‘IT’S CHANGED MY LIFE’: MEET THE PEOPLE SWITCHING CAREERS IN MIDLIFE AND BEYOND

Much like a landmark birthday, midlife often brings a degree of self-reflection and a reckoning with where we are, what’s working well and where there’s room for improvement. This invariably includes scrutinising our professional life. Feeling valued and engaged, being fairly recompensed and having a sense of purpose and flexibility are often cited as important factors to consider within a job – with a recent study of 26,000 workers across 35 countries finding that work/life balance was the highest-ranking factor for them, compared with pay or even job security.

The decision to switch careers entirely, however, involves a much greater leap of faith, particularly for older workers who may face ageist attitudes among both recruiters and colleagues. A 2023 study of more than 6,000 people across eight countries found that hiring managers retain a “deeply held perception bias against job candidates over the age of 45”, despite acknowledging that these workers perform just as well on the job or even better than their younger counterparts. And with more than 50 per cent of the UK’s population over 40 and a third over 50, these are pressing issues that are likely to grow as people live longer, the average age of the workforce continues to grow and the state pension age rises.

Despite these valid concerns, thousands of people in midlife and beyond successfully make the jump from one career to another. A 2024 YouGov study conducted on behalf of education charity Now Teach found that 20 per cent of Britons over 40 have switched careers in the past five years, while a further 23 per cent are openly considering changing their profession.

We spoke to three people whose decision to change course professionally serves as a reminder that it’s never too late to start over.

‘I’m such a different person now’

Amanda Wheal, 61, from Essex, was a teacher for 34 years before training to become a celebrant, a person who officiates weddings and funerals.

“There were several things that made me decide to make the jump. Education changed a lot in the time I was in it. But I didn’t think there was anything I could do aside from teaching – I think lots of teachers make that mistake.

“And then my brother passed away unexpectedly. I had a very inspirational celebrant at his funeral. At this stage, I didn’t even know what a celebrant was. I wrote and read my brother’s eulogy, which, at the time, was a massive deal for me. It was such an uplifting thing that I thought: ‘maybe this is what I want to be doing’.

“I think when you lose somebody, it makes you reevaluate life a lot. Death can be traumatic but maybe, somewhere in our evolution, its purpose is to make the living assess their own lives as well.

“My role as head of sixth form was a very caring one – and I’m a good listener. I used to have to do assemblies every week and talk to hundreds of people, so I knew I could do the public speaking bit. And I had this gut feeling that this is what I was meant to be doing – it was almost like my brother was speaking to me.

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“I talked to a lot of other people before I decided to start my training, which I did alongside teaching. It took me about 18 months. There was loads of reading, but I didn’t mind doing it, which shows how motivated I felt.

“I finished work in 2020. Even though I’d have been better off financially if I’d waited another three years, I just thought ‘life’s too short’. I don’t miss the work, but I miss some of the kids. I even officiated a wedding for two of my ex-students, which was an absolute dream.

“I specialise more in weddings and happy events, although I will do funerals for people I know.

“Being a celebrant has changed my life in so many ways – I’m such a different person now. I have new friends. You shouldn’t be killing yourself five days a week to live two days at the weekend – you’re only on the planet once. Now, I can decide which days I will work. As I’m in the wedding industry, I work weekends a lot, which is fine, because I get to do nice things in the week when everyone else is at work.”

‘Starting over is definitely not for the faint-hearted – but it could be the making of you’

Ali Lees, 46, from Surrey, spent 20 years working in food marketing and innovation before becoming a personal stylist.

“Becoming a mother and the inflexibility of working for a company was one of the reasons I felt it was time for a change. Before I was my own boss, I couldn’t just take time off to go and see my daughter play in a netball match, for example, and it felt like I was at a point where my kids were slipping away from me.

“I’d also got to a certain point in my career where I realised I didn’t actually want to climb the professional ladder anymore. I didn’t have that same appetite and ambition that I had in the early years of my career.

“The real clincher was taking redundancy from my employer in 2022 and having the privilege of time to really reflect on what I wanted from life. I’d spent years building brands for these big corporations. I was ready to do something for me.

“Around the same time, I discovered personal styling which I’d previously assumed was just for people with lots of money who like designer labels. I received a service myself as a gift from my mother-in-law because she knew I was going through a bit of a transitional period and not feeling great about myself. When I had that colour analysis, I felt like I had a new lease of life. I was excited to get dressed and felt a bit clearer on who I was. I just found it so transformational that I wanted to give that to other people, too.

“I spent lots of time doing research. Initially, I felt a bit like an