Abstract
More individuals are attempting career changes in later life as an increasing number of older adults face precarious retirement prospects. Although many of these older job seekers eventually find new livelihoods, little is known about their emotional well-being subsequent to these changes. Using respondents from the 2014 New Careers for Older Workers Study who successfully navigated a career change after age 45 (n=337), we evaluate the contributions of demographic characteristics, agency, and resources when estimating three measures of career-oriented emotional well-being. We found that having financial resources during the career transition was associated with all three optimistic emotional outcomes; while family support and intentionality were also associated with more positive emotions. Conversely, prior job prestige and additional job training had no relationships with career-oriented well-being. These results suggest that later life career change, despite its challenges, often results in positive emotional outlooks—for those with the resources to support it.