at a rate of 10,000 per year and most earn from $26K to $76K/year.
“Career changers tend to shoot up the ladder, their passion turns quickly into promotions – and an increase in pay” according to Amelia Warren Tyagi, who places senior talent and was quoted for the article.
I couldn’t agree more (no pun intended). I experienced just that when I changed careers from business consulting to career development and training. Think you have to start over? Think again. Experienced workers have skills and experience that transfer and their passion shows in their performance.
I’d love to hear where you’re going next! If you have career questions, call into my radio show, Making a Living with Maggie, this Wednesday at 4pm EST SIRIUS 112/XM 157. I interview financial expert Jean Chatzky live on my show this week, sharing tips from her best-selling book, Pay It Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day!
Change always comes bearing gifts. ~Price Pritchett