I am 38. I have spent fifteen years building expertise in a field that no longer excites me and that I'm not sure ever did — I think I fell into it by accident and inertia kept me.
The thing I actually want to do would mean starting somewhere near the bottom. Possibly studying again. Definitely taking a financial hit, at least initially. And doing all of this at an age where some doors feel like they are closing rather than opening.
I've been told I'm too old to start over. I've also been told that 38 is young and I'm catastrophising. Somewhere in there is probably the truth.
What I know is that the idea of doing this for another twenty years in a role that feels like wearing someone else's clothes is more frightening to me than the uncertainty of change.
Has anyone made a significant career change in their late thirties or beyond? What was the actual experience? What was harder than you expected, and what was more possible than you feared?