As women over 50 facing the need to restart our careers, we can stand at a crossroads that is both daunting yet full of potential. With life experience on our side, we can be on the cusp of pursuing flexible, well-compensated jobs perfectly suited for my wisdom.
Starting over at 50 can seem exhausting and terrifying, but these also can be some of the best years of your life. I’m living proof of that!
At 52, after I left my abusive relationship and declared bankruptcy, I had to completely reinvent my life. Yes, I was scared. But I did it and if I can, so can you. This video should give you some hope!
Let’s go over some lucrative and fulfilling jobs for women over 50, obstacles to expect, and strategies to relaunch successfully!
Lucrative Jobs For Women Over 50
While purpose matters, income stability provides needed control. Here are some best jobs for women over 50 that promise financial upside.
Some of these are good jobs for a 50-year-old woman with no degree!
Real Estate Agent
As we get older, we learn a lot about houses and neighborhoods. Real estate lets us use what we learn over the years to help other families find homes while making good money.
Leveraging expertise from decades of home ownership, agents earn around $48,840 annually plus potential commissions on flexible schedules.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Set your own hours
- Working remotely is possible
- Balance family obligations
Financial Benefits
- Median income near $50K
- Commission earnings potential
- Residual leads build over time
Leverage Your Assets
- Insider housing market knowledge
- Local neighborhood expertise
- Established community connections
Guiding young families just starting out to find that perfect starter home gives joy by paying forward the guidance you relied on when purchasing your first property years ago. Continue the cycle of support!
Personal Trainer
Our bodies change as we age. Coaching others to get healthy can work well since we understand from experience what works best for older women.
Motivating clients to achieve sustainable fitness pays average annual salaries exceeding $40,000. Understanding physiological changes from decades of self-care allows tailored coaching.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Set your own hours
- Work from home potentially
- Online training options
Financial Benefits
- Income while semi-retired
- Higher pay with specialty skills
- Residual client leads
Leverage Your Assets
- Anatomical and kinesiological knowledge
- How to modify exercises for injuries/conditions
- Encouraging realistic goal-setting
Help others establish the healthy lifestyle habits that eluded your own fitness journey early on.
Curriculum Developer
Teaching gives us a way to use all the things we know to help students learn. Making lessons works for ladies over 50 because hours can be flexible for families.
Curriculum developers earning over $63,000 share knowledge by shaping impactful educational content, training programs, and more. Our accumulated wisdom finally finds an outlet benefiting others.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Potential for remote work
- Flex hours fitting family needs
- Location independence
Financial Benefits
- Lucrative income from expertise
- Residual income through reused materials
- Higher pay with tech capabilities
Leverage Your Assets
- Mastery of tools and technologies
- Insider educational system perspectives
- Simplifying complex concepts creatively
Put hard-won lessons from your meandering career journey to use illuminating potential paths forward for the next generation. Ensure they avoid the same pitfalls you encountered.
Financial Advisor
We have managed money and savings for years. Guiding younger clients on money decisions uses what we older women know from our own lives.
Offering retirement planning and investment insights, advisors earn a median $94,170. Success stems from effectively communicating complex concepts in understandable ways.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Some firms enable remote work options
- Balance hours based on family needs
- Meetings scheduled easily
Financial Benefits
- Median income above $94K
- Bonuses on top of base pay
- Residual income from return clients
Leverage Your Assets
- Market navigational experience
- Retirement planning insights
- Relatability builds trust
Give the guidance you desperately needed when suddenly needing to take full ownership of household financial management after the painful loss of a partner years ago.
Fulfilling Jobs For Women Over 50
While financial stability allows you to have freedom, deriving daily meaning from work brings deeper life quality. These roles deliver personal fulfillment. These jobs for women over 50 may require you use education you already have or consider heading back to school.
While school may not be for everyone, it’s certainly an option, no matter your age.
Nurse
Many nurses are 50+ because caregiving comes naturally at this age. Our group understands patients well and can give personal care and support.
