With life expectancy increasing and Social Security full retirement age ticking up, forty is basically the new thirty. Thankfully, the jobs market has evolved to become more tolerant of midlife career changes. Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly aware of workers’ shifting priorities and desire to explore different career paths that support their personal development needs. Nobody is expected to have a career for life anymore.
Forties are hence now not only a pivotal time of growth and exploration for your personal life, but also for your professional life. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut career-wise, it’s really not too late to explore other options.
Need a little inspiration? Here are the “late bloomers” whose success peaked after their 40th birthday, to name a few: Stan Lee, the man behind Marvel Stan Lee, Zoom’s founder Eric Yuan, lifestyle icon Martha Stewart, and wedding dress queen Vera Wang.
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Still, navigating a career change at 40 might leave you feeling overwhelmed. That’s why we’re here! In this article, we’re sharing a complete guide to taking this next step with confidence. Read on as we discuss where to look, what to do, and how to approach every move with a fearless spirit.
What you’ll learn in this article
Common fears of a career change at 40
If you’re feeling a little uneasy about this new journey, understand that this is totally normal.
Starting a new career at any age is intimidating, especially if you’re considering joining a brand-new field that you’ve never worked in before. A few of the fears that might be whispering in your mind include:
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- What if I’m not good at this?
- What if I don’t make enough money?
- What if I don’t fit in?
- What if the job requirements are too high-tech?
- What if no one wants to hire someone my age?
- What if it’s just too late?
These stresses and uncertainty are only heightened if you’re currently working at a job that you’ve had for years. You’re comfortable and making a steady income, so is starting all over from scratch really worth the risk?
Before moving any further into this process, take the time to assess these fears and face them head-on. Understand that you might not skip into this new chapter worry-free and that hesitancy is a natural feeling. Then, challenge yourself to use those doubts as fuel to discover your true passion and embrace the unknown.
What should I do after 40?
Do you find yourself turning this question over in your mind throughout the day? It’s common to reassess your current situation when you hit a milestone birthday, such as your 40th.
If you find that you’re unfulfilled professionally, you have the time and ability to make a change. Yet, rather than rush into this process quickly, give yourself time to process how you’re feeling.
Why?
You might feel ready to run out of your office the day after your birthday, feeling stifled and ready to break free. Yet, you could change your mind the next week, feeling thankful for the stability it offers once the cake is gone and the decorations are put away until next year.
If a few weeks pass and you’re still feeling antsy, you might be ready to embark on an exciting new career! Rather than making a passionate, breakneck decision, take this new step carefully and considerately.
Is 40 too old to change careers?
The short answer? Absolutely not!
There’s never an age where you’re “too old” to pursue your passions and discover your true professional calling. While the idea might feel foreign and even a little scary, with the right preparation you can conquer this step and walk boldly into your new role!
The key? It pays to prepare. Next, let’s take a look at the factors to weigh as you contemplate making one of the biggest moves of your life.
Considerations to take into account
If you’re looking to begin a new career at 40, there are a few considerations you’ll need to keep in mind. These include personal, financial and professional factors.
Personal factors
First, let’s discuss the personal side.
How will your anticipated career change affect your family’s current schedule? For instance, if your high-school-aged children are used to you being home every afternoon to help with homework and prepare dinner, what will happen if you’re needed at the office until 5pm?
This is an especially important question if you want to enter a field that has non-traditional hours, such as nursing.
Take into account how this change will affect your time with your children, partner, and friends. Ultimately, a supportive inner circle is what makes this jump both possible and rewarding, so communicate your desires with them. You can often find other ways to adjust your schedule so everyone is happy and you don’t sacrifice the special family time you cherish.
Financial factors
Next, let’s talk numbers.
Can you afford to leave your current job and take on a different salary?
If you’re unsure, search for industry reports on what someone in your prospective new role can expect to earn. Then, live off that income for a few months. To be even more realistic, live on even less.
To get a clear look at how your career change will affect your finances, take out your budget. If you don’t have one, gather your credit card bills, or checking account statements from the last six months.
Will your new career pay 80% of your current income? If so, you might be able to make up this difference by slimming your spending in a few key places. For instance, you can consider eating at home more or cancelling certain subscription services. On the other hand, if you’re looking at a substantial pay cut, you’ll need to tackle your budget more aggressively.
