How to Change Careers at Any Age

Thinking about changing careers can be an exciting, but anxiety-provoking, idea. While you might be ready for something new, it's easy to find yourself worrying about your ability to successfully transition to a new field. Many people end up writing off the prospect of a career change as unfeasible, telling themselves that they're too old to make a change, or that they don't have enough experience to enter a new and competitive field, or that they've invested too much time into their current career to transition to something different.

However, there are many valid reasons for wanting to start a new phase in your career, whether they be personal or financial, and many people have successfully transitioned to a new career - or even several careers - over the course of their lives. Finding a new career is a realistic and attainable goal - here's how you can make a transition happen for yourself.

What It Really Takes to Change Careers at Any Age

This guide will walk you through practical, real-world steps for making a career change, including:

• How to identify a new career path that aligns with your goals and interests
• How to leverage your existing skills instead of starting from scratch
• How to test a potential career before fully committing
• How to minimize risk and regret when making a major career decision

How to Make a Career Change

Choose the Right Field

While you might know that you want to make a career change, you may not be clear on what it is you'd like to do instead. While some of people have long-held dreams of becoming writers or entrepreneurs, others might not have a specific career path in mind. You might be thinking, "I know I want a new career, but I don't know how to find a career that fits with my goals and interests."

Start With Interests (Not Job Titles)

If you're not sure what your dream job would look like, start by compiling a list of your interests - anything from sports to computers to humanitarianism to animals. If it's something you're passionate about, write it down!

Examples might include:

• Sports
• Computers or technology
• Humanitarian or community-focused work
• Animals
• Creative or artistic pursuits

Next, make a list of jobs or careers that interest you, or have interested you at any point in your life. Don't worry if it's far-fetched or if you know little about it. Whether you've always dreamed of being an astronaut or are wondering what being a software developer entails, include any and all ideas on your list.

Look for Patterns and Overlap

The goal of these lists is to help you identify what it is that excites you, and to find the common thread between them. Once you've completed these lists, look through them to identify any themes. 

For example:

• An interest in computers paired with problem-solving may point toward information technology
• A knack for numbers could translate into accounting or finance
• Enjoying communication and helping others could align with education, HR, or nonprofit roles

Ideally, these lists will spark some new career ideas: you might realize that your interest in computers could translate into a successful career in information technology, or that your knack for numbers might make you a good accountant.

Be Honest About What You Don’t Want

It's also important to spend some time reflecting on what you really want to do with your life, as not all hobbies or interests translate into professional careers. You may love animals, but that doesn't necessarily mean you want to be a veterinarian or own a pet store!

Once you've identified something on your list that you could see yourself pursuing as a career, it's time to figure out what needs to be done to help you accomplish your goal and make it a reality.

Audit Your Existing Skills

The next key step in achieving your career change is to do an audit of your existing skills. This is where you'll list out the things you are good at and enjoy doing - things like writing, public speaking, web design, or finances. This will give you a good baseline to work from when determining where your skill level sits, and what additional skills you might need to learn in pursuing your new career.

List Skills You Already Use Every Day

This might include skills such as:

• Writing or communication
• Public speaking or presentations
• Problem-solving or analysis
• Managing projects or people
• Working with data, numbers, or finances
• Technical or digital skills

Next, do some research into the career you've picked. What are the key skills needed to be successful? Which of those skills do you already have, and which are you missing? 

Identify Skill Gaps Early

Ask yourself:

• Which required skills do I already have?
• Which skills will I need to develop?
• Which gaps are critical versus learnable over time?

Once you have a sense of the gaps in your skillset that will need to be filled, it's time to consider your options for rounding out your knowledge to make this field viable for you.

Use Education Strategically

Online degree and certificate programs can be instrumental in helping people change careers by providing them with the new skills and knowledge required to get into a new field and excel in it, while fitting well into the lives of busy working professionals. You should consider enrolling in a degree or credential program at a nationally accredited online college to help you gain the skills needed for your new career and to set you up for success.

Network with Experts

Now that you've made some decisions on the direction you're heading and the skills you'll need to get there, it's time to start exploring your new career more fully. One of the best ways to do this is to network and talk to people who are actually in the field you're looking to enter. 

Start With People You Already Know

The natural place to start is by reaching out to friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances, both those in your chosen field or those who might have ties to people who do.

If you don't have anyone in your immediate circle with experience in your chosen field, you can also use social networking tools such as LinkedIn to connect with individuals in your area doing work similar to the work you want to do, or explore your alumni network.

Ask Better Questions

Connecting with a few people who have direct experience working in a similar profession and getting a sense of what their day-to-day work looks like, what the challenges and opportunities are, and what they like and dislike most about their jobs will give you a very clear sense of what that career looks like.

Consider asking questions such as:

• Does this career provide flexibility?
• What does a typical day actually look like?
• What are the biggest challenges people face early on?
• Do I need to go back to school to gain the necessary skills?

Test the Waters

Just as important as talking to people in your new field is actually testing it out for yourself. When changing careers, it's a good idea to transition out of your current career path slowly.

Run a Low-Risk Trial

Think of this phase as a short experiment, not a permanent decision.

For example, if you were going to make a career switch and become a culinary chef, give yourself a 30-day challenge to cook meals for your friends and family every day, then collect feedback. Would they actually pay for the meals? How good was the food?

During this trial, focus on:

• Setting a clear time limit
• Doing the work consistently
• Collecting honest feedback
• Assessing whether people would actually pay for your work

Moving more slowly gives you an opportunity to find out if your new career idea is worth pursuing, without fully committing time, energy, and money into it. 

Minimize Regret

Even if you have the right set of skills, have done your research, and have spent some time testing out your career idea, you still might feel nervous about taking the leap. That's why it's important to take some time to really think about whether or not you truly want to change careers before making the final decision to do so.

The Regret Minimization Framework

One way to do this is to use the Regret Minimization Framework created by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who made his own major career shift from banking to entrepreneurship–which led to him founding Amazon.com. Leaving a secure, well-paying job to pursue a wild idea was a big decision, and to make it, he decided to focus on the idea of "regret minimization."

"I wanted to project myself forward to age 80 and say, 'Okay, now I'm looking back on my life. I want to have minimized the number of regrets I have. I knew that when I was 80 I was not going to regret having tried this...I knew that if I failed I wouldn't regret that, but I knew the one thing I might regret is not ever having tried."

Ask Yourself One Question

Will I regret not taking this step or making this decision 40 years from now?

What choice can you make today that will minimize regret when you're looking back years from now?

Make the Change

Now that you've done your research, tested out your new career idea, and spent some time thinking about how making the switch to a new field will impact your life in the long term, you're finally ready to make your career change a reality. 

Your Next Steps

As you move forward, consider:

• Setting a realistic timeline for your transition
• Identifying the first concrete action you can take
• Creating a financial and emotional buffer
• Accepting that discomfort is a normal part of growth

Take the Next Step Toward a Career That Fits Your Future

Changing careers doesn’t mean starting over — it means building on what you already know. Earning a degree or certificate can give you the skills, confidence, and credentials to move into a new field with purpose and direction. 

With flexible, online programs designed for working adults, Champlain College Online makes it possible to continue your education while balancing work, family, and life. 

Explore Champlain’s online degrees and take the next step toward a career that aligns with your goals.