In your teens and 20s, job-hopping is commonplace — but in today’s workforce, it’s common to change jobs into your 30s, too. A 2022 BLS study found that workers ages 25-34 held a median tenure of just 2.8 years per job.
But what about picking a new career path in your 30s? Is it common? What are good reasons to change careers — and reasons not to? How do you do it — even without experience in your new field?
Well friends, I’m with you. I wondered the same thing for years before embarking on my own career shift at age 32. (And no, there was no magic reason why age 32 was the right age, nor is there a reason why age 39 — or after, for that matter — is “too late.”)
So let’s get into it!
Should I Get A New Job In The Same Industry — Or Change Careers? 3 Ways To Decide
You hate your job. Your clients are overly demanding, your boss expects a level of urgency typically reserved for 911 calls, your colleagues are either the best part about the job or the biggest headache, and you can’t remember what it’s like to be interested in work. I mean, were you EVER interested in work?
If you’re struggling to decide if the problem is your job, your employer, or your entire field of work — here’s where to start.
1. Make A Love And Hate List
And yeah — it’s ok if the “love” side is short. Or, like, non-existent. But get specific about what really bugs you, at the root!
Try to move beyond whatever one-off annoyances happened recently. Instead, stick with patterns — aspects of the job that irritate you daily or weekly, and are likely to keep happening.
Are they specific to certain people (could just be your job or workplace) — or to your duties (could indicate that the role isn’t a great fit for you)?
2. Think Back To The Beginning
What led you to apply for this job? (If it was literally just “the money” or “I had an in,” no shame! That’s often what the job search process is like.)
Were you interested in the mission, values, or core purpose of this particular company? What about your job description and core duties?
When you landed the new job, did you have a good feeling about it? How was your first month?
If you don’t get even a hint of warm fuzzy feelings as you reflect — or if the warm fuzzies are only really about the people or perks, but not at all about the work — then you might have a career misalignment on your hands.
3. Download Our Career Clarity Workbook
Be honest — you didn’t do those last 2 things, did you? Not really planning on it either, right?
That’s why I made it easier.
The Career Clarity Workbook features reflective exercises, including the ones just described. But it also helps you assess your values and priorities to see how a career shift might fit into your life.
So get off the fence and on to new challenges!
The Career Clarity Workbook is just $37.
Kickstart your career change today! Get The Career Clarity Workbook.
Career Change In Your Late 30s: Yes Or No?
If you’re mulling over a new career, you may wonder if the opportunity has passed you by. Did you spend too many years wishing and wondering — and now it’s too late?
Here’s what I have to say about that:
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No age — whether your early, mid, or late 30s — is too late to make a change. It’s only too late if you don’t plan to really go after it.
And even if you don’t believe in a dream job, that doesn’t mean you should give up on changing career paths.
If you’re worried about moving from Director or VP to an entry-level position, I get it — you just need to determine your priorities and values to decide if that’s the right move for you, or not. There’s no universal “right answer” to that, just like there’s no one definition of a successful career change. The only person who can define your success is you!
So the decision of whether or not to embrace a career change is all yours.
4 Good Reasons For A Career Change At 30 And Beyond
Why shake things up in your professional life? Well, here are a few great reasons.
1. You Need a New Challenge
My former employer didn’t become truly corporate — 1,000+ employees, distributed teams around the country, 401(k) matches (one thing I really DO miss, ha!) — until we were acquired by a larger agency. That happened a little more than 2 years before I left.
So the majority of my career was spent in a startup environment of fewer than 25 employees. In fact, when I joined, there were fewer than 5 employees.
Because of that, I was presented with new challenges and gained new skills regularly. I led 1 department, then 2 departments (though each “department” was only 1-4 people at any given time). My title changed at least 4 times.
I touched marketing, client work, executive leadership, HR, admin, event planning, minor design touch-ups, business planning, running booths at conferences… almost every little thing. (Hello, transferable skills!)
And one of my biggest key takeaways was this:
If I can gain hands-on experience and have the chance to hone unique skills in so many areas of a business… and STILL feel unfulfilled… then it wasn’t my employer or my job that was the problem.
It was the industry — or rather, how misaligned I personally felt with the industry.
There’s nothing wrong with agency life, if that’s your thing (see also: “strong sense of urgency”). But no matter how many new responsibilities I took on, new areas of the business I explored, and new titles I obtained, it was never going to be my thing.
