Real Talk: Is it too late for you to change careers?
I’ve been hearing this question a lot lately.
It’s a sneaky one, because there are very real concerns about savings, retirement and ageism underneath it — but it’s also a question that isn’t getting at the information you really need.
A better question is, “What’s the right change for me, now?”
There isn’t just one “right” career path for you. What you want and need for your life outside of work heavily impacts whether a career or job is going to be the right fit for you — and those wants and needs are different at different points in your life.
I experienced this with my own career change journey. One idea that was very appealing to me was to become a licensed counselor. But by that point in my life (late 30’s), I had already experienced crushing student loan debt from law school and was absolutely not willing to go back into debt to earn another degree.
So, becoming a licensed counselor wasn’t the right change for me at that point in my life. Maybe it would have been a decade earlier. Maybe it would be the right change for someone else the same age.
But that didn’t mean it was too late for me to make a (great!) change.
Asking what the right change is for you opens up a world of possibilities.
For me, I could get the same things I was wanting out of being a counselor by becoming a coach. Yes, I took classes and studied — a lot! — to become a good coach. But I didn’t have to go back to college for yet another degree or go into debt to make that change.
If you shift the narrative to asking what change would be right for you now, it empowers you start figuring out the possibilities that will meet your needs.
Even if you only have 10 years left until retirement — assuming you still want to fully retire if you love your work — you can still make a change that can bring you more meaning and enjoyment in your work. After all, a decade is a looonnggg time to be unhappy. Given that the average American life expectancy is 78 years, that’s potentially 1/5 of your adult life!
If you’re still worried that it’s just too late for you, here are some examples of famous “late” career changers that I love:
- Julia Child didn’t start culinary school until 37 — and she didn’t publish her first cookbook until she was 49.
- Emmy Winner Kathryn Joosten (The West Wing, Desperate Housewives) began her acting career at 42.
- Joy Behar began stand-up comedy at 40.
- Award-winning filmmaker Ava Duvernay first picked up a camera at 32.
- American folk artist Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses) didn’t start painting until age 77.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first book at 65.
So, try shifting your thinking. It really isn’t too late to make a change. The key is just to figure out what the right change is for you and your needs.
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Kelley Shields is a career change coach, helping unfulfilled professionals find work they find meaningful, enjoyable and profitable. Feeling stuck? Don’t know what you want, but know your current job isn’t it? We should talk. Find me at www.kelleyshields.com
