AT AN age when many people would begin thinking about retirement, Winifred Chin Oi Ling was preparing to start over.
After spending more than a decade in advertising, the 62-year-old freelance artist from Petaling Jaya, Selangor, found herself confronting a series of health scares that forced her to rethink what came next.
Chin is among a growing number of older Malaysians reinventing themselves after unexpected setbacks.
StarMetro spoke to three individuals who traded familiar careers for entirely new paths, to learn more about their motivations and hopes.
Talent rediscovered
For Chin, the decision to pursue art professionally was less about learning something new than rediscovering something she had quietly carried with her all along.
“I was not feeling well, so I went for a medical check-up.
“The doctors initially thought I might have cancer.
“I underwent several operations. Thankfully, there were no cancer cells, but my body was never quite the same and I have continued dealing with other health issues since then,” she said.
That experience prompted Chin to look for a way to secure her future, and what began as a creative outlet soon became a second career.
She started painting and drawing in her spare time, sharing photographs of her work online without expecting much in return.
“It started as a side project. When people began responding positively to my work, I saw it as encouragement to keep going.
“Before long, I began receiving commissions.”
A few years later, Chin left her full-time job and now runs a small art studio from her apartment in Petaling Jaya.
Her customers are no longer confined to Malaysia.
Today, she ships commissioned pieces to clients in Singapore, Australia and the United States.
“I always loved art when I was growing up, but I never really had the opportunity or encouragement to develop that talent,” said Chin.
“But I have always found painting and drawing to be skills that come naturally to me.”
To refine her craft, Chin regularly enrolled in online courses, adapting techniques she learned to suit her own artistic style.
Her artworks, which may take between a few days to a few weeks to complete, now sell for between RM500 and RM1,000 a piece.
But some people − including her own parents − have questioned why she continues working in her 60s.
“People sometimes ask why I still work at this age,” Chin said.
“I have friends who have already stopped earning an income, but I like having control over my own finances.”
The rewards, she said, went beyond financial independence.
“Life is about much more than age. My body may be older, but I still feel young at heart.
“Longevity is a gift. As long as I am here, I want to keep sharing that gift through my art,” she said.
Leap of faith
For some, the loss of a loved one was the catalyst for a change in career direction.
Working quietly at his modest woodworking workshop in Subang Jaya, few would guess that Adrian Asir, 52, once stood behind a pulpit instead of a workbench.
After the death of his wife in 2022, Adrian stepped away from the church ministry and rebuilt his life as a carpenter, crafting and selling handmade furniture.
The transition, he said, demanded both emotional resilience and the willingness to master an entirely new craft.
“As a pastor, my work was centred on people.
“After my wife passed away, my heart simply was not in it any more.
“I was worried I would not be able to give others the care and attention they deserved,” said Adrian.
But starting over was anything but easy, he admitted.
“I had spent most of my life in church ministry, and woodworking was a completely different world.
“There were days when I became frustrated when my products did not turn out the way I envisioned them, but I always reminded myself that worthwhile things rarely came easily,” he added.
Today, Adrian earns a decent income creating bespoke furniture, from clocks and garden benches to dining tables.
One of his latest commissions − a handcrafted dining table − sold for RM38,000.
He describes himself as a carpenter artist, believing craftsmanship has always been part of his identity.
“I grew up watching my late father build things around the house, and I naturally picked up some of those skills.
“Years later, while doing missionary work in Cambodia, I was inspired by the craftsmanship of local artisans.
“Looking back, I realised that experience planted the seed for what eventually became this business,” he mused.
As he slowly rebuilt his career, Adrian found strength in the people around him.
“My family and friends never stopped encouraging me, and their support pushes me to keep improving.
“I look at every new project as another opportunity to create something better than the last,” he added.
Embracing uncertainty
Not every career change begins with hardship.
For Aisalli Jannat Ayub, 49, from Petaling Jaya, the decision was driven by curiosity.
After spending decades in the corporate sector − including 14 years with a financial services company − she stepped away last year to start a different chapter of her life.
Today, she works with a non-governmental organisation.
Between those two careers, however, Aisalli deliberately ventured into unfamiliar territory.
She took on contract work, volunteered her time and even worked part-time as a cat-sitter, eager to discover where the experience could take her.
“As I got closer to 50, I realised I wanted to challenge myself.
“There were so many things I had always wanted to try but never had the chance,” she said.
Still, pursuing a new direction meant confronting uncertainty.
“I would be lying if I said I did not have doubts.
“There were moments when I wondered if I had made the wrong decision.
“Looking for work at this age is not easy. Being told you are overqualified again and again can really affect your confidence.”
A former project manager, Aisalli turned to friends and former colleagues for advice, while tailoring her resume to suit each role she applied for.
In the process, she discovered that decades in the workforce had left her with an invaluable asset.
“I had spent years building relationships and those connections became one of my greatest strengths during my job search.”
Even so, she acknowledged that not everyone had the same freedom to take such a leap.
“I am fortunate to have enough savings to support myself through this transition.
“I am single and do not have children.
“Had my circumstances been different, I am not sure I would have taken the risk.
“I also worked with a financial adviser to make sure I could stay financially stable before making the transition,” Aisalli said.
She added that she had to adjust her spending, but felt it was, in a sense, preparing her for retirement a little earlier than expected.
Looking back, Aisalli believes the greatest obstacle is fear itself.
“I needed to trust that things would eventually work out, and not allow fear to stand in the way of curiosity or creativity.
“Learning does not stop because we get older.
“If anything, experience makes us better at it,” she declared.