I didn’t need a lowercase “new challenge” within my field. I needed a capital-N New, capital-C Challenge in a new industry.
If that resonates with you, it sounds like you need a New Challenge, too.
2. You Want To Pursue Your Passion
Most of us get jobs because we need money. It’s just the way it is. Some of us manage to make money while doing something we like, and we can stay relatively satisfied with that.
Others don’t like what they do, but don’t really know what they’d rather do. (Here’s how I can help with that!)
But still others actually know what they’re passionate about — and just haven’t been able to fit that into their day job.
That wasn’t my experience — I had no clue what I wanted to do next! But I can only imagine how much more urgent changing careers would have felt for me if I knew exactly what my “calling,” “purpose,” or “passion” was — and just needed to make the leap to get there.
So if you know what your dream job is, and your passion is urging you to go after it, you’re halfway there. You have a solid foundation for a career change at 30, or any age, because you already know what type of work will be highly rewarding for you! Your new career is waiting.
3. You Want A Salary Bump (Eventually)
Whether you aren’t making as you need to or even as much as you’d like to, a higher salary is a totally legitimate reason to switch careers.
But at first, you may have to take a cut in pay and even benefits when changing careers. So if your goal is to make more money ASAP, you’ll need to make an informed decision. Evaluate whether the entry-level job opportunities in your new industry align with that goal.
If you budget a lower salary for the first few years, knowing that the average salary on your new path is higher than what you’re making now, that strategic choice can quickly pay for itself.
4. You Want Better Work-Life Balance
I might as well have written #worklifebalance. It’s such a buzzword. Buzzterm? It’s everywhere.
You have people shouting from the rooftops that we are not our work and that we deserve to have lives outside of our jobs.
You have different people shouting that there’s no such thing as work-life balance or that work is part of life and we have to accept that.
Here’s what I think:
The right balance is whatever has you feeling healthy, fulfilled, and not maxed out. No one can definitively say how many hours that is, what industry that is, or what roles and responsibilities allow that — because it’s different for everyone.
So your definition of better work-life balance isn’t for others to judge. That’s between you and your immediate family. Oh, and your career coach.
No, not everyone needs a career coach! But, if you’re struggling to determine what balance looks like for you or how a career change could help you achieve it, it’s not a bad idea to look at coaches or other career services.
Did I Miss Something?
What’s your reason for wanting a career change at 30-something?
If it’s not listed here, contact me and let me know! I just might add it as I update this post.
6 Steps To Changing Careers In Your 30s — With “No Experience”
Career changers — listen up! Don’t jump into the next phase of your career without a purposeful, meaningful plan of action.
The job search is the FINAL phase, and there’s a lot of work to do first. Here’s how to get where you want to be.
1. Discover A More Fulfilling New Career Path
This is the first and arguably most important step. You have to prioritize finding out what the BEST new career path for you really is! Otherwise, you’re marching toward dissatisfaction all over again.
So spend time here. Don’t rush it. Don’t settle for “good enough” or immediate opportunities that don’t excite you. You want to really love this next part of your life. A little relief now may or may not be worth ending up in the exact same place — unfulfilled and stuck — in another few months.
If you’re having trouble figuring out what lights you up, career discovery coaching could help you dive deeper.
2. Identify And Lean On Transferable Skills
For me, this was really tough to do until I’d identified my ideal career path. I couldn’t see how my project management skills would be relevant when I never wanted to go back to the agency world, or how my team leadership skills would translate when I never wanted to be in charge of teams again.
But once I realized that coaching was my new path, the pieces started to fit together.
I’d be on top of scheduling and managing multiple clients thanks to my PMing. And coaching represents all the best parts of leadership (supporting the growth of others) while leaving behind the worst parts (top-down decision-making, layoffs, etc.).
In short, you have more transferable skills than you think! Start by focusing on your interests and passions — the relevancy of your skills might flow naturally from there.
3. Determine The Need For Further Education Or Additional Training
Although transferable skills can take you far, some careers simply require more education. That may be a few online courses, a short certification, or a new degree.
For coaching, I had the choice between fast-tracked programs that took place over the course of a few intensive weekends, long-haul programs designed to fit into busy schedules, or self-paced programs. The programs I looked at ranged from about $3,000 – $12,000.
I chose a self-paced online education program designed to be completed in 6-18 months. It took me just over 13 months to earn and receive my credential, and I spent just under $6,000 on the program — so pretty much the middle of the road in terms of pacing and price.
