Week one in the diary of a mid-life career changer

Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash

Have you ever been on a train or in a café and overheard this conversation?

‘So last week I was talking to my friend about buying {insert said item} and now I am being bombarded with adverts left, right and centre on my mobile phone for {said item}. I haven’t even search for {said item} on Google yet! How does it know what I am looking to buy? That’s it, when I get home, I’m turning Alexa off – she is in cahoots with the advertising gods!’

I have heard this conversation so many times, and I love all the conspiracy theories that tend to follow.

‘Well, your phone is probably made in China, it is probably spying on you’

‘You know Alexa hear and understands everything don’t you!’

‘Well, I think AI has gone to a whole new level, very soon you will just have to think about buying a new pair of shoes, and then the next day they will be on your doorstep!’

What has all this got to do with my first week of navigating away from a career in the City, and re-designing my working life? Well, it seems that the social media algorithms have been in full flow this week.  From the amount of traffic that has been sent my way, I think I could go on mastermind and have my specialist subject as ‘passive income careers’

So, what have the algorithms decided is important for me to see this week? I’ve been offered FX trading courses specifically for females. There has been a raft of digital template courses training me on how to use Canva and then sell my wears on Etsy.  Instagram has my feed full of people that are selling online courses and making $10,000+ a week, you can also sell your photos taken on your phone and be paid when someone downloads it. Women are selling e-books on all types of topics and making considerable incomes, others are actually selling real life books or selling products on Amazon whilst all types of affiliate marketing has been sent to my social media feeds be that high ticket, low ticket or mid-range ticket. There is someone out there selling something, and either offering a course to show you how to do it yourself, or asking you to attend a free masterclass to learn more.

As I dived down this rabbit hole my feed become a sales fest! Gone were the videos about hiking or how to batch cook winter soup, my social media stream was awash with entrepreneurs touting their knowledge, hacks and courses.

Now it would be easy to be annoyed with the algorithms – however the more digging I did, the more I fed the algorithm – it wasn’t getting a starter main course and dessert. Every hour it was having a 10-course tasting menu as I tried to understand how big this on-line business market is, and whether there was a place in it for me.

I’ve always enjoyed learning, and at age 55 I am still a perpetual student. I am constantly studying something, so perhaps there maybe something in this on-line course malarky! Did you know that in 2024 it is expected that online education is set to be worth $185billion in the US alone, and by 2029 it is predicted to be worth over $270 billion. Those numbers are insane, globaly this industry will be into the trillions!!

So, having worked my way through the stories, reels, video and DMs, I have decided to take the plunge and have 2 discovery calls lined up next week with online course creators. They supposedly can take someone, like me, with no experience or knowledge and have them up and running, educating people online (topic to be decided, but I have a few ideas!) in any time between 60 days and 7 months.

My needs in life are very simple. I need to be outside, I love to garden, I love to hike, I love to travel, I love to write, and I love the sea. I don’t need a wardrobe full of designer shoes and handbags (more muddy boots and rucksacks!). I don’t wear expensive jewellery, and I don’t need to live in a mansion. So, if I can have a tiny slice of the $270 billion that this on-line education business is due to be worth, my simple life and simple needs will easily be met!  (I mean 0.001% of 270 billion is still $2,700,000!)

If opening my eyes and ears to something that 20- and 30-year-olds are embracing in their droves, then what do I have to lose as a 55-year-old?  The simple answer is nothing. I actually have all the freedom in the world to gain.

So, this week I am embracing not knowing. I am embracing all that is new. I am starting with a fresh, blank sheet of paper. What I currently know is no longer serving me, so this journey into a new career has me curious and slightly apprehensive – purely because I don’t know what I don’t know, but this will be a week of exploration, connection and creativity.

Let’s see what’s in store for me, and perhaps I should stop feeding the algorithm. This week it can just have snacks!