What is a good job for a 47 year old who wants a career change?

The answer to this depends on a lot of factors.

Price range, qualifications, location are some of them but the most important one is your own personal motivation. Unfortunately nobody is going to find a job for you, and even though they say that ageism is against the law (At least in UK), when you are staring at an HR man who is looking at somebody who is older than his father you definitely know you are at a positive disadvantage.

So the only way to make him want you is to have something he wants. Work on the positives that you have that a twenty something doesn't have. Some of these attributes are, stability, qualification by virtue of experience, previous history, and self reliance. These are the basics but I'm sure you can think of more.

Be realistic about your worth. You may have previously been a company director. That's great on the experience side but don't assume that you instantly command the same wage as the boss. See what you can live on realistically and pitch to jobs in that price range. If you are as good as you think you are you'll get promoted.

How mobile are you? Do you have the resources to move to a job? Could you support yourself for long enough to settle elsewhere if needs be? And if so, are you willing to take the risk that you might hate the job and want to move back. Don't think that this just affects older job seekers, Graduates have precisely the same problem at 22.

Do you have the qualifications to go for that job? If not can you get them? At 44 I decided that I wanted the degree I should have started at 18, so I took out student loans and went for it. Sure I owe money out now but It was a real good time, and I now have a computer science degree which got me a job pretty quickly. Plus the bonus is that everyone assumes I got it when I was a kid and I don't try to change their mind. Adult education has opened a lot of doors for me which were previously closed.

If you want the best boss, try yourself. Self employment is a good way to go for the older worker. You just need a skill which is needed, (You don't have to be a genius to hang wall paper or paint for instance). Take a look around your town for something which is in demand. Don't be afraid if others are already doing it, normally competition is there because the job is easy or in high demand.

Finally the only jobs you can't go for are those which are age dependant, like the Army or Police force.

All other jobs are fair game whatever your age. Don't see seeking employment as challenging, see it as a challenge and beat it.