Changing Jobs Mid Life

Is it too late to change directions or enter graduate school? This question is one of the most frequent I get. 

It is  never is too late to transition jobs or yes, even enter graduate school after pursuing other avenues first. Yes I know we are inundated in our society with so many examples of people doing amazing things at young ages. ‘Forty Under 40″ lists spring to mind. And it can feel so uncomfortable to branch out in a new direction when you are mid life.

I was at dinner with a good friend of mind and she was contemplating a career transition. But she worried she was too old. She was about to turn 49. So I told her about these famous women.

• Vera Wang was 40 when she opened her first bridal salon in New York
• Julia Child wrote her first cookbook at the age of 50
• Tina Turner achieved her first and only #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the age of 45 (It was “What’s Love Got to Do with It”)

Here are 3 reasons why women are perfectly poised to make these transitions later in life:

1. Connections and networking

2. Life experience and a thorough knowledge of who we are and our core values

3. Transferrable skills

But that being said, when you are making these moves later in life, we are usually in a different personal and financial situation than when you are younger. We have more to lose. We have people depending upon us. So, prior to contemplating making a career transition mid life, consider these 3 things:

1. Recognize Impostor Syndrome is real

2. Find a mentor

3. Have a contingency plan

Listen to the full episode.