Want To Start A New Career In It At 40 Heres How To Do It
Most people assume there are no opportunities for new careers in IT after 40. If youve been considering a career change, now is the time to pick up those old college textbooks and brush off that rusty database skillset.
Here are 7 ways to get started on your next career as an IT professional at 40 or older!
Is 30 Too Old For A Career Change
Although it becomes increasingly difficult to make a career change as you age, 30 is still young in the larger scheme of things. At age 30, you still have 30-40 working years left. If you do your research, have sufficient savings, and are confident you’d be happy in your new role, age 30 is a totally appropriate time to change careers.
Why Start A New Career At 30
Shifting into a new job at any age will affect your relationships, finances, life and possibly even your health. When you make the change from an unsatisfying career to a satisfying career, the outcome and effects will likely be positive.
At 30, you have likely been in your career for about 10 years or more. If you plan on retiring by the average age of 65, then you will have about 35 years to continue working. If you want to find a more fulfilling and satisfying career, it makes sense to do so when you have a few decades left to enjoy the work that you do.
Many individuals don’t have a high level of responsibility at age 30 and it may be easier to shift careers before potential responsibilities come along at age 40 or 50. Although changing careers is possible at any age, without significant responsibilities at 30, you may have fewer expenses and more time to get training in your preferred career field or take a temporary pay cut to pursue this new and exciting opportunity.
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Be Aware Of Age Discrimination
One issue that can affect older workers is age discrimination. Virginia Jeyapal of career services firm Shadow Management Consulting says:
“The stereotype of an older worker being too expensive or too old still exists. Age discrimination is rampant in some professions and career levels more than others. Executives face slightly less discrimination as the move up in position/title. An older CEO or vice president does not feel as much age discrimination as an older sales representative or customer service professional may face.”
Job Hunting Tips If You’re 30 With No Career
You may not have a career because you or what you’re passionate about. You may have been job-hopping for most of your working life for various reasons, or you may feel stuck in your career and have been at one company for too long. Consider following these 21 tips to make your job hunt much more effective:
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How To Change Careers In Your 30s
When youre in your 30s, you might become interested in changing career paths. Maybe youve devoted years to the same industry, and youre just not feeling fulfilled anymore. Or maybe a new hobby led to inspiration toward a new career path. Or, you might see how happy a loved one is working a certain type of job, and you might want to pursue that path, too.
Other issues like career growth stagnation, industry culture and new opportunities presented through networking may all be enough to inspire a job change.
Job seekers interested in starting a new career at 30 have unique concerns. Youve likely been in the workforce for around a decade or more. As technology evolves, the standards for your desired career may have evolved, as well.
Use this guide for switching jobs when youre in your 30s so you have a smooth transition for your next move.
Consider Your Career Preferences
Determine the type of job you want and what you want out of your career. Knowing your career aspirations can help you determine the type of education you need and the types of positions to apply for.
In addition, consider your preferences in terms of a job’s commute time, its location, its average salary and its typical work schedule. Identifying these criteria can help you to prioritize your preferences and help you narrow down your research.
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Take A Working Vacation
Sometimes, neither volunteering or freelancing is an option. In that case, consider a working vacation.
Devote some of your vacation time to career exploration. Schedule some informational interviews, attend some networking events, and research your new career. Use the time to build contacts and find out everything you can.
Depending on your contacts, you might be able to intern in the job to see if you really like it. If you cant make those connections, there are companies that specialize in helping career changers connect with people in new fields to test drive the intended job.
Get Into Social Media
Hanging out on Facebook or tweeting all day long might not be your thingand it doesnt have to become your way of life. But social media is a major hub in the tech world for making connections and sharing information.
You can take advantage of the open tech conversations all over social media by following some Twitter lists and joining tech-related Facebook groups. Feel free to simply follow along with the conversations in the beginning. Then, as you get to know the people and find more areas of interest, you can become an active part of the communities and take advantage of the contacts and information that can boost your tech career.