With median salaries exceeding $77,600 and specialties up to $170k+, nursing leverages caregiving instincts and emotional intelligence cultivated through life experience.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Choose hourly or salaried roles
- Control your schedule
- Shift flexibility for family
Financial Benefits
- Median income over $77K
- Specialist income up to $170K+
- Benefits and 401K packages
Purpose-Driven Practice
- Directly and compassionately help heal patients
- Continually expand clinical knowledge/skills
- Guide families through care journeys
Provide the caring support you desperately relied upon while navigating the steep learning curve during a past personal or family member health crisis. Pay that compassion forward with hard-won wisdom.
Counselor
By 50+ we handle a lot of life changes. Counseling is a good option to help others going through hard times and transitions.
With a master’s degree, counselors earning approximately $47,660 help clients work through life challenges.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Private practice freedom
- Set client schedule convenience
- Telehealth appointments possible
Financial Benefits
- Median income near $48K
- Higher pay in school/hospital settings
- Satisfaction transcending dollars
Purpose-Driven Practice
- Listen actively and guide with warmth
- Continually develop counseling skills
- Reduce stigmas around mental healthcare
Create the nonjudgmental safe space you desperately needed while picking up the pieces from an immense personal loss years ago. Impart the guidance that might have eased your journey.
Occupational Therapist
Seeing loved ones struggle with health issues teaches us about disabilities. Therapists use that knowledge when improving skills for the same problems in clients.
Through interventions targeting everyday abilities, occupational therapists earn approximately $91K helping clients rebuild independence – profoundly meaningful work.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Flexible full or part-time options
- Private practice possibilities
- Choice of settings
Financial Benefits
- Median salary over $91K
- Higher pay in hospitals or schools
- Benefits packages
Purpose-Driven Practice
- Help clients regain life quality
- Enable functional independence daily
- Continually develop skills
Help someone regain their strength and capability after they had a medical problem turn everything upside down.
Freelance Writer
Ladies over 50 have opinions and stories to share. Writing articles and books allows using our voice to reach audiences.
Setting our own hours producing marketing content or articles allows creatively engaging audiences from anywhere. Consistent client pitching enables significant income potential.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Location independence
- Set your own hours
- Balance family freely
Financial Benefits
- Income scales with clients secured
- Residuals from reused content
- Higher pay for specialized knowledge
Purpose-Driven Practice
- Mix passions with prose
- Continually expand writing abilities
- Creative freedom
Finally, put that book you’ve had simmering for years down on paper for the world to enjoy!
Personal Chef
Cooking for families over decades makes older women good at meal preparation. Becoming a personal chef allows providing healthy meals others will love eating.
Preparing specialized diet-friendly meals blends decades in the kitchen with the joy of bringing nourishment to others. Client relationships can give rewards beyond potential six-figure incomes.
Lifestyle Flexibility
- Control your own schedule
- Accommodate appointments freely
- Balance family priorities
Financial Benefits
- Lucrative hourly rates
- Six-figure incomes possible
- 100% self-employment
Purpose-Driven Practice
- Enable client well-being through food
- Build meaningful customer relationships
- Continually expand culinary skillset
Connect with people by preparing the favorite comforting dishes from old family recipes that brought your family and friends immense joy over the years.
Jobs For 50-Year-Olds With No Experience
Many women over 50 have spent their entire lives taking care of their families and have no job experience at all. I get asked a lot about jobs for 50-year-olds with no experience and I do understand the concern here.
I need you to know that when I started over in life at 52 years old as a freelance writer and social media manager, I had absolutely no experience in either of these fields. I taught myself how to do both.
I read online blogs to gain some sort of understanding of both jobs, I downloaded free pdf’s on how to start working online, I reached out to successful bloggers, joined Facebook groups – you name it, I did it.
So even if you are a 50-year-old woman with no job experience, you can definitely learn new skills. What kinds of things do you love doing? What things are you really good at? We all have skills and talents in some things.
Find yours and figure out how to make money doing it! You’re a smart woman! Never underestimate your talents, gifts, and skills.
