Career advice late in life

[Lucy_1]

I’m 54, and before I had kids I was a teacher. When I had kids, I quit my job, and except for the very occasional retail or admin job, I haven’t worked since. Now my kids are 22, 20, and 18. They all still live at home.

I’m supposed to start online Court Reporting school this fall. Here’s the thing about court reporting: court reporters are in really high demand because the drop out rate for students is 90%. So, I had already braced myself for the fact that school would be tough. I had my conference call with the founder of the school yesterday. He said that he has never had a graduate in my age group. He said he didn’t want to discourage me, but school is expensive, it’s tough for people in their 40s-50s to pick up these kinds of skills (like language or music), and young brains have an advantage. He said if I was his sister or cousin, he would tell me it wasn’t a good idea.

So that threw me for a loop, and now I’m really not sure what I should do. I just don’t give age a second thought, but I guess I see his point-- plus I do have arthritis in my hands. Anyway, I don’t want to go back to teaching, and I’m not qualified for anything else. So do I just say, like Farragut, “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead,” or do I chart a different course?

It’s a philosophical problem for me as well, because I don’t have many accomplishments in my life. My parents did so much with their lives, and they weren’t even Christian. I know people say that motherhood is a job, but I disagree, and don’t think it should be reduced to the level of job. Motherhood is a relationship, and my children are their own people, not my “accomplishments.” In one way it’s fine that I don’t have a lot of accomplishments, because I don’t have a “type A” personality. I’m not a super busy or ambitious person, like so many people are. But in another way, it does feel like maybe I haven’t done the most with what God has given me, and that’s disturbing.

My primary concern is what does God want me to do at this stage in my life? I feel that all work is honorable from the CEO to the janitor, because everything can be done for God’s glory, though of course there are some jobs I would prefer and have a better aptitude for. I don’t necessarily need to work though our retirement would be helped by me working. I have prayed and thought a lot about it, and thought that court reporting would be a good solution, but since that phone call, I’m thinking not so much. I’m really at a loss as to what God wants me to do.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

This guy sounds like he has agist bias out the wazoo. I wouldn’t want to give him my money as it sounds like he is looking to weed you out before even seeing what you can do. To be frank, it sounds scammy. Is there another court reporting school you can attend?

By the way, a lot depends on exactly what kind of court reporting you’re doing. I have known a number of court reporters. One of them had zero secretarial skills and worked setting up the recording equipment like an AV tech. Plenty of them were older ladies, and even if they had started when they were 22, there’s been a lot of technical changes in the field since that they had to adjust to.

 

[Lucy_1]

This guy sounds like he has agist bias out the wazoo. I wouldn’t want to give him my money as it sounds like he is looking to weed you out before even seeing what you can do. To be frank, it sounds scammy. Is there another court reporting school you can attend?

Yeah, I thought he sounded agist, but to be fair if he was trying to scam me he’d be more likely to take my money and say nothing.
I have looked in to a lot of different schools. This one has an outstanding reputation, and seems to be the best choice because most schools require several extraneous courses, while this one solely focuses on the skills, theory and terminology you need for certification.

I have trouble framing things in these terms. I’m not sure that I have passions like this. I’m interested in lots of things, sort of a dilettante I guess

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Well, perhaps it’s a cultural difference. I don’t think the man’s attitude would go over well in USA. IDK if he’d get sued, but there’d likely be viral posts about him and his hangups.

As for all this follow-your-passion stuff, it might work for some people but I never got it either. Work is something we do to make money. We trade off whatever the costs and benefits are of the job to see if it suits us. I’m not very passionate about any of it except I do like to be able to pay bills and such, and I don’t like to be hassled, so a job that couples both those things works for me.

 

[MNathaniel]

plus I do have arthritis in my hands.

This is the bit I’d be concerned about.

I’m not sure how concerned about it to be since you seem to type a lot here on CAF? But do you have reason to believe that the sheer quantity of typing required of the court reporting job, would eventually exacerbate a physical health concern for you with your arthritis?

I’d hate to think that you’d wind up being physically harmed and more uncomfortable than usual by whatever work you do.