This might mean changing your mode of transportation or even downsizing your home. Yes, these measures are drastic, but it’s important to consider the realities of your decision. Crunching these numbers as early as possible can help you assess the feasibility of moving forward.
Professional factors
Finally, there are a few professional considerations to keep in mind.
First, does your new career absolutely require a specialized college degree? If you want to join the medical or legal field, the answer might be “yes.” In this case, you’ll need to complete those steps before entering the field. If possible, see if you can stay in your current position while you complete your required coursework.
Then, when you have all of your resume requirements in order, you can begin interviewing for your new career. Most professionals find that it’s best to continue working at their current job while they look for another one to maintain a reliable income.
If you land your dream job, you’ll need to find a suitable and respectful exit strategy to leave your existing role. Plan ahead and communicate your decision with your boss, making an effort to be as professional as possible.
Starting a career at 40 with no degree
Speaking of going back to school, what if you want to pursue a new career but aren’t interested in heading back into the classroom? Not only is tuition skyrocketing, but you might also balk at the idea of giving up your evenings and weekends to study.
The good news? You can still pursue many new careers without shelling out tens of thousands of dollars and investing years of your life behind a desk.
Check with others in your prospective industry to see if there are any advanced certifications you can obtain that are acceptable in place of a degree. You might also attend intensive industry training sessions or join a professional organization to learn as much hands-on knowledge as possible before applying.
How do I decide on a new career?
In keeping with the personal, financial and professional factors listed above, there are three main questions to ask yourself when you’re researching prospective new careers. They include:
- What brings me alive and ignites a passion within me? (Personal)
- What does this job pay and is the salary realistic with my needs? (Financial)
- Do I have the required certifications to start? If not, am I willing to pursue them? (Professional)
When you’re mapping out your next steps, consider how every decision will impact the next. You don’t have to sacrifice your desires or squash your zest, but it is wise to be realistic.
That said, let’s review some of the most sound, rewarding and downright enjoyable careers you can pursue, beginning today.
Best jobs for career changers over 40
You know you want to get out of your current career, but you aren’t sure what you really want to do.
That’s OK! Take a look at these jobs below, all well-suited for someone 40 years old or above!
1. Teaching
Do you want to change the lives of others and make an impact on a younger generation? Consider joining your local elementary, middle or high school as a teacher or teacher’s assistant. While there are certain educational requirements you’ll have to complete in becoming a teacher at elementary and secondary education levels, most institutions will allow you to join the team as a lateral entry employee. This means that you’ll work on your studies while you earn money as a teacher!
Those who’ve already acquired master’s or doctoral degrees, your practical experience in the “real world” will be a huge advantage in academia. Look for lecturers or assistant lecturers in colleges and universities.
- Check available teaching assistant jobs
- Average salary: $32,640
2. Programmer
If you often find yourself idolizing programmers like Alan Turing or Mark Zuckerberg, don’t let your age stop you from becoming one. You don’t need a bachelor’s degree to get into the field, and there’s really no cut-off age limit. Industry certifications and your coding portfolios are far more valuable.
Another good news for aspiring programmers is that it’s absolutely possible to master coding on your own. There are many free online resources available for beginners. If you encounter any issues, seek help from the online community, such as on Reddit or Discord. The netizens are always happy to help. Those who crave real-time human interaction can try bootcamps or coding meetups.
Programming is also a very financially rewarding career, with the advertised salary on offer averaging close to $80,000.
- Check these programmer jobs
- Average salary: $96,650
3. Accounting
Do you love working with numbers? Businesses across many industries need accounting professionals to help them balance their books, organize their finances and more.
Accounting can be a lucrative and rewarding way to channel your love of maths into a long-term career. If you don’t have a degree in accounting, look for accounting clerk, accounting assistant, and bookkeeper roles. As the industry becomes more tech-savvy, there will be more programs and platforms to master, but as long as you team with an experienced mentor, you can learn the ropes in no time.
- See available accounting assistant jobs
- Average salary $43,340
4. Personal trainer
If you’re someone who already spends hours in the gym anyway, you might as well get paid for it! If physical fitness is your passion, you can create a successful career as a personal trainer, helping others meet their health and wellness goals.
There are currently no national or state licensing requirements for becoming a personal trainer. You could go from gym rat to the boss in a few days!
