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Age Didn't Stop This Woman From Reinventing Her Career Later In Life

Age Didn't Stop This Woman From Reinventing Her Career Later In Life
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Editor, HuffPost Video

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Karen Love had worked in the news media industry for over 30 years when, instead of hanging up her hat when reaching retirement age a few years ago, she went back to school and received a degree in sociology and a master's degree in gerontology.

Love told HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd on Tuesday that she wanted to help senior citizens realize their importance and so, with her new degrees, accepted a position at the Community Connections, an community-based organization that helps seniors in Detroit enrich their lives.

"I decided why not use my skills that I've honed over the years along with my degree in sociology, and work with seniors?" Love said. "And who better? Here I was, over 65, and realizing that with the growing numbers of seniors, they were going to need someone that spoke their same language."

It's been the norm for people of retirement age to "sit down in a rocking chair and read every day," Love said, but wasting her talents wasn't an option.

"I really have a lot of skills and a lot of knowledge that I could share with other individuals, and the Community Connection aspect of it was just perfect for me to fall into," Love said. "And by doing that ... through what I do at Community Connection, we help individuals to discover the gifts and talents they have."

Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation on reinventing yourself at any age here.

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Before You Go

The People Whose Career Grew Because of Their Urban College Experience
Bradley Murray, Founder of Square56(01 of08)
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"The biggest advantage of attending college in a city is that you grow with the city and as your network grows the dots start to connect. I've worked with numerous advertising agencies such as Burrell and Common Ground and Leo Burnett. Brands include Vibe Magazine, Hennessy, Wells Fargo, Atlantic Records, Remy Martin, Bacardi, Grey Goose. While the brands are nice, it's the people and the personal brands you grow with that elevates people to different opportunities. " Bradley Murray, founder of Square56 . Attended Columbia College in Chicago.
Amy Wicks, Fashion Editor at Polyvore(02 of08)
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"As a result of my internship at NBC [during college], I quickly realized that I didn't want to pursue TV and instead, switched to print because, for me, telling a story in two minutes just didn't cut it. I ended up freelancing for a bunch of great local newspapers in Seattle my final quarter at UW and that made it possible for me to hit the ground running when I graduated. After getting my start at a business magazine in Seattle, I went on to work as a media reporter at WWD and fashion news editor at Glamour.com." Amy Wicks, fashion editor at Polyvore. Attended University of Washington in Seattle
Andy Marsh, co-founder of TagPrints Digital(03 of08)
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"City schools are a melting pot of opportunities and culture. In fact, some city schools have a higher supply of internships than student demand. Students sitting next you in class may be artists, entrepreneurs, or even full time business leaders. Many professors are experts in their fields – they work during the day and teach at night – and are eager leverage professional connections for students. Entertainment is not limited to the same college bars. Students receive exclusive deals to museums, concerts, street festivals, and even trolly bar crawls." Andy Marsh, co-founder of TagPrints Digital. Clients include Dr. Pepper, NBC and Circoc. Attended DePaul University in Chicago.
Kate Dickman, Senior Social Media Program Manager at Office Depot(04 of08)
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"I've been fortunate to work for major brands (Panasonic, Lindt Chocolate, CVS and now Office Depot).The moment I got to NYC, I was able to get a paid marketing internship with SpaFinder and then a credit internship with MTV quite easily. Beyond that, I then worked on a Food Network show through a major production company. Since then, I've been able to build my resume and am now successful in the realm of social media. All in all, I am thankful for the big-name experience I was able to obtain by going to school in Manhattan because without those opportunities, my resume would have been bare and I wouldn't have been able to get the jobs I got right after graduating." Kate Dickman, Senior Social Media Program Manager at Office Depot. Attended St. John's University in NYC.
Rev. Kevin Ross, Spiritual Director/CEO(05 of08)
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"Having an education in a major city gives you access to the world and where the city itself is the classroom and every new encounter a lesson for a lifetime. I lived in a city where the world stopped by, the home of Coca Cola and CNN. It was during my days at Morehouse that I met President Clinton, Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey (my commencement speaker from Morehouse) Muhammad Ali, Quincy Jones, athletes participating in the Olympic games,and create lasting friendships with colleagues from all over the world. My worldview was stretched and I developed cosmopolitan values, cultural sensitivity, and a great sense of responsibility about my role after college in giving back to the inner city." Rev. Kevin Ross, Spiritual Director/CEO. Attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Talaya Waller, Personal Branding Consultant(06 of08)
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"I went to undergraduate school at Georgia State University located in downtown Atlanta. I started off a major in music management on scholarship playing my violin. Being at a city university provided me with the opportunity to meet Lil' Jon's manager and he offered me an internship working for their distribution company. Although that experience made me quit my major, going to school in a major city provides you with experiences that most students have to wait to see after they graduate. Living in Atlanta also exposed me to a "grind, hustle, and entrepreneurial" mentality." Talaya Waller, Personal Branding Consultant
Dmitriy Shakhnevich, Criminal Defense Attorney(07 of08)
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"While at Brooklyn College, I worked as a paralegal in a civil litigation law firm and spent 15 months interning with the Brooklyn District Attorney, where I helped prosecute low-level criminal defendants. In law school [at New York Law School in Manhattan], I worked for some of the top criminal trial lawyers in the business. I learned from the best, all of whom were minutes away from my college and law school. That's when I met people with whom I still work with today. Without them I would not have had the experience to start my own practice, right out of law school. Where else can you get that type of deal and not have to pay for a car?" Dmitriy Shakhnevich, Criminal Defense Attorney.
Chris Thompson, chief technology officer of Build3 Software in Nashville. He went to Vanderbilt University.(08 of08)
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"Attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville made every bit of difference in my career and the opportunities I have had. I started a company right out of college in 2010 and raised $2.1 million through local VC firms. Since then, I have since started another company focusing on software development called Build3 Software. I still live about 10 minutes from my alma mater, and the connections available to me as a result of the relationships the university had in Nashville (with companies like Bridgestone, Nissan, HCA, etc.) have made my career possible. Had I attended a university further away from a hub, I most certainly would have had to start over." Chris Thompson, CTO of Build3 Software in Nashville. Attended Vanderbilt University.
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