I once worked in an office where a woman lost the use of her hands and was able to use some kind of voice recognition software to work – but it definitely slowed her down, and I imagine may not be feasible for court reporting.

I’d wonder whether there’s a way you can share your talents more primarily through voice (like teaching or consulting) instead of something requiring repetitive typing?

But maybe I’m making too much of your arthritis. Again, you seem to type well here on CAF (I’m presuming from this side of the screen). So assessing the potential impact of whatever typing is required from court reporting, would be something you’d have to examine yourself, knowing yourself and your own hands.

 

[Gorgias]

I’m not sure how concerned about it to be since you seem to type a lot here on CAF?

There’s a difference between participating in an online community and working 40 hrs/wk, though, no? I love cooking, but my back could never handle the stress of working in a restaurant!

I’m not sure that I have passions like this. I’m interested in lots of things, sort of a dilettante I guess

Well… what if you changed your approach, then? Instead of thinking new career, what if you thought “what would be fun / exciting / enriching for me to do over the next few months or years?”…?

 

[Irishmom2]

Perhaps you could shift into a career that uses your teaching skills, but not for actual teaching. My sister was a teacher. She now works in a library. You know what kids are like, maybe a job that advocates for kids, or an after school program where you help with homework.

Reinvent the skills you already have by possibly adding some new ones onto them .

 

[Glennon_P]

Since you don’t have to work (based on your initial post)…think about how you could be of service? Is there a non-profit whose work interests you? A cause that is near and dear to your heart? You’re not going to get rich working for a church or a non-profit but most do have at least some paid staff.

 

[Lucy_1]

I’m not sure how concerned about it to be since you seem to type a lot here on CAF? But do you have reason to believe that the sheer quantity of typing required of the court reporting job, would eventually exacerbate a physical health concern for you with your arthritis?

Yeah, I’m not sure how arthritis would impact my progress. Or if being on a steno writer 6 hours a day would have a detrimental affect on my hands. Currently it’s not really bad, so for the most part I just ignore it. I’m not educated about arthritis, so I don’t know if a lot of repetitive motion would make it worse.

Well… what if you changed your approach, then? Instead of thinking new career , what if you thought “what would be fun / exciting / enriching for me to do over the next few months or years?”…?

Yes, I have thought quite a lot about this. But I haven’t come to any solid conclusions yet.

 

[MNathaniel]

Yeah, I’m not sure how arthritis would impact my progress. Or if being on a steno writer 6 hours a day would have a detrimental affect on my hands. Currently it’s not really bad, so for the most part I just ignore it. I’m not educated about arthritis, so I don’t know if a lot of repetitive motion would make it worse.

I might make your next step to inquire for your physician’s opinion, perhaps. Just for the purpose of information-gathering.

He or she will hopefully be able to make a reasonable assessment of the potential impact of such steno work on your particular hands in your particular case.

Then you can add his medically-informed thoughts together with the other factors you’re considering, to have more confidence towards whatever direction you decide.

 

[Lucy_1]

Good plan, I will make an appointment.

 

[whatistrue]

I don’t want to go back to teaching, and I’m not qualified for anything else.

I would dispute that on the basis that both teachers and mothers have a wide range of skills that are useful in many situations, including in business, and good employers recognize that and know how to use it for the benefit of both of you.

plus I do have arthritis in my hands

If you have arthritis in your hands (assuming they still use the steno machines for court reporting - not sure if they do) than you would likely be in severe pain constantly or perhaps even damage your hands.

Plus there is an anecdote from a relative of mine. She was a secretary/typist and moved into court reporting and did very well at it. But one day someone saw her crying while transcribing the court session (taking it off the steno machine and typing it in regular English) and she said that she was upset at the testimony that she was reading. The person asked what it was about and why she didn’t have the same issue in court. The short answer is that the testimony was related to a child abuse case and she didn’t react in court because she doesn’t really listen to the words during the session but basically “hooks her ears up directly to her hands” so this was the first time she actually knew what was said.

Not trying to tell you what to do, but maybe food for thought.

