3 answers
Lucky
Student
Saint Paul, Minnesota
2
Questions
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Is it ever too late to change careers? If so, what can you do if you aren’t satisfied with your career? If not, how can I prepare myself for the change?
I have many careers that I’m interested in and, as of now, one is more appealing. I’m not sure whether I want to stay in this field or not, so I was wondering when it’s too late to change career paths. Thanks!
#career-paths #career
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3 answers
Lance Nathan
Senior Linguistics Developer at Luminoso
13
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Lance’s Answer
I dare say it's never too late to change careers! There are certainly some career paths that are easier or more approachable if you're young, or if you start them young: age 70 is probably too late to start trying to become an astronaut. But I know many, many people who went to graduate school for one field and then in their 30s or 40s said "No, I think I'd rather do something else"--and went to do that other thing!
Different career changes require different kinds of work, of course. If you've been working as a research biologist for ten years and decide you want to go to medical school, you can probably apply to medical school (I assume; I don't know what research biologists actually do!), whereas if you've been working as a novelist for ten years and decide you want to go to medical school, you'll probably need to brush up on some biology and chemistry before applying. And going from "novelist" to "doctor" takes many years of additional education, whereas going from "doctor" to "novelist" doesn't take much more than a lot of determination.
You ask about "preparing yourself" for changing fields; what kind of preparation you might want would depend a lot on the field. If you know you might want to go to medical school, you may find yourself trying to keep up your knowledge of biology rather than (like me) forgetting all of it the moment the class was over. If you think you might quit law school to become a programmer, you might keep your programming skills active by working on personal programming projects.
Overall, though, changing careers shouldn't be a scary step. I've known people who started out working in computers, one way or another, and then decided to quit the tech industry and get degrees in library science, children's literature, or veterinary medicine. I went the other direction, getting a degree in an academic field and teaching for a while before stepping away from that and looking for programming work instead. My brother trained as a journalist, decided he didn't like it and started teaching high school, and ten years later decided he'd gotten everything from that that he could and went back to school for an MBA. People change careers all the time, so don't be afraid to pick one, even knowing you might decide you don't like it and want to do something else instead.
Different career changes require different kinds of work, of course. If you've been working as a research biologist for ten years and decide you want to go to medical school, you can probably apply to medical school (I assume; I don't know what research biologists actually do!), whereas if you've been working as a novelist for ten years and decide you want to go to medical school, you'll probably need to brush up on some biology and chemistry before applying. And going from "novelist" to "doctor" takes many years of additional education, whereas going from "doctor" to "novelist" doesn't take much more than a lot of determination.
You ask about "preparing yourself" for changing fields; what kind of preparation you might want would depend a lot on the field. If you know you might want to go to medical school, you may find yourself trying to keep up your knowledge of biology rather than (like me) forgetting all of it the moment the class was over. If you think you might quit law school to become a programmer, you might keep your programming skills active by working on personal programming projects.
Overall, though, changing careers shouldn't be a scary step. I've known people who started out working in computers, one way or another, and then decided to quit the tech industry and get degrees in library science, children's literature, or veterinary medicine. I went the other direction, getting a degree in an academic field and teaching for a while before stepping away from that and looking for programming work instead. My brother trained as a journalist, decided he didn't like it and started teaching high school, and ten years later decided he'd gotten everything from that that he could and went back to school for an MBA. People change careers all the time, so don't be afraid to pick one, even knowing you might decide you don't like it and want to do something else instead.
Theresa DeRoo
Finish Painter/Tile Design & Setter/Exhibits
28
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Theresa’s Answer
Never too late! Many people have 3 or 4 careers in their lifetime. I'm on my 3rd now. All successful. Just sometimes we need to change and grow.
Good luck to you and never ever make decisions out of fear.
Good luck to you and never ever make decisions out of fear.
I'm a career change behind, I graduated in Chemistry and now work in IT so just one major change. I am working at my second change right now though and I'm almost 50 so I'd have to say it's never too late. I firmly believe I can change again, and if I can do it at my age why can't anyone else.
I do have a couple of great examples though. Started with my Dad, he's been a police officer, car mechanic, court bailiff, store security manager, and vehicle rescue driver (AMA-type breakdown and recovery). Pretty sure I forgot a couple of short term options but that covers the major changes. Now I'm partnered with someone who's just as diverse, to the point where I wonder how he had time to get that many careers into 30 years.
Carol Walker
Nicole Baillie
Data Analyst
484
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
Hi Lucky V. I see that you posted this question a little while ago so I hope my answer to you (or others who may read this response) is still helpful.
Adding a bit to the great answers already provided, I share that sometimes a career change is a gradual change. In other words, individuals may find themselves in a scenario where they really like their careers but they become attracted to something else that is new but isn't totally dissimilar to what their current careers are. In that sense, they may find themselves following "a branch" if you will..so like a new path off of their existing career that then exposes them to a new set of career options.
Changing careers doesn't always have to be disruptive, dramatic or chaotic. Often times it can be gradual, smooth and the best career changes can be intentional. The changes could be the outcome of a plan an individual designs and executes on for themselves. As that individual in planning their career path, they often a planning their own preparation on how to overcome obstacles, should they occur, and how to celebrate their successes.
Hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck to you!
Adding a bit to the great answers already provided, I share that sometimes a career change is a gradual change. In other words, individuals may find themselves in a scenario where they really like their careers but they become attracted to something else that is new but isn't totally dissimilar to what their current careers are. In that sense, they may find themselves following "a branch" if you will..so like a new path off of their existing career that then exposes them to a new set of career options.
Changing careers doesn't always have to be disruptive, dramatic or chaotic. Often times it can be gradual, smooth and the best career changes can be intentional. The changes could be the outcome of a plan an individual designs and executes on for themselves. As that individual in planning their career path, they often a planning their own preparation on how to overcome obstacles, should they occur, and how to celebrate their successes.
Hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck to you!