Educational requirements have real implications for your timeline, budget, and satisfaction with a new career. So do your research and find what’s required before committing!
4. Assess Your Professional Network
Like it or not, your network is a huge part of your career. Forever and always, “It’s who you know.”
This can be tough, especially for introverts who’ve never quite known how to break into convos at networking events or handle running a booth at multi-day trade shows. That second one was a LITERAL living nightmare for me, and I did it more than once.
Still, who you know matters. In my post-corporate career, lots of work has come my way via my previous boss and former colleagues. I’ve gotten indispensable advice from connections I made along the way. And all that from only 200-some connections on LinkedIn.
I mean, I must have met THOUSANDS of people in my 10-year career, and worked closely with hundreds. WHY did I let so many of those relationships slip through my fingers?
So, my aspiring career changers: don’t be like me! Go through your work emails and add everyone to your contact list, email, social media, LinkedIn… all of it. You’ll be happy for the connections when you finally make the leap!
5. Update Your Resume
This is another thing I wish I’d done while I was still at my corporate job. I did keep up with my title changes for the most part, but I didn’t really capture any specifics in my digital resume.
I didn’t have the cool stats to show for my work like everyone else did — the 401% ROI on that one project or the 1,283% increase in site visits thanks to my copy revisions.
Those can look impressive, but don’t forget to let your soft skills show. Thousands of applicants have such-and-such degree and referrals from here and there, but what makes you UNIQUELY qualified? What do your biggest fans at work have to say about you?
As important as professional networks are to making connections, it’s also key for providing evidence of your ability to thrive at what you do (even when you honestly hate it). And if you can kick ass while feeling misaligned with your job, imagine what you can do when you love it?
6. Start The Job Hunt — Within Your Network
Job search platforms are extremely competitive, and job postings can be flooded with applicants in minutes.
You should still use them as part of your comprehensive search. But may I also refer you back to point 4 — your professional network?
Yes, some job seekers on LinkedIn have viral posts, getting hundreds of thousands of views, thousands of reactions, hundreds of responses and shares, and dozens of offers… But you don’t want to count on that being you.
Instead, use your existing network to the max. Let them know what you’re doing next, why it means so much to you, and how they can support you.
From your closest colleagues to that one client you worked with a decade ago, you never know the incredible ways people will show up once they see your passion.
Changing Careers In Your 30s FAQs
What else do you want to know about changing careers in your 30s?
What is the best career to start at 30?
If you’ve been paying attention, you know that there’s no answer to this —
Except according to Career Karma, which states, “Some of the best careers to transition into at 30 are web developer, financial analyst, physician assistant, teacher, and business manager.”
They earned a top search result with this, and I mean, hats off to them for writing relevant content that Google really liked! And yeah, I’ll be honest — I’m going after the same long-tail KW they are here. No shame in the SEO game.
I can see where they were headed with some of these recommendations, considering transferable skills and formal education requirements.
But aside from that, being 30 does not predispose you to be interested in any of those things.
If you are, NICE! But if you aren’t, you’re not any less 30.
The best career to start at 30 is the one you’re most interested in, and that meets the requirements most important to you (salary, hours, values, etc).
I don’t know if I will ever rank well in SERPs for that answer, but I can stand by it.
Is 37 too old to start a new career?
Well, let me ask you this.
Is 31 too late to change careers? Is 33 too old to change your career? And is it too late to switch careers at 35?
Or is 36 too late to start a career? What about this: Is 38 too old to start a new career?
Ah, now I’ve got it: Is 39 too old to change careers?
NO! IT’S NOT! But if you’re 30, 32, or 34, you’re out of luck. (Kidding!)
People: our insecurities are showing.
When you Google “changing careers in late 30s,” you may see many of those exact questions pop up verbatim in the “People also ask” box.
It’s clear we don’t trust our guts, talents, and skills to take us to the next level, without a little validation.
Here’s your daily dose:
YOUR NEW CAREER PATH IS WAITING, NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF 30-SOMETHING YOU ARE! (And beyond — but that’s a story for another blog post.)
If your current career is impacting your happiness, your fulfillment, your personal definition of success, or your mental health — you deserve a meaningful career change.
Whether you believe in dream jobs, want better work-life balance, or just don’t want to stay in the same industry throughout your 30s, 40s, 50s, and into retirement — your career aspirations are valid.
So don’t keep waiting on something or someone else to kickstart your new career. It’s up to you — and you can do this.