- Explore personal training opportunities
- Average salary $50,242
5. Social media marketing
Do you often find yourself reposting viral memes, hashtags, and trends, or trying the hottest TikTok challenges? Or are you the admin behind foodie or travelgram accounts? If you are nodding your head at any of these, you’re half qualified to become a social media executive.
You don’t need a degree to get into social media marketing. Demonstrate your understanding in social media tools such as Hootsuite and Buffer and tracking metrics like engagement, impressions, reach, and sign-ups to your prospective employers. Show off your creativity and writing flair as well.
- Explore social media openings
- Average salary $48,000
6. Business administration
This is a broad field that encompasses a range of positions. From front-desk administrative work to operational leadership, there are many roles you can play as a business administrator.
This is an ideal position for anyone looking to enter the business field. If you’ve never worked in a corporate office or navigated this ecosystem, a career in business administration can serve as a stepping stone to other, higher-up positions.
- See available business administration jobs
- Average salary $41,706
7. Dental hygiene
If you have an associate’s degree, you can find excellent pay as a dental hygienist. You also need to pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and other state-level exams to earn a license. In this role, you’ll be responsible for performing simple dental cleanings and other procedures, as well as assisting the dentist. It may also require some front-office work.
- See available dental hygiene jobs
- Average salary $77,784
8. Massage therapist
Do you love the idea of providing healing through touch? Becoming a massage therapist doesn’t require a degree but you do need to go through training that might take from 500 to 1,000 hours (equivalent to around 20 days to <two months) on average. After that, you need to pass a licensing examination in your state. Currently, 49 states and territories have specific regulations on this profession.
As you grow your client list, you can expand your operations accordingly, and even start your own massage parlor. From stress relief to injury treatment, you can help bring much-needed relief to those looking to relax and unwind.
- Explore jobs in massage therapy and wellness
- Average salary $49,862
9. Veterinary technician
Want to parlay your love of animals to a fantastic career? Why not consider becoming a veterinary technician? This is a great way to spend as much time as possible with four-legged fur babies while also delivering a valuable service to your community. From tending to injured animals to assisting the veterinarian with certain procedures, you’ll get to do it all. Typically, veterinary technicians need to complete a 2-year associate’s degree and pass a credentialing exam, depending on the states.
- Check out these animal care jobs or veterinary nurse jobs
- Average salary $38,250
Websites for helpful information
As you begin your research on ways to approach a career change at 40, you’ll likely find that there are a lot of information out there. While most of it is sound, there are some misinformed articles that can lead you astray and discourage your efforts.
When you’re looking for helpful, reliable information, the following resources are our recommended go-to tools.
Learning tools
There are many resources across the US designed to help adult learners change carers or go back to work, such as Khan Academy and Ted-Ed. Youtube is also another good place to learn something new for those of you with short attention spans.
Lifelong learning opportunities for certification
When you’re looking for lifelong learning opportunities, your local community college is a treasure trove of resources. Here, you can take online or in-person courses to pursue the certifications of your choice.
You can also take online professional development courses. One such site to check out is edX, which provides professional certification courses in a variety of fields, from architecture to social sciences. Another recommendation would be ClassCentral, which offers free online courses and certificates from Ivy Leagues schools.
Working with a career coach
One of the best ways to understand what kind of change you need is to work with a career coach. Commit to 2-4 sessions with a career coach and you’ll see how much easier it will be to decide on what to do next.
Companies and jobs that support retraining and career change
Instead of spinning your wheels and wasting your time on companies that don’t support re-training, it’s best to fine-tune your search toward those that do. We make it easy to do so with our custom search tool.
Here, you can search our entire list of job openings for those that include the word “retrain” (average salary at $69,816) or “career changers” (average salary at $48,754).
Conquer your career change with confidence
Searching for a new job can be scary and overwhelming, whether you’re a 21-year-old college graduate or a seasoned professional looking to initiate a career change at 40.
That’s why we’re here to make the process as easy and enjoyable as possible.
We’ve designed a comprehensive job search portal that allows you to scan more than one million jobs to find the one of your dreams. We’ll also provide you with salary statistics so you can get a realistic look at your earning potential in the field.
One way to make sure you’re ready to tackle this journey? Upload your resume with us today! In addition to scanning it for common errors, we’ll also provide you with resources to inspire your next career move.
You’re one step away from charting your next great course, so let’s take it together.
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