My goodness, do I get this question a lot! The three questions I posed to you in Consulting FAQ # 2 (“How do I know if I'm good enough to become a consultant?”) are very similar to the ones you need to answer here:
1. Too young (or old) for WHAT? What kind of consulting do you want to do?
2. Working FOR WHOM? What kind of client / business do you want to help? And do they need your level of experience? Do they need more? Less?
3. DO YOU KNOW MORE THAN THEY DO about the work you do?
Answering these questions is your first step to addressing the big age question.
However, I know you want me to really address the age issue, so here you go:
ARE YOU TOO OLD TO BECOME A CONSULTANT? Absolutely not! In fact, many people step into consulting for the first time when they are late in their careers, or even when they retire ... because they still have energy and enthusiasm for work, but they don’t want to be chained to one company and one desk. You have so much to offer! Experience. Grace under pressure. I can introduce you to tons of people who became consultants over the age of 50, 60 and even 70 … from all walks of life, in all lines of work.
ARE YOU TOO YOUNG TO BECOME A CONSULTANT? That really depends on what you want to do, and how much experience you have in that niche. Your age does not matter; but your level of experience does. Once again ... if you know more than the people you are helping, you can become a consultant. Do you have significant experience in one industry or field?
Here are some examples to consider:
If you want to advise Fortune 100 companies on international sales strategy, then you need to have solid (successful) experience selling internationally for Fortune 100 companies. If you don’t have that experience, you are not ready to become a consultant in that arena.
By the time I was 24 years old, I had a full 8 years of experience working with customers (retail and restaurant experience). I chose to become a recruiter at that time in my career, but looking back, I could have easily become a consultant helping restaurants and retail chains hire, train and retain young workers more effectively. I had been hiring and training in new young, inexperienced staff for 4 of those 8 years! Most restaurants and retail chains do a very poor job of training and retaining young workers. I could have added a tremendous amount of value.
HELP BEYOND TODAY:
If you’re still here, and you’re still excited about the prospect of becoming a consultant, then this is a really good time to take a look at our weekly coaching circles + Ultimate Consulting Toolkit: [ Ссылка ]
We’ve helped thousands of consultants launch and go on to build highly lucrative, successful careers. We would love for you to be our next success story! - Catherine
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the tradewinds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
