When is it too late to change career?

When is it too late to change career?

The shorter answer is 'never'. For the short answer, read on.

Let me explain the context of my article. A few months ago, a well-wisher advised me to decide my career trajectory and settle with that choice before I turn 45. He explained, it is unstable and almost a career suicide to change career paths later in life. He went on to elaborate, switching careers suggests I am impractical, indecisive and daresay, juvenile. This got me thinking.

Giving up a career in teaching as a trained and experienced teacher, to begin a path in sales and then transitioning into project management when at the peak of my sales development course, I may then just be, by his definition, the epitome of the 'impractical, indecisive,' juvenile heading towards a self-constructed career destruction.

I started reading up on articles about best age for career stability, asking peers, colleagues, friends and family what they thought; not to prove he was mistaken, but to confirm with facts that I was correct.

I bet this is something a number of us often hear from our very thoughtful supporters, so I took upon myself to build a set list of 5 key points in support of my answer - It is never too late to change your career.

1. Age is just a numerical variable - If we are willing to take the plunge, considering our responsibilities against the probabilities that we may have to start from scratch (financially and experience-wise), we have budgeted for a possible drop in pay grade and other short-term sacrifices, let the fear of the numerical variable (age) not stop us from chasing our goals, dreams and ambition. Societal pressures about age and domestic duties will remain. Trying to free ourselves to rise above that pressure is easier said than done but that is the real fight, and not against our age.
2. Change drives passion, motivation and innovation- I will argue this should be the biggest driver for a career switch. Change is the only constant and you do not want to do wait until you experience a career burnout or have an anxiety or stress-induced outburst to make that change. According to a recent Deloitte survey, 77% suffer from career burnouts (Deloitte, 2015). If you are unhappy, demotivated having plateaued your learning curve, slogging through the typical 9-5 hours will eventually take a toll over health and well-being. Embrace change to enable continued growth.
3. Learn something new - Keep your brain fuelled and self challenged. The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing (intellectually, of course), living and developing. In 2020-21 there were an estimated 822,000 workers affected by work-related stress, depression or anxiety (HSE UK, 2021). Often when a task in hand is known too well and becomes a routine performed in auto-pilot, we become complacent and also resistant to change or new ideas. If you believe you have reached the ceiling of your learning, do not be afraid to identify another calling.
4. Find meaning, find your value - We will not always follow a linear unidirectional path to find our purpose, our happy path and value. So, we have to take the routes we think is appropriate at the time, well-measured, impacts thought-through, and when we arrive at cross-roads again, such as realising an ageing industry means planning an exit, make the switch.
5. Go back in history - Turning the pages of the History of English Literature & Language in university, what has always fascinated me is how poets and authors had several professions during their lifetimes. Now you may argue that it was because they did not earn enough livelihood to support themselves through art so they depended on multiple sources of income. That may very well be the case for those glass half empty. I look at it through tinted lens - it was that very factor that nurtured their creativity and desire for life and love.

To sum up:

Whether you want to change your career at 50 or like to retire in the job you were recruited straight after grad-school, is your choice; but if you seek something new, change gives you a chance to that new challenge. I'm not saying in doing so, you will become the next Colonel Sanders or Taikichiro Mori, but I am also not saying you will not. Take the chance.