Older people who are considering switching to a different career have been advised to adopt a more positive mindset.

According to Tim Drake, co-author of You Can Be as Young as You Think, older workers can often be set in their ways, defensive, closed-minded and anxious.

By contrast, he believes younger individuals tend to be creative, fun-filled and optimistic. Mr Drake also said young adults often view failure as a learning curve that helps them grow and develop in the future. By contrast, older workers will react to a setback or disappointment by feeling that they personally have failed.

Mr Drake therefore believes that if people who have been working for many years want to make the leap into a new job or career, they should try to learn from the positive way in which their younger counterparts think.

"Our brain age or body age is determined by our attitudes and values," he commented.

"Being young-brained is very important in changing career."

Mr Drake acknowledged that older people often bring a certain level of experience to a job, but stressed they still need to "learn new things" after switching to a different career. This, he said, means "setbacks and mistakes" are inevitable at some point.

"You have to learn a lot and that's part of a growing process," Mr Drake commented.

Older people who are unsure what career options they want to pursue were encouraged to test a number of different jobs, possibly by doing odd shifts or volunteering.

Mr Drake said this would help them decide whether they like working in a particular industry and enable them to determine where their passion lies.

He added that if people do not take up a job they can get excited about, they will find it difficult to enjoy their new role.

"That's the main reason for changing careers, as far as I can see," Mr Drake observed.

Indeed, he stressed there is no point taking on a job that offers a high salary if they end up hating it every day of the week.