New job/career at 57 - ideas?

Abysmal wages, brutal hours. Work that is gruelling physically and mentally and will leave OP utterly drained. Would only recommend this route for a much younger person looking to eventually enter one of the health care professions.

Hating IT is a sweeping statement although I do empathise a lot. 😁😁😁 What about QA or documentation or planning or project management in a not too stressful employment. Would keep you going for another few years. Basically, no longer working for yourself or worrying about the business.

IT skills are transferable to virtually everything, in fact they are almost a basic necessity for everything one might undertake now. Are you tired of the relative social isolation that might be part of IT? Do you want a job that involves more interfacing with clients? Are you creative? Do you want to create and produce a product or a service? Would you like to work with animals, as in pet minding? Would you think of creating a service where there is a certain gap in the market? I could think of one, a complete funeral organiser. Not an undertaker, but somebody who sources an undertaker that is suited to modern funeral needs, sources a venue for attendees to have lunch /refreshments / house catering. There would be pretty much guaranteed customers, don’t know about profitability. Or are you good with your hands, eg making/repairing items?

And fits makes a great point about fetchcourses.

Rubbish, there’s plenty of jobs out there and employers are being increasingly flexible, especially where a candidate can show general skills and experience, which based on his original post he does. There are lots of companies where job sharing is increasing and people are looking for reduced hours.

I’m not sure where you’re working but you’re not in touch with the current job market.

I know there are going to be the posters with "it's never too late" spiel but at 57, to be honest it is too late. Major investment in a new qualification is unlikely to pay for itself in the 10 or so working years you have.

While you haven't said what you had been paying yourself, changing career always puts you at the foot of the ladder and wages are likely to be a lot lower than you're used to.

If I were you, if there were short courses that will make your development skills more current, that's what I'd do. Software development is in huge demand in Dublin and you could command a very decent wage.

Yes, I am actually, and that’s your experience. Self employment isn’t a barrier if you can show transferable skill’s and while the poster admits he doesn’t like IT now, he also quoted that business dried up during the pandemic which is a very legitimate reason to give in a job interview. I have numerous friends and colleagues who have changed career, job and outlook in their 50’s and I know most companies in my sector will happily take on staff over 50. I was 49 when I joined.

just because your recent experience didn’t pan out doesn’t mean you should be belittle the poster and their efforts.

You won't be difficult to manage or be seen as difficult to manage if you abide by the most basic of fundamentals.

Directly or indirectly, ensure you make your manager's job easier than it was before you were hired. Everything else feeds into that.

Some of ye really need to work on reading comprehension.

The OP said:

IT is out, because A) I hate it, and B) I've been doing my own thing, my own ways, for 20+ years now, so not up to speed with the latest stuff. I just would not be able to hack it in another environment.

Unless he's a Cobol programmer who can pick up remote work from London etc then ITs not the way to go.

And with 20 years one-man-band experience, I don't see him as a credible project manager in a large environment either.

As someone that did homecare stay away, at least from the agency stuff as a man, you can only go to make patients and straight away that's your available hours down. You'll spend most on fuel driving client to client.

If needs be work in a nursing home etc to keep you going a while but you'd have more heath mentally and physically working in a shop and actually not spend your wage on fuel

You're not taking him on so you're opinion of his suitability as a project manager isn't valid. Project management doesn't have to be in a large environment either. Given you're not having much luck getting a job yourself I don't think your in the best position to be determining someone else's suitability for a position.

Prince2 in project management framework. You can get trained up fairly quickly. Lots of places running online or inperson training. Here's one place in Dublin