Changing Career in Your Thirties: A Guide
According to research, 31 is the average age that workers in the UK look to change careers. It makes sense that your thirties would be a popular time to consider a career change - you might have a greater grip on your passions and interests after a decade of working, your priorities may have changed as your life circumstances have shifted and you might be feeling like you’ve achieved all you can within your current career path.
Changing your career in your thirties comes with some specific challenges. You likely have more financial and personal commitments now than you did when you were younger, and you might have less flexibility because of caregiving responsibilities. You might be feeling a little jaded and like your confidence has been knocked by your career experiences, or maybe you’re nervous about the prospect of being a beginner again.
But there are plenty of reasons why your thirties are a perfect time to change your career. You likely know yourself much better now than you did 10-15 years ago, which means you’re equipped to make better choices. You’ve probably amassed a decent chunk of transferable skills, and chances are that you’ve started to build a professional network too. Plus, you still have enough career ahead of you to know that unless you want to spend the next 20-30 years doing a job you don’t really love, now really is the best time to make a change.
If you’re considering a career change in your thirties, this guide will give you some tips on how to build a strategy that will help you to navigate the process in the most stress-free way possible.
Changing Career in Your Thirties: A Guide
Step 1: Understand your motivation
The first step to any successful career change is to understand why you want to make a change. Knowing what your motivations are will help you to be clearer and more focused in your planning, and you’ll also be more confident in your decision making. What are your biggest priorities in this season of your career journey? Are you craving more balance and flexibility, or are you ready for more responsibility? Is pay your biggest priority, or do you care more about finding purpose and meaning in your work?
A great place to start is by getting clear on what is and isn’t working in your current career. Write a pros and cons list, being honest with yourself about what lights you up and what feels challenging. You might also like to consider what your current career feels like it’s missing. The more detail you can gather about your motivations the better - clarity is key if you want to avoid jumping into another career path or role that doesn’t fit.
Step 2: Self-assessment and reflection
Once you know why you want to change careers, the next step is to take stock of where you’re currently at. So often we rush into thinking about what our next career move could be, but by reflecting on where we’re currently at and the skills and experience we’ve acquired, we’ll have a better sense of what sort of roles we might enjoy and thrive in. We’ll likely also feel more confident about making a move. Here are some things to consider as you take stock and reflect:
Your strengths. Research shows that we experience higher wellbeing and greater chances of success when we use our strengths regularly. What are you great at? What would your colleagues say are your biggest strengths? This survey can help you to identify your strengths if you’re struggling.
Your values. You’ll never get the most out of your career if you feel like you’re working in a way that conflicts with your values. Take some time to reflect on your priorities, passions and motivations, and think about how you could align more with them.
Your transferable skills. Chances are by this stage in your career you’ve built up a lot of transferable skills, but it can sometimes be hard to spot them if you’ve always been in the same industry or organisation. Start by listing what you do on a day-to-day basis, then identify the broader themes or skills in use - for example, if you process a lot of data, you’re likely to have great analytical skills, or if you work in project management, you’re probably a good communicator.
Your experiences. Even if you’re planning a total career change, your previous experiences will still be of value. Think about the projects you’ve most enjoyed working on and the times when you’ve demonstrated your mindset and approach.
Your network. It’s true what they say, sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Take some time to check in with your network, catch up with people you’ve previously worked with and consider what you can learn from those around you.
Step 3: Research and exploration
By now you should be clear on your motivations and what you want to get out of a career move, as well as having a greater sense of what you can bring to a new role or career. Now it’s time to start researching and exploring what could be next for you. You might already have a sense of what you want to do next, but if not, here are some steps to consider:
Do some snooping. Places like LinkedIn and Glassdoor are brilliant for getting a sense of what’s out there. You can browse open roles and job descriptions to see where you could put your transferable skills to good use, and you can also have a little look at the career paths of other people who work within those organisations to see the steps they have taken.
Use your network. Chances are, by the time you’re in your thirties you’ll know a few people who have made a career move - speak to them! Ask them how they figured out what to do next, how they managed the transition and what they learned from the process. You could also ask friends or colleagues to connect you with anyone who might be in a field of work you’re interested in so that you can gather some more information.