 

[Gorgias]

I would dispute that on the basis that both teachers and mothers have a wide range of skills that are useful in many situations, including in business, and good employers recognize that and know how to use it for the benefit of both of you.

Right! Teaching skills would mean that you have the experience to do training in a business environment, right?!?

 

[Lucy_1]

whatistrue:

I would dispute that on the basis that both teachers and mothers have a wide range of skills that are useful in many situations, including in business, and good employers recognize that and know how to use it for the benefit of both of you.

Right! Teaching skills would mean that you have the experience to do training in a business environment, right?!?

I don’t mean I don’t have skills. I have a lot of skills. I mean that people aren’t clamoring to hire a 54 year old who’s been out of the workforce since '97. I mean qualified in terms of an employer looking at my resume and then tossing it in the bin.

 

[Pattylt]

How about a similar but slightly different job? Medical transcriptionists are always in demand. How about a technical writer? The problem is, these still involve a lot of typing!

Having arthritis is something to check with your doctor. Some use cases may make it worse and some may not effect it. I have arthritis in my hands but typing and even pippetting in the lab rarely bothered them. I can’t use a squirt bottle for more than ten minutes without being in excruciating pain, however.

Another way to look at it is, if you go to court reporting school and it is too difficult or too hard on your hands, well…lesson learned. Then it’s time to look elsewhere. Don’t fear failure. It’s what often helps us zero in on other areas where we wind up even happier!

 

[whatistrue]

I mean that people aren’t clamoring to hire a 54 year old who’s been out of the workforce since '97

Oh, I certainly understand that, being on the far slope of the hill myself. I have no doubt that it will take longer, but when you do find the right employer they will likely be a better fit anyway since they can look past the calendar to the person. And it may be one that you wouldn’t have thought of right away. Yes, corporate training is similar to teaching in many ways, but I was thinking more of the “soft skills” that teachers and mothers tend to accumulate. Conflict resolution, planning and organization, coordinating widely different personalities towards the same goal, and so forth. Those can be put to use almost anywhere; the trick is finding someone who needs your particular “bag of tricks” but might not know it yet.

 

[TMC]

I’m supposed to start online Court Reporting school this fall.

My humble suggestion - talk to some court reporters your age and see what they think. I know that court reporting is tough on the hands and wrists, and I get his point about how these kinds of things are harder to learn at your (our) age. But one can learn such things. If you call any decent sized court reporter service in your area, I bet they would be happy to let you talk to someone doing this job at your age. If the first one you call isn’t helpful, maybe the second one will be. Just my two cents.

 

[Irishmom2]

If I needed to find a job at my age, I would be hard pressed. But I think something to consider is starting your own business at home. Tutoring, proofreading, or some kind of service. So many ways for people to find you online these days.

 

[Annie]

A 60-something former SAHM and dilettante here, too.

Perhaps you could consider why you do not want to return to teaching. Imagine you had a list of all teaching skills, and then cross off the skills you do not want to do. For example, say you didn’t want to work with large groups of students. Maybe you could get training to tutor for SAT/ACT tests.

Maybe you don’t want to do the planning, etc. Perhaps be a TA.

Of course, it may be that you just want to get away from it all altogether.

Why did you think of court reporting? What about that appealed to you? Say it was working in the legal field… see how to be a law firm admin assistant, or even paralegal.

Like the law and children? Maybe be a guardian ad litem, whose qualifications and pay vary greatly from state to state (some are volunteer and others are attorneys: the two extremes!).

I am not into the passion thing myself (sheesh, I just want a job, not a life-consuming career!), but people do do better at jobs where they feel reasonably adept and have at least some enjoyment of the work. And looking at those things and considering options is better than the other way around.

 

[CoffeeFanatic]

I don’t have an answer for you, but I’ll just say that I taught for fourteen years before going back to get a BSN. There were people older than me in my cohort. We’re all doing fine. As long as you’re in relatively decent health and your mind is still working well, don’t listen to naysayers. Nobody has yet to care how old I am when putting my patient teams together and I work on a rough unit with high acuity patients.