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Get Your Finances In Line
Resolve to get your financial practices in place and start saving for retirement, says Laurie Battaglia, CEO of Aligned at Work in Scottsdale, Arizona. Participate in your employers 401 or 403 qualified plan, especially if they match your investment, she says. You are walking away from free money if you dont.
If possible, set up an automatic increase every year at raise time, so you save your raise rather than spend it. The key is to pay yourself first and establish your own important financial goals. Understanding your finances now will lead to great life-long habits, she says.
But Dont Underestimate The Challenge Ahead Of You
Kevin Smiths journey in tech has come full circle thanks to his midlife career change. After high school, he got a job as a technician building computer chips, and loaded up on programming classes as he studied electrical engineering in college. However, during his junior year, he quit school and his tech job to pursue his passion for music. He became a jazz guitarist, a cruise ship musician, and a music teacher after earning a masters degree in music.
But programming stayed in the back of Kevins mind, and at age 47, he jumped back in and started learning web development for real to train for a new career. I found freeCodeCamp and started there. I worked my butt off. I struggled through a lot of things, but some things started to click. YouTube videos helped me get through difficult spots.
The real challenge of his burgeoning coding career began once Kevin actually began job-hunting. I probably sent out 500 applications, did 30 coding challenges, 20 phone interviews, and about 10 times I got to the second interview. I made it to the final stage three times.
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Reasons For A Career Change At 30
Sometimes we dream about changing careers when what we really dislike is our job. Maybe you and your boss dont get along, or you cant stand your nosy coworkers. Sometimes the company makes decisions you dont agree with, but the decisions dont impact you. These are problems with your job and not necessarily your career.
If you and your boss are basically besties, the company is making all the right moves, and you love all of your coworkers, but you still find yourself dreading Monday morning, then the problem is probably your career.
Take some time and analyze your current job to figure out whats bugging you. Is it something you can fix without changing your entire career? Or, do you need something that your current job can never give you?
Examine Your Current Career
Before making a radical career change, examine the aspects of what you do and don’t like about your current career field. The questions you may ask yourself are:
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What do I enjoy about my current career?
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What drew me into this career?
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What draws me to this new career path?
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What are some things I dislike about my current career?
It is important to consider these questions because changing careers means you may have to start over and pursue jobs that are a prerequisite to your dream job. This self assessment gauges what you are missing, as this way you learn how to pursue what you want.
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Is 33 Years Too Late To Start It Career
Hi, my name is Luke,
I am 10 years in warehouses because school where I was studied didn’t teach me anything,
I was doing worst jobs, from 20 in fucking warehouses and factories,
in 29 I decided to go study online course at mytrainingroom.co.uk and hopefully get first IT certification this year.
I survived Brexit and learn lot of things, I have been sculpting whole year when I had day off, modellinmg in Cinema 4D, animating, writing C# scripts,
but my render have delay about 422ms, which is too long and project is slow because I am working on Acer Aspire 5744 Travel mate with integrated GPU,
good just for Word, Excel and Internet browsing.
From 16 years I am working with Cinema 4D but never on commercial project, is there any hope that I could do what I want to or I am doomed to die in warehouse ?
Am I lost or do I have any chance ?
Luke
13
No, actually 33 years of age is a good time to start this kind of work. You’ll be fine!
Not too late. In fact, it’s NEVER too late unless you give up. Certain jobs have a shelf life, but IT isn’t one of them. In fact, the jobs you cited would be more likely to require younger guys because it’s physical labor. Anything that requires your brain can be done at almost any age, as long as you’re mind is sharp.
Never believe the future belongs to some others and you lack what it needs to get good enough to play part in it. Define exactly what it is you want to do, establish your goal and start walking towards it.
Evaluate Your Current Skills
Before jumping right into a new career path, you should evaluate your current career and transferable and soft skills. Ask yourself, what do you like about this profession? What are the things you dont like about your current career and should avoid? This will help you make an informed decision about your new career path, and help you realize what skills and relevant experience you already have to help you succeed in your new path.
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Tip 1 Dont Worry About Going Back To School
Many people have a misconception that you need to go back to school for a computer science degree in order to start your career as an IT professional. Although it is important for an aspiring tech job candidate to have the knowledge and experience required, it does not require a four-year degree. A portfolio and good interview can land you the job without years of experience.
