This post will share the different side hustles that will help changing careers at midlife easier to handle by landing jobs that pay for your expertise and knowledge.
You've decided to leave your company to pursue a new career that you are passionate about- Bravo!
But it will take time to learn and grow into your new role. Meanwhile, you have bills to pay and responsibilities to keep up with.
You may be changing careers at midlife, but it doesn't mean you should throw away years of work experience and well-earned expertise.
You have "career equity" on your resume that can be used as leverage to help you pivot into a new career.
What is career equity?
The work experience and knowledge you have gained over the years serve as a valuable asset. You can use your career equity to leverage jobs with one purpose- utilizing the information as guidance or instructional purposes.
Let's make the most out of your last career by turning it into a part-time side hustle until you are ready to make a complete career change at midlife.
Best Jobs for Changing Careers at Midlife
Midlife Career Change: What to Look For in a Side Job
Before we get into the list of jobs that can help with changing careers at midlife, I wanted to share why I chose these specific types of jobs.
- Part-time or project-based
- Flexibility
- Possibility to work remotely
- Hired for expertise
When making a career change, you'll need to carve out time in your day or week to work on your new role or business. You might need to allocate time to get certified or leave room in your schedule for informational interviews or networking meet-ups.
The ideal job pays for your expertise and provides the flexibility in your schedule to learn and grow into your new career.
OK! Let's find out which career changing side hustle aligns with your expertise, skills, and abilities.
Leverage Your Midlife Career Experience with Consulting
Your midlife career has allowed you to learn from challenges and the opportunity to master the nuances of the job. This learned experience is golden for a company facing a problem you are already familiar with solving. Companies are willing to pay for guidance and expertise to help them navigate a situation or business challenge.
What to Expect as a Consultant:
- Provide feedback as an outsider to improve systems and procedures
- Point out blind spots and potential pitfalls
- Provide expertise with a specific area within the business
- Develop a business strategy for the company to follow and execute
Why this Job is a Good Option:
- Project-based
- No concerns or effort to get promoted
- No need to engage with the internal politics of the company
- Potential to be paid well
Share Your Knowledge- Teach a Course Online
You were the go-to person when it came time to train the new employee. You have an excellent way of breaking down the technical details of the job and the best explanations for every step and process. Take what you have learned and turn it into an online course.
What to Expect as a Course Creator:
- Develop and create lessons
- Learn new technology to produce and publish the course online
- Learn new platforms for streaming and marketing the course
- The possible upfront cost to sign up with a platform and time to create the course
Why this Job is a Good Option:
- Passive income
- No time commitment once the course is uploaded
- Teaching the next generation
More and more people prefer to take online courses because it provides the flexibility to learn at their convenience. Learn which platforms are the best to publish your course online.
Get Paid to Speak About Your Expertise
If you removed the busy work or the drag of managing a team and were only left to focus on your areas of expertise- you probably could talk about it for days. You no longer want to work in your old role actively, but you are enthusiastic about sharing your knowledge with others. Let's explore the benefits of being a public speaker.
What to Expect as a Public Speaker:
- Share your knowledge on LinkedIn or Social Media and posting consistently, building your personal brand
- Use your professional network to help you land speaking engagements
- Hone in your topic, make it very clear and concise on what you speak about
Why this Job is a Good Option:
- Not a lot of time commitment
- Master your presentation skills
- Possibility to Travel
Want to learn more about becoming a paid public speaker? Here is a helpful article from Indeed that covers the initial first steps.
Write for Your Previous Industry
There's a high demand for industry-specific writing for online content. Companies look to publish in-depth writing from authors with real-life work experience in a specific field or industry. Particular industries like healthcare, finance, real estate, and cryptocurrency are the most requested topics needing writers.
What to Expect as a Freelance Writer:
- Write articles online or on social media to showcase your expertise
- Not a requirement, but it would be good to learn the basic SEO practices
- Market your services on a freelance platform or use job bards to search for part-time gigs
- Low paying projects initially, but the potential to make more after each project is completed
Why this Job is a Good Option:
- Work from anywhere
- You choose the projects and deadlines that meet your schedule
- You can decide how many projects to work on
Coach a Young Professional Entering a New Career
You know what it takes to be successful in your old role. You used to be a hiring manager, so you know what is needed for a candidate to get hied. Why not take that experience of hiring a team and turn it into coaching someone looking to break into the same industry you built your career with.
What to Expect as a Career Coach:
- Let your LinkedIn network know you are offering coaching services
- Define the specific services you will provide
- Offer coffee chats initially and work your way towards coaching services
Why this Job is a Good Option:
- Meetings can be done virtually
- Helping someone land a job
- You set the time and services based on your bandwidth
So there you have it! The five different types of jobs that pay for your expertise and knowledge and provide flexibility to learn and grow into your new career.
Are you in the middle of a career change or thinking about making a move? Check out more articles or subscribe below- we publish weekly articles to help midlife professionals thing of making a career pivot.
