If you long for the job of your dreams and have spent your entire working life doing the job you had to do, then your Third Age is the ideal time to consider that Second Career.

Many people stuck in jobs that, even if they are financially rewarding they don’t find particularly satisfying, may have little choice but to soldier on during their First Career. The dual financial pressures of paying a mortgage and bringing up children very often militate against a career change. But after retirement, with those pressures hopefully removed, it is a golden opportunity to consider what the Americans would call an ’Encore’ Job.

While age discrimination currently poses a considerable barrier to the average Third Age Brit finding the job of their dreams, their own Encore Job, things are about to change. Sooner or later, the UK retirement age will rise. It has to. The current retirement age of 65 for men and 60 for women is simply not sustainable in a country which is on its financial knees and which has a rapidly increasing older population. If our government chooses to increase the retirement age – which it will – it will also be forced to ensure that employment is possible for those individuals who would otherwise have retired at the previous retirement age.

One company who have consistently bucked the age discrimination trend is DIY group B&Q who have for many years actively recruited older people to work in their stores. B&Q began recruiting older workers back in the late 1980s. “There are clear business benefits to employing a workforce that is age diverse and reflects the customer profile,” says Ian Cheshire, former B&Q CEO. “We have found that older workers have a great rapport with the customers, as well as a conscientious attitude and real enthusiasm for the job.”

We’re not necessarily saying that working for B&Q is the job of everyone’s dreams, but how refreshing to find a company with such a positive attitude towards older workers!

In Part 2 of this 2-part article we’ll be exploring ways of finding that Second Career of your dreams in your Third Age.