Changing career in later life.

I do think you need to just go for it. When I did it was financial lunacy - sick husband and 3 dependent children. But they all backed me and it was a great success.

I had a five year career before children, was a fulltime Mum until the youngest was four, then a different second career while children were at school. In my forties I retrained for the totally different career I had always wanted and really got going through my fifties, sixties and into my seventies. I realise I was very lucky to have the opportunity, but I would say to anyone in their forties or fifties, if you get the chance, go for it.

I changed careers at 30, 40 and 50. The one at 50 was the most scary as my husband had stopped working by then, so I was the main breadwinner.

I changed a year ago when I was 61.
After working a lifetime in finance to working in a residential setting with severely autistic young people with complex needs . I wish that I had done it years ago .
Good luck with you change of career Notagranyyet .

I retrained as a counsellor in my late 40's/early 50's (it took 4 years ) and have loved it so glad I did it. I trained as a nursery nurse 69-71 and worked as one for many years with a break to stay home with my children whilst they were small. It is scary to do something completely different but I've never regretted it and still work part time at 64. Good luck I hope you enjoy your new career as much as I've enjoyed mine

I changed careers ( well I didn’t have a career but jobs prior) at 53 and stayed happily, very happily in it until I was 68 so 15 great years I was hoping to stay till 70 but they upper management changed and they wanted a younger cheaper version so I was very kindly ‘let go’ no redundancy just retired off put out to grass ?

Yes massive change in late 40s, weird but more secure. Enjoy

Yes, I have job changed three times. For reasons too long to explain here, I started out working in a shop, ending up as Manageress, then when that closed down I changed direction and got a position as Secretary in a sales department and got pushed into being the Secretary to the MD, lastly after a big life change I ended up working as a Revenue Auditor in a hotel until I retired. All brilliant jobs, although not necessarily well paid, but good fun and interesting. Never regretted doing any of them, so go for it.

DD is on her second major career change. She did the first one when she was 34 and is about to make the second change at 45.

I think you should definitely go ahead with it, NAGY.
I nearly changed career at around 50, but the new career I hoped to start involved too much study time, and expense, so sadly I had to give it up.
After 3 years of external studies. (Law)
I often wonder how different my life would have been.

I had two careers; the retraining and start of the second when I was 50. I never regretted it; it provided a breath of fresh air into my later life.

I went from 30 odd years as a specialist hospital brain injury social worker to a varied second career as a photographer, picture editor for a magazine, arts outreach with young people and running singing workshops form people with mental health problems and large community choir projects!

Leap off your cliff with a smile!!

One un-looked-for spin-off of my decision was that my children learned that the world is your oyster and you do not have o get stuck in a rut whatever your age!

The Bodach took redundancy from a stressful sales/service position, and retrained to work in hostels for the homeless. I was sure he wouldn’t be able to hack it , but he loved it and seemed to be very good at it.
My early working life was with people with learning difficulties, then in early years education. I decided I’d like a ‘ non-caring ‘ job, so went to work on, and later manage, NHS helplines. I was very well paid, but I decided money wasn’t everything, so went back to early years, and trained in behaviour management, and loved my job, though ill-health forced me to retire.
You go for it, you’ll be grand.