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Andy Britton spent decades in a successful corporate career working around the globe, developing customer service programs for major companies such as BusinessObjects, Prometrics, ETS, and Monster. He attributes his success to his focus on the end-user.

"I developed skills around determining what individual customers need to be more successful in their business. What could we do to enhance that through the development of our computer sites? That was my ideal situation - developing customer relationships. Some people thought I shouldn't focus on the customer. But, the return on investment ended up being well worth it." 

This focus on the customer - anticipating needs, building relationships, being of service,  would be a thread that would run throughout his corporate career. It was also what led him to a significant career shift in retirement.

A change in plans

When it came time to retire, Andy knew just what he wanted to do.

"At that point in my life, I felt, 'Hey, I've got a motor home. I've got a house. I've got a wife. We could just go traveling.' That lasted six months, and then I got quite bored."

He had been a volunteer police officer and found public service meaningful and rewarding, so he decided to become a full-time medic. He was a little worried because most of the other people applying to volunteer were much younger than him. He practices martial arts and is fit, but there's quite a lot of manual work. He went in with his eyes open because everyone in the class was in their early twenties. He was pleasantly surprised to find that none of the other recruits were bothered by his age. Quite the opposite - he became the "dad" of the group and took them under his wing. He also found that the skills he developed in his previous career, namely empathy, served him well in his new job.

Finding purpose

Andy was very passionate about his corporate work and loved every minute of it, but he is equally as passionate about the work he's doing now. He wants people attending his upcoming Guest Speaker session to be inspired to become active in their communities.

"You don't have to sit there. Staying active in retirement will give you peace of mind. You're going to get a sense of purpose. You'll feel as though you've achieved something and you're giving something back to the community. You could do so much for the communities. And for me, I hope even if one person goes out there and does something, then that to me is a great job." 

Join Andy for From Corporate Executive to Paramedic, Changing and Re-training in Your 60s. Hear his advice on the challenges and rewards of changing careers later in life and how life experience is an asset when working with much younger colleagues.