You're Not Too Old to Start Something New : Kaine Agary

We all grow up with dreams and desires, and hope that we will attain them by a certain age. Marriage, children, school, successful business, career pinnacle, homeownership, etc. We have timelines for achieving these things. But life doesn’t always follow our playbook. Some things just come later in life for some people. The trick is not to give up and not to allow fear to hold you back from trying.

At the age of 40, I decided that I needed to go back to school to get the certification necessary to fully participate in an industry that I had been in for over 10 years. Sure, I was respected in the industry because of all the work I had done, but there were some doors that would not be open to me because I did not have the required certification.

A major shift happened in my circumstances and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go back to school. It was one of those one-door-shuts-and-a-window-opens type of situations. I had lost a professional position, but that loss left me open to focus on achieving other goals in my life, and getting this certification was one of those goals.

So, I set out to prepare myself to go back to school. It wasn’t the easiest decision because at the time my son was still a toddler. I found the perfect programme in Ireland, I applied and got accepted, and then all the negativity that was lurking exposed themselves through people who thought it was a crazy idea. What will you do with your son? How will you afford it? Do you think this is the best time? Even I started to doubt myself but I also had people in my corner.

In my class, there was a 50-year-old woman who was going through a contentious divorce and venturing into a completely new field. She was very successful in her past business, but the divorce made things a little complicated and she found herself at a new starting block. There were other ‘mature’ students in the programme. My decision wasn’t so crazy after all.

Sadly, my chief supporter, my late Aunt, passed away before I finished my programme, but I am ever grateful for her encouragement and support.

Apart from my Aunt and the others who supported me emotionally and financially, my biggest inspiration was my grandmother. My grandmother was a trained midwife who loved her work but practically gave it up to take care of her family. My grandfather’s work as a teacher and school administrator meant that the family was posted to different duty stations, so my grandmother was the primary caregiver. At every duty post where the family found themselves, my grandmother relied on her baking skills to earn income for the family, and sometimes contribute on a part-time basis to the local clinics in the towns where they were posted.

Finally, all six of their children were out of the house and my grandfather had retired. They were in the market for a residential home, and my grandfather went scouting for houses for sale. In his search, he met the owner of a maternity home who wanted to sell her maternity and relocate to a different city. My grandfather expressed his interest in the business and hurried back to ask my grandmother if she would be interested in running a maternity home. She was excited. She jumped at the opportunity. She was 60 years old!

The down payment to buy the property and the business was made with my grandfather’s first pension cheque.

My grandfather, an old school administrator, carried out all the administrative duties of the business and my grandmother did what she enjoyed, helping women through healthy pregnancies and safe deliveries, and training young nurses in midwifery. Together, they ran a successful business for over 20 years.

My grandmother was happy. Midwifery was her calling. Midwifery was her ministry. It was her way of educating women about harmful traditional practices, and myths about the sexual and reproductive health of women. She had women who trusted her and had all their children in her clinic.

Whenever I think that I cannot do something because of my age, I think of my grandmother. At age 60, when most people are planning their retirement, she was leaning into a business.

If anything is going to restrict me, it will not be my age. Sure, there are people who attain great success and achieve all their life goals before they hit age 30, but I am comfortable with the fact that we are all running our own race, and you can’t use someone else’s time to pace yourself.

There are many people who have found their success later in life. Do not be discouraged, make that move, you’re not too old!