Balancing Work and Life Responsibilities
As busy women with many competing priorities, diligently deciding work hours aligning with personal health and family needs ensures happiness across all areas of life. Overextending risks burnout; balance enables consistency.
Boundaries
- Block calendar for family commitments first
- Set automatic away messages outside designated work hours
- Designate days fully off for recharging
Wellness Practices
- Move body daily to manage stress
- Practice mindfulness when churning mind distracts
- Nourish yourself as you do clients
When work fuels rather than drains us, we can feel happier and more balanced. Let’s care for the caregiver before pouring from an empty pitcher.
Finding Jobs For Women Over 50-Facing Hurdles
Seeking reinvention over 50 brings hurdles such as outdated assumptions of our abilities, fast-changing required skill sets, and limited openings. Yet with focus and perseverance, we can overcome these obstacles.
Jobs for women over 50 do exist, and you can’t give up hope even if you’ve already faced a few rejections. Giving up is not an option!
Battling Bias
Unfortunately, personal experiences of age discrimination across industries persist. We must do whatever we can to counter this.
Damaging Stereotypes
- Technologically inept
- Physically limited
- Cognitively declining
Reality
- Swiftly adopt new programs/apps
- Individual lifestyle factors influence capabilities
- Sharp minds with specialized expertise
Fluid intelligence declines with age, but crystalline intelligence – our cumulative knowledge and skills gathered over decades – only amplifies with time. Let’s lead with our assets.
Lifestyle Obligations
Many women over 50 have spouses, parents, or grandchildren relying on them for caregiving support. This restricts the time available to seek and commit to full-time roles.
Balancing obligations stemming from family reliance requires proactively setting boundaries around professional commitments made. Having open conversations about capacity allows finding optimal arrangements.
Industry Evolution
Some fields like journalism and retail face declines, leading to shrinking openings. Yet adjacent growth spaces like social media and e-commerce emerge. Skilling up through certifications in expanding domains allows sidestepping contracting areas.
While our original industries may face turbulence, transferable capabilities equip us the tools to adapt to market shifts. Keeping a pulse through continued education allows us to pivot our expertise to where industry momentum builds.
Strategies & Tips
Gaining career traction past 50 requires reorienting mindsets, conveying adaptable capabilities built over time, and proactively evolving skillsets to future needs.
Reset Self-Perception
Recognizing accumulated wisdom and the ability to continue acquiring skills counteracts external assumptions of decline after 50. Our life experiences become differentiators.
Reframing Strategies
- List transferable skills gained over diverse roles
- Track learning accomplishments large and small
- Notice prejudices faced and overcome already
Reframing stories of “less than” allows asset recognition.
Convey Core Strengths
Showcasing communication talents, global thinking, technical troubleshooting, creativity and other soft skills build intrigue around your value.
Strategies to Demonstrate Assets
- Quantify past professional achievements
- Get references to highlight strengths
- Remember work samples that prove assets
Flick imposter syndrome aside by shining light on just how much you bring to the table!
Follow Evolving Interests
Matching up new passions and skills you already have to potential jobs lets you find roles that are personally fulfilling.
Strategies to Mesh Passion & Purpose
- Notice enthusiasm triggers in volunteering
- Research domains needing niche insights possessed
- Try ideas initially through side hustles
Find purpose in your daily work by combining the knowledge you’ve built up over time with abilities that are useful in the present.
Summary of Jobs For Women Over 50
I think it’s so important to ensure your age doesn’t deter you from going out there and finding a good job. Your skills and experience are valuable to the right company/employer.
I know it can certainly feel quite discouraging but there are jobs for women over 50 out there. Don’t give up hope.
Conclusion
With dedication, perseverance, and speaking up for themselves, women over 50 can turn new careers into opportunities for steady money and meaningful work. This stage of life doesn’t have to limit us.
While the workforce may not be kind to older women, there still are jobs for women over 50 available. Many employers do prefer mature candidates. And if you can’t find a job, create your own!
Let’s confidently pursue jobs that showcase our worth!
