‘Forty is a fork in the road’: Is it ever too late to change careers?

As Kate James approached her 40th birthday, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her days of business management and finance were numbered.

“I enjoyed it, but I really felt like I had a calling to do something that helped people,” says James, now 60, who lives in Mount Martha, Victoria.

“I considered studying psychology, but I thought I was too old to do a really long course.”

An article about the rise of life coaching proved to be a light bulb moment, and she put an inheritance from her grandmother towards the course, embarking on an exhausting few years of full-time work, study and child-rearing.

Talitha Cummins, 44, spent 10 years feeling at a career loss before taking a punt on a new business.Credit: Janie Barrett

“It put all of us under pressure for a few years but I needed that financial safety net [of a full-time income],” says James, now a career coach and author of Quietly Confident.

“I’m now 60 and I still have a zest for my career and imagine myself working for at least another decade, if not more, because I’m doing something I love.”

Louise Gilbert, leadership specialist and author of Make Work Work For You, says that like James, 40 is a “fork in the road” moment for many people’s careers.

“You’ve gone through your 20s where you’ve often had challenging pivotal career points, and moved into your 30s where you’ve really focused on authenticity and moving into leadership roles; you’ve made your mark and learnt a lot of things,” she says.

“[In] this next stage of your 40s, there’s a real opportunity to explore something new and see what’s possible. A lot of people are stressed – work is not working for them and they’re wanting genuine flexibility and fulfillment. They’re screaming out for more.”

Kate James, 60, is now a career coach.

As a result, Gilbert says there’s a big trend of people in their early 40s moving into the professional ‘gig economy’, working as independent contractors (typically) in knowledge-intensive or creative industries.

“Highly skilled people leave the traditional nine-to-five model, stepping back to work out what is best for them [and their] values – they’re highly skilled professionals with a lot of broad experience and a pretty broad network,” she says.

“This type of work allows for flexibility; they’re able to take on consulting gigs that align with their values and give them meaning.”

Risk for reward

Former newsreader and TV presenter Talitha Cummins, 44, spent 10 years feeling at a career loss before taking a punt on a new business.

“After I had my kids eight years ago, I stopped TV and was doing a lot of consulting and media training. Nothing really excited me but I was scared to move away from what I knew,” she says.

“I have friends who really enjoy what they do [but] I just didn’t have that.”

But after her uncle, who was in the jewellery industry, suggested she start a jewellery label, she felt a small spark ignite and commenced a diamond grading course to see where it might take her.

“I was in London, studying alongside people who had been in the industry 20 years. I was flinging diamonds on the ground with my tweezers thinking, ‘Oh my god, this is mortifying!’ but I just fell in love with it,” she says.

As her youngest child, Riley, approached her school years, Cummins felt ready to dip into some savings and launch The Cut Jewellery, in 2023.

“There’s so many things to consider and you have to be in a place where you are comfortable for it to fail,” she says.

“Age has been a definite advantage – you’ve had the knocks and the resilience to deal with challenges. I’ve adopted a fairly philosophical approach to things and I don’t think it would’ve been like that 10 or 15 years ago.”

Cummins launched her business, The Cut Jewellery, in 2023.Credit: Janie Barrett

Start with small steps

It can be overwhelming to consider making a massive career change at 40, so James, who now coaches her clients through similar career conundrums, suggests simply starting some research.

“If you are really strapped for time, you might say, ‘Fridays at 6am, I’m going to spend an hour reflecting on what I really want’. Schedule the time and treat it as though it’s an important project,” she suggests.

“Write down as many things as you can think of and get clear on what it is that you’re looking for. Look at the cost, not just financial, but timewise and career trajectory-wise.”

Gilbert suggests updating your CV, documenting your achievements and thinking about what it would be like to go for an interview.

“Think about how you can get some exposure to other roles or jobs or companies. That might be as simple as talking to friends at a barbecue or observing other roles in your own company,” she says.

James says it’s important to be realistic about what a career change will require.

“I think you have to ask yourself, ‘What am I prepared to give up in order to make this happen?’ In my case it was spare time,” she says.

“It’s not too late to change careers at 40, but it does require sacrifice.”

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