Maybe you’re no longer happy on your current path. Maybe you’re feeling drawn to something new and different. Whatever the reason, you’re thinking about changing careers. The thing is, you’re years into your career, having spent most of your 20s and 30s getting to this exact point.
So a complete change seems pretty scary, if not damn near impossible. Tell me if any of these thoughts sound familiar:
I’ll never make enough money!
What if I’m terrible at it?
No one will want to hire someone my age.
It’s just too late for me.
You’re not the first wannabe career changer to feel this way. But you don’t have to let those doubts and worries hold you back. I spoke with real career changers who made moves after 40 to get the inside scoop on how they overcame these six common fears and made successful pivots.
1. “No One’s Going to Want to Hire Someone My Age”
I won’t deny it—ageism exists in the workplace and in the job search, despite the fact that it’s illegal. Older employees may get unfairly stereotyped as having low energy, being stuck in their ways, or not being “with it” when it comes to the latest technology. As a result, job seekers find themselves passed over for roles or worrying about finding a new job because of their age.
Face the Fear
Sadly, you can’t single-handedly defeat the cultural problem of age discrimination. But being strategic about how you sell yourself as a career changer can help you combat it in your own job search. Figuring out your transferable skills is one part of the equation, for sure. But also think about all the experience you have as being incredibly valuable—even if it’s not obviously relevant. Hiring managers mostly want someone who can do the work and do it well, so the most important thing you can focus on is how you highlight your skills to match this new role—and how you prove that your not-so-linear career trajectory puts you at a distinct advantage over someone younger or on a more straightforward path.
2. “I’ll Have to Start From Scratch”
There’s no denying that trying to switch to a very different job or field comes with a steep learning curve. Despite being great with people after years of working as a bedside nurse, Westfahl was also pretty intimidated by the other requirements set before her in becoming a recruiter. “I don’t lead meetings or do PowerPoint presentations or write job proposals,” she remembers thinking to herself at the time. “And those were all expectations of a new career in the business world.”
Face the Fear
Certainly, not everything you’ve built up until now will apply to your new career. The responsibilities of a lawyer and a broker, or a nurse and a recruiter, for example, are incredibly different. But a lot of your experience and skill set can be surprisingly relevant, even if the jobs themselves don’t seem anything alike. But if you feel like you’re lacking in the transferable skills department, there are tons of options nowadays for getting up to speed in a new field, from online courses to classroom training to returnships—all of which can give you the confidence and resume boost you need to move forward.
3. “I Can’t Leave Something I Know and Have Worked So Hard For”
It’s not just the quitting part that’s scary—people leave jobs all the time. It’s the idea of leaving behind something that is maybe safe and reliable, and something that you’ve spent what feels like forever building and refining and perfecting. Guy Parker, a 53-year old vendor manager at Opendoor who worked as a police officer for years before changing careers, had this exact fear. Even though he would come home every day knowing that his job wasn’t the right fit anymore and asking his wife if he should quit, actually taking that step didn’t happen for some time.
Face the Fear
Here’s the thing: Changing careers requires letting go of what you have in order to make space for what’s to come. It also requires you to redefine your identity in the professional world. That’s, of course, terrifying, and can often make you feel like you’re taking a step back or putting to waste years of effort and skill building. But the alternative option—staying put—isn’t all that warm and fuzzy, either. For Parker, not making the switch meant continuing to be miserable at work.
4. “I Can’t Afford to Make a Change”
When you’ve achieved a certain level in your career, a career change isn’t just about giving up your vision of yourself as a professional—it can often mean giving up a sizeable paycheck, too. And at this age, that sacrifice may affect more than just you. Maybe you have a family to support, a mortgage to pay off, or other life obligations that require you to bring in a steady income.
Face the Fear
Having a plan in place can help combat the fear of running dry financially. How long do you want to give this new career a shot? What’s your metric for deciding whether or not you’re successful in this new career? Where will you go if things don’t pan out? Can you afford to not work, and for how long? These are all questions you should have answers to before taking the leap. For extra financial security, you may choose to keep one foot in your old career for a while—say, doing contract work in marketing while you try to land a sales job. That being said, don’t rely so heavily on the backup plan that you avoid giving your career change you’re all. Big changes like this take time, so you have to be patient and understand that you may need several months to get yourself in the groove.
5. “What if I Regret It?”
It’s pretty common to worry about making the wrong career leap. What if you realize you’ve gone down a path even worse than the one you were on previously? What if you miss your old job and are unable to turn back around? What if you get halfway down the road only to discover you actually want to take a totally different route? Fear of making the wrong move can easily paralyze you from making any move.
Face the Fear
You’re inevitably going to make mistakes in your career—and you may even make a mistake in choosing your new path. But that certainly doesn’t mean that’s the end of the road for you. You also have to remember that you won’t know whether it’s the right decision for you for some time. “If it’s glaringly obvious that it was the wrong decision, it might be best to course correct sooner rather than later, sure. But I’ve also seen people fail solely because they didn’t give something new enough time to ‘stick,’” explains Foss. “Most new things will feel uncomfortable or challenge you in ways that you’re not used to being challenged… And that’s totally normal, and will absolutely be a part of the journey into a new job or career, at any age.”
6. “What if I’m Terrible at It?”
It’s one thing to worry about not liking a new career. It’s terrifying to think that you might go after a job you want so badly, only to get it and realize you’re not even any good at it. Or that you can’t seem to fit into the new culture. Or that you’re always way behind your peers, despite your age and expertise.
Face the Fear
The truth is, you’re going to feel out of your element when you first make the switch. There’s no doubt you’ll struggle and mess up in those first few months of your new career. But remind yourself that while there’s a lot you don’t know—about the culture, about your role responsibilities, about industry lingo—there’s a lot you do know, as someone with years of experience in the workplace. Pushing past your fears is hard, but it’s well worth it, all of these career changers say. In fact, making the switch gave each of them some sense of invincibility, in a way that’s both admirable and inspiring for anyone at any stage in their professional development. “If I did it in my mid-40s, I feel like anybody can do it,” Smith says about her pivot.