Think outside the box. Career advice doesn’t have to come from the places you’d expect it to - sometimes listening to podcast interviews, reading magazine articles or watching an interesting documentary can spark some new ideas. Seek inspiration wherever you can find it!
Consider retraining. A lot of the time you can change your career using just the transferable skills you’ve already acquired, but sometimes you might need to retrain. Have a look at the courses or programmes on offer in areas that interest you and consider if it’s something you’d be willing to explore.
Seek the help of a professional. If you’re really at a loss, find someone who can help you. That might be a career coach, or perhaps you could set up a call with a recruiter who can help you to identify what other roles or industries you could be suitable for.
Step 4: Building a strategy
Once you’ve done some research and explored potential next steps, the next step is to create your career change plan or strategy. Here are some things to include:
Actions you can take in your current role. Once you’ve got a clearer picture of the direction you want to head on, consider how you can use your current role to help you get there. Is there a way you can develop the skills you’ll need or gain experience that will bolster any future applications?
A financial plan. Depending on what your career change is, your finances might not be impacted (or they might only be impacted positively!), but if you need to retrain or take a slight step down in pay, having a financial plan can really help with this. Consider how much you’d need to save to make a career change work and set up a savings plan. It can also help to scope out how your investment may pay off in the future so that you can feel more confident taking the leap.
Network building activities. You might already have all of the contacts you need to navigate your career transition, but if not, make sure you include networking in your strategy. Research industry relevant networking events in your local area or use LinkedIn to connect with professionals in your desired field.
Updates to your CV. Whilst you’ll want to tailor your CV to the roles you’re applying for, it can be good to get ahead and make sure everything is up to date. Remember to focus on transferable skills and any examples that demonstrate your enthusiasm and adaptability.
Short, medium and long term goals. Finally, make sure your strategy has some clear goals, and try to have some across various time points. For example, if you want to change your career from marketing to counselling, your short term goal might be to explore retraining options, your medium term goals might be to have enough money saved to drop down to part time hours while you retrain, and your long term goal might be to be working full time as a counsellor.
Step 5: Create a career change mindset
The final thing to consider if you’re changing careers in your thirties is to work on your career change mindset. So often the biggest thing holding us back from making a change is our minds, so actively working on building confidence, keeping an open mindset and visualising success will put you in a much stronger position. Here are some things that might help:
Try to focus on what you’ll bring to a new role, rather than on the skills you might be missing. It’s easy to get caught up in the fact that others might have more relevant experience than you, but often, there’s a real benefit to bringing a fresh pair of eyes or a new insight to a role. Plus, traits like determination, drive and enthusiasm are often seen as more valuable than experience alone.
Actively work on building your confidence. The more confidently you can present the experience and skills you do have, the more likely you are to succeed in your career change, so challenge your limiting beliefs and work on owning your achievements.
Stop telling yourself you’ve left it too late. You still probably have another three decades of work ahead of you - you haven’t left it too late to start something new.
Find people who can be positive examples. If you’re struggling to believe you can make a successful career change in your thirties, scope out some examples of people who have done just that. As the saying goes, if you can see it, you can be it.
Celebrate the small wins along the way. Whether it’s connecting with someone who can help you navigate your career change, finding a course that feels perfect for you or simply having the courage to admit you’re ready to take the leap, celebrating the little wins along the way will keep you feeling motivated.
Some extra tips for changing careers in your thirties
Don’t let your ego get in the way of long term joy. Sometimes a career change will involve a backwards step and that can feel challenging at a time when your friends and peers all appear to be moving forwards, but remember that careers are a marathon and not a sprint.
Utilise life changes. For example, parental leave can be a great time to take a step back and reflect on what you want from your career and the skills and experience you’ve gained so far.
Remember that you are more than just your job. A challenge faced by many who change careers in their thirties is that their work has become a big part of identity, which means making a pivot can seem even more daunting. Try to remember all of the other roles you play and the things outside of work that make you you, and accept that in time, your new career will become part of your identity too.