Know That Tech Welcomes All Backgrounds
During a midlife career change, you can absolutely get a great job in tech without a background in tech. When Syk first started thinking about becoming a developer, he would read articles about others who had changed careers into tech, and feel skeptical that he could do the same. I kept on looking for something in the writers background that made them special, he says. Something that made them suited for this job. Something that I didnt have.
But, he continues, I have since come to understand that this is not how it works. There arent any special requirements to becoming a developer. Im not going to tell you its easy, but all the requirements are things that are in everyones reach. You have to be willing to work hard, learn a lot, and be consistent. You need to persist when things get tough. Everyone can do these things with a bit of practice.
Coming from a background of music, restaurant work, and teaching, Syk knows better than most that career retraining in tech is accessible to anyone. I started with no related background study, no money to spend on expensive courses, and wasnt even particularly skilled with computers, he says. Everyones circumstances are different, but I learned that if you put your mind to it, you can do it.
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Stay Proactive And Patient
Actively seek work and continue to apply for positions that you’re qualified for. Remain enthusiastic throughout the process. However, keep in mind that finding the most suitable career path may take time. Therefore, while it’s important to be proactive, make sure you have the patience to endure the job search process.
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The Benefits Of A Career Change
The Joblist survey reports that most people were happier after they made the change:
- Happier: 77%
- More fulfilled: 69%
- Less stressed: 65%
In addition, the people who change careers were making more money. Survey respondents who changed careers for better pay earned an additional $10,800 annually compared with their previous positions.
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Dev Community Is A Community Of 915122 Amazing Developers
We’re a place where coders share, stay up-to-date and grow their careers.
When you’re 30+ years old, married with kids, it may seem impossible to change careers into tech without getting a degree and potentially taking on a bunch of debt.
That’s exactly what I thought. I was stuck working at factory jobs that treated me subhuman and so were all my friends. I remember a time I asked for a day off for my daughter’s birthday, and was literally laughed by the supervisor. I wasn’t making a lot of money, I had to take care of my wife and 6 kids, and work tons of overtime on 12 hours shifts. Sometimes I was working 2 jobs. I was miserable.
Connect Your Past To Your Future
Just because youre following a new path now doesnt mean you have to forget the road behind you. Find out how you can apply what youve learned and done before to what youre aiming for in tech.
I was able to combine my first career in customer service and my second career in language education with tech skills to create a career in tech that I love. You can do the same by considering all your skills that are transferable and emphasizing them when applying for and interviewing for jobs in tech.
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Include A Professional Summary
When thinking about how to change careers in midlife, it’s worth knowing that some of the key terms relating to your resume have changed. In particular, what used to be called a “resume objective” is now called a “professional summary”. As the name suggests, it’s an overview of your career, and it’s the first step in getting your resume noticed.
How To Start A Career In It
Businesses require information technology, or IT, to remain competitive and provide the best products and services to customers. As more and more businesses discover ways to use technology to their benefit, demand for trained, specialized IT professionals grows. For this reason and others, many people interested in starting a new career may consider the IT field. In this article, we discuss reasons to choose an IT career, steps to get started and helpful tips.
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Work With Multiple Recruiters
If you’ve gone through job boards without much success, consider working with recruiters to try to find a job that can lead to a career. Recruiters have more insight into available positions and work closely with employers to fill needs in the workplace. Some companies hire recruiting firms for specific jobs that they choose not to post on public job boards, so you may find greater success working with recruiters than going through your job hunt alone.
Dont Buy The Lie That Youre Too Old To Code
Syk Houdeib has experienced several industries over his career, from studying music to working in the restaurant business to teaching English as a second language. He didnt write his first HTML snippet until he was 39. Now, he works as a front-end developer at a startup in Madrid. I wanted a new challenge, he said. Something that would push me well out of my comfort zone.
As Syk points out, Time will pass, whether you start now or not. Never think that its too late. Once you start the only thing that will stop you is if you stop. If you keep going, you will make it.
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