Is it too late to change careers?
Changing your career is possible at all different ages and stages of life, but you need to do the groundwork to understand the barriers you might face and put strategies in place to overcome them. By Jacqui Ooi.
The question of whether it’s too late to change careers comes up for a lot of people. I’ve heard it from women in their 30s right through to their 50s, so it’s not necessarily an age-related worry or specific to a certain age group.
While there are some age-related factors to consider, often what people are really asking is:
Do I have the time or the energy to make a career change?
Is it worth the effort at this stage of my life?
Certainly, changing your career is possible at all different ages and stages of your life. I’ve spoken to dozens of women on our podcast who’ve done just that and shared their stories of how they made it happen.
The reality is, it does take time and effort to make a career change. Sometimes it requires money too. But if you’re unhappy in your current career and it’s impacting your wellbeing, then most career changers will tell you that investing in a happier, healthier work life is worth it.
The main thing is to be informed about the type of career change you want to make so you can go into any career decision with your eyes wide open.
Here’s what you need to know about making a career change later in life.
1. Age can be a barrier Ageism is a reality in some workplaces and industries, with some employers (openly or otherwise) preferencing younger workers. But as we’re living longer and working longer, and organisations increasingly value diverse workforces – including age diversity – that is changing. Age can also be a barrier if you’re looking at years of study to retrain. These days, you can upskill or reskill through a rising number of short courses and microcredentials, but there’s no getting around the fact that certain occupations still require a multi-year degree. Again, this is not insurmountable – a good friend of mine just completed a law degree in her 40s – but it will push out your timeline for making a change.
Dervilla McGowan changed careers in her 40s from academic to award-winning ginmaker.
2. Age can be a benefit! On the flipside, some women say their age was a benefit in their career change – because their confidence and experience at this stage of life helped them navigate their way through the barriers and challenges. For example, when Dervilla McGowan made the leap from a career in academia as a microbiologist to become an award-winning ginmaker, she says being in her 40s gave her the confidence to make her mark in the male-dominated distillation industry. “I'm really glad I'm older,” she says. “The majority of people you meet are lovely, but there is an incidental sidelining that happens. There's an unconscious bias. So because I'm a bit older, I'm not afraid to muscle back in.” Entrepreneurship among older women is also on the rise in Australia and far from being a young person’s game, studies show the average age of successful start-up entrepreneurs is 45.
3. Challenges exist at different career stages It’s also worth remembering that people face challenges at all stages of the career journey, and you’ve likely overcome challenges yourself. Graduates fresh out of uni can struggle without the work experience to back up their qualifications. People returning to paid work after a long period of time out can struggle due to gaps in their employment history. Equally there can be challenges for career changers too. But with all these examples, there are strategies you can put in place to counter the challenges and position yourself in the best way possible to achieve your career goals.
Tamara Pitelen changed careers in her 50s from journalist to sustainability consultant.
3 strategies to get you started
1. Have a clear vision Do the groundwork to figure out what you actually want for your future, before worrying too much about the logistics around it. Because the more certain you are about what you’re aiming for, the bigger your motivation and drive will be to make it happen. Without that certainty, we can talk ourselves out of a career change before we’ve even got started. This is why I work with women to get really clear on what they want first – because that clarity is the fuel you need to drive you forward.
2. Gather real-world intel Talking to people who are currently working in the field or organisation you’re interested in will give you a much better understanding of the realities you’re likely to face (Google will only get you so far!). These real-world insights are not only critical to make informed career decisions – building connections is also your best bet to eventually secure work in that field.
3. Keep an open mind It’s often the case that where you think your career change will take you is not where you end up. So don’t get fixated on one outcome. Be adaptable, learn from the process of exploring your interests and be open to tweaking your ideas as you go. And remember, a career change doesn’t have to mean a complete reinvention. You might find that a simple shift in the way you work or side-stepping into a different industry is the change you need for work to feel more meaningful.
Jacqui Ooi is the founder of What She Did Next and creator of the Career Change Kickstarter course, teaching proven strategies to help women navigate change and build careers they love.
