Choosing your career is a big ask, whatever your age. You could be fresh out of college and ready to take on the world, or you could be 35 years into your job in a factory line somewhere and finally be ready to throw in the towel. It is estimated now that we can have around three careers in our lifetime now, and this is due to different reasons than 30 years ago, we are living longer thanks to advances in medical technology, and there is less pressure on finding a job that suits you straightaway. The trend of picking an apprenticeship or a trade and sticking to that until your dying day went away for a long time. But it slowly has been making a return in order for countries to help repair damaged economies. And it is a viable career progression. But when it comes to making a change in yourself, choosing a career that makes you feel like you have accomplished something at the end of the day makes all the difference.

Why do we change careers? It would seem, to a lot of people, to “stick to what you’re good at” is sensible advice, and this can have a devastating effect on our work morale. Granted, it helps you to hold down a job, and keep the finances coming in, but work productivity is directly influenced by morale. So the next time you’re pulled into the boss’s office to discuss your “numbers” you may want to think about if this is your suited career. Choosing a career later in life is difficult, but not impossible. There is a stigma on “older” people making a career switch, and this is purely the perspective of the coltish youth. There are people who have made very successful career transitions, whether actors or others. It can be done, don’t let people tell you otherwise.

The great thing about choosing a career into your 30’s, 40’s or 50’s, you have understood the value of research. You have looked into a type of career that has piqued your interest and you are now willing to invest time and money in it. Money is the defining factor of changing a career for most because you may have to retrain, whether by taking online courses or by going back to college. If you chose to retrain in the age of the internet, you have many sources available to you. For example, if you chose to retrain as a financial advisor, there are countless exams you have to take, like the CPA, which can be a daunting exam for the younger person. And no matter how old you are, you can still feel the pressures come exam time! A website like Beat the CPA can provide almost an infinite amount of resources on preparing for an exam of this magnitude. If you decide that the career you want requires you to retrain, making sure you have a money pot saved up is a worthwhile approach, so you can dedicate your time to it properly, instead of studying part time and potentially taking years to study the subject.

Choosing a career anew is all about the preparation before jumping ship. Jumping ship is how it feels when starting again, but you must remember that there was a reason you wanted to leave you job in the first place, unhappiness. So, pending you’ve done your homework and prepared financially, there is nothing to stop you.