How late is too late to switch careers? Well, if you have your heart set on making it as a footballing superstar or prima ballerina, chances are if you haven’t hit the big time by your 21st, it’s not going to happen.
Even outside the realm of fantasy jobs, some professions such as veterinary medicine and law have such a long and intensive training period most, though by no means all, new entrants tend to have youth on their side.
Some top jobs, however, can really use transferable skills gained in a seemingly unrelated field and from candidates of any age.
This is great news because the idea of one career for life is growing outdated.
In 2015 a survey of 1,000 professionals by London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) found that 47 per cent would like to change careers. Among Scottish respondents, the figure was even higher at 55 per cent.
Reasons included improving job satisfaction, boosting salary prospects and gaining a better work-life balance.
And there is ample evidence those who take the plunge in their thirties or older do report higher levels of happiness than those who didn’t change career.
Property is one field that attracts a real mixture of people from different backgrounds and of all ages. Let’s meet them.
Silver-tongued sales people
While some were born to sell, this is a skill enhanced with experience. What the best sales people have, as well as bucket loads of chutzpah, is the facts at their fingertips. If you can sell well in one field, once you know your new market, you can apply the same principles.
Plate-spinning people
Estate agency involves spinning a lot of plates at once. A typical day can mean office meetings, drafting schedules, conducting viewings, chasing up viewers and attracting new clients. It’s a fast-paced atmosphere that rewards good planning and superb organisational skills – making it ideal for anyone who has run their own business.
People people
To the untrained eye, being an estate agent is all about property. It is also, however, just as much about people. In common with customer services roles, counselling or social work – all areas from where fresh talent can come – the ability to read people effectively is a great asset, where negotiations between parties can often resemble a game of psychological poker.