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Back in 2019, Indeed conducted a survey with 662 full-time workers.
The aim?
To find out the frequency with which people changed careers. Shockingly, 49% of the 662 said they’ve already made a career shift at some point in their lives. But what’s even more intriguing is the fact that 65% of the surveyed claimed they’re still open to the idea of a career change.
Clearly, it’s not a new thing for people to switch paths. Doctors become musicians, finance experts become digital marketers, and engineers become travel agents. It happens every day.
Often, it feels like people change careers when they’re within a certain age range. For example, someone in their 40’s switching careers and moving into something else.
Is it not too late to try a career change for someone who’s almost in the twilight of their careers? Talk about someone who’s 60 years of age or someone who’s spent 25 years on a career path. Talking to this category of people about the possibility of career changes can seem off-topic, especially when they seem fazed by it.
To be honest, the question of whether or not it’s too late to start a new career is one that entails a lot of variables. And we’re going to spend an entire article dissecting it. So, let’s go.
Really? Is It Too Late to Start a New Career or Path?
The simple answer is that it’s never too late to start a new career.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re 35, 45, 55, or 65 years of age. It’s never too late to change careers and start a new one.
As long as the new career path is one that can admit someone of your age and you have the knack for it, there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from exploring it.
Below are a few examples of extremely successful people who changed careers later in life. Mind you; these guys were successful in their previous careers before switching to new ones. And that is even more difficult.
Many people consider changing careers when they aren’t succeeding or getting the sort of life they want in their current path. To change when you’re clearly doing well shows your strength of character.
Extremely successful people who changed careers
- Jeff Bezos: From Finance to Retail/E-commerce
Jeff Bezos was a top computer scientist on Wall Street before moving into e-commerce
Transition age: He launched Amazon at 31
- Julia Child: From Media/Advertising to Chef
Julia Child had a good go at media and advertising. In fact, she even explored secret intelligence. Eventually, she moved into cooking.
Transition age: Wrote her first cookbook at 50
- Sara Blakely: From the salesperson to entrepreneurship
Spanx founder Sara Blakely, a billionaire according to Forbes, was a door-to-door salesperson for many years before transitioning to entrepreneurship.
Transition age: Became a full-time entrepreneur at 30
- John Glenn: From astronautic engineering to politics
Became the first American astronaut to orbit Earth in 1962. Yet, he started a new career in politics.
Transition age: Became a US senator in Ohio at 53
- Terry Crews: From Acting/TV presenter to Professional American Football
Became a highly successful personality on award-winning shows like “Everybody Hates Chris.” Surprisingly, Crews moved into American football later in life.
Transition age: Became a professional NFL player at 23
- Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”: Johnson changed careers on two occasions. From being a footballer to being a wrestler, then later to being an actor.
Started life as a football player at the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders. Then moved on to become one of the most popular wrestlers ever known before finally settling for acting.
Transition age: Became a professional wrestler at 24
- Arnold Schwarzenegger: From bodybuilding to actor to politician
Started out as a regular bodybuilder and gradually became a world champion. Then he moved into acting from there and switched later in life to politics
Transition age: World champion bodybuilder in his 20s. Popular actor in his 30s. Governor of California at 56.
- Jonah Peretti: From Middle School Teaching to Media/Marketing
Worked as a computer science teacher at mid-school level before launching popular viral new media sites.
Transition age: Launched Buzzfeed and The Huffington Post in his 30s.
REASONS TO START A NEW CAREER
Wondering whether it’s too late to start a new career? You clearly need someone to shine the light on why it makes sense to explore a new career. So let’s do that for you.
- A desire for greater impacts
Sometimes, the money, fame, or peace of mind you get from your current career path may not be enough. You wake up every morning, and you still feel unfulfilled. This can be the case with many people.
For these people, doing something that’s greater than oneself can be the only way to quench their thirst.
This is why many people consider exploring other career paths. For example, someone like Arnold Schwarzenegger clearly had a great life before moving into politics. If it was about the money or fame, he already had those from his bodybuilding and movie acting careers. But clearly, he wasn’t fulfilled. So he had to explore another route.
- A desire for better pay
This one is a no-brainer. People look to start a new career when it’s obvious their current career path can’t foot their bills. In fact, according to a study by Indeed, 79% of people who changed careers did so mainly to earn more money.
As people grow older and become family persons – with kids – their financial needs go up, too. So, in other to cope with these increased demands, many of them consider chasing better-paying industries.
If you, too, are feeling unsatisfied with how much you’re earning from your current industry, it may be a wise idea to explore other possibilities.
- A desire to reduce work stress and burnout
It is no secret that work-related stress is present in every industry. However, the stressors are a lot more pronounced in some industries than others.
If you find yourself in an industry that’s draining your life with deadlines, long work hours, job insecurity, and mental/physical burnout, it may be wise to enter a new industry.
Indeed surveyed a bunch of workers and found out that 84% of workers plan to change careers because they want greater flexibility. In other words, they want jobs that wouldn’t drain the life out of them.
- You no longer feel passionate about your current career path
It is possible to lose the love and spark you had for a career path over time. People can suffer a drop in passion for what they once loved. It happens in relationships, marriages, beliefs, and definitely professional lives.
Usually, this happens when you follow the same routine every day. Nothing is changing. No new adventures. Nothing to ignite a new spark in you. If this is how you feel about your current career path, it may be time to move into something else.
- Age is no longer on your side
Some professions demand that you be of a certain age range to flourish in them. E.g., Sports. If you happen to be in this kind of profession, you may be forced to consider starting a new career as you age.
For example, a professional footballer who’s approaching their 40s must know it’s almost time to quit their career and start a new one.
- Industry is no longer as profitable as it used to be
Once upon a time, the printing and paper industry was one of the biggest industries around. Today, not many people explore that space.
That’s because of technological advancements.
If you’re in an industry that’s no longer enjoying the same traction it once had, it may be time to consider switching.
Factors to consider before switching careers
We’ve established that it’s not too late for anyone to start a new career.
We’ve also given you reasons to consider starting a new career.
But we must state that the fact you desire to start a new career doesn’t mean you have to. If the following factors do not check out for you, it may be unwise to switch industries.
Job availability: Are jobs available for people your age in the new industry you want to explore?
The fact that you desire a career in a particular industry doesn’t mean it’s not too late to enter that industry.
Yes, it can be too late to enter some industries. Some industries are simply not welcoming to people of every age. The older you are, the tougher it is to find entry-level jobs in these industries.
For example, the banking and finance sector usually lean more towards younger workers for entry-level positions. If you’re someone in your 50s, applying for jobs in this field may not be an easy task.
This is why you need to consider your job chances extremely well before jumping into a career path.
Ask yourself: “Yes, I desire a career in this field. But what are the job chances for people my age?” If your honest answer is LOW, you may want to think twice about going in.
Walk the talk: Are you willing and ready to pay your dues?
Yes, your work and life experience will make things easier for you on a new career path. But you still have to pay your dues.
When we say pay your dues, we mean getting scrutinized and critiqued by people who don’t have half your working experience. We mean, getting rejected and ridiculed by people who probably would have worked under you in your previous industry. We mean competing and beating people who have better experience and know-how of the industry than you.
Are you ready for that? Will you not be discouraged when the rejection and ridicule set in? Do you think you have what it takes to start from scratch and be better than, or at least on the level of, those that have been there for years? Do you think you’ll be comfortable working for someone younger than you?
If you think you can walk the talk, then fine. If not, hmm… then I’m afraid it might be too late for you to start a new career.
Industry longevity: will your new industry stand the test of time?
You’ve seen the way the media industry has changed in the last few decades. You’ve also seen the printing press industry gradually becoming obsolete. Chances are, many industries will follow soon, too.
Are you sure your new career path won’t be out of business in the coming years, too?
This is a very important consideration to make when considering a new career path. You don’t want to join a new train only to find it stopping shortly after.
The price to pay: How much education, work experience, and funding do you need to land your first job in a new career path?
It’s ok to say you want to start a new career in industry A.
But can you afford the cost of a degree in that field? Ok, you don’t need a college degree. What about other educational requirements and certifications; can you afford the costs of those?
When you finish getting the education, how many years of unpaid work experience would you do to land your first job role?
All these are factors you must consider before jumping into a career path.
Smooth transition: are there correlations between your former career and the target one?
Sometimes, changing careers doesn’t mean changing industries. You may switch from one career to another within the same industry. In fact, this is the easiest type of switch.
In that case, you need to ask yourself if there are correlations between your old career and the new one. If there aren’t, you may want to consider a path that has something in common with your old paths. As we said, it’s always easier that way. You can easily transfer skills, job experience, and qualifications.
Final words
It is never too late to start a new career. As long as it’s something you think will make you happy, we encourage you to forge ahead.
Remember, it’s not how far one has gone or done in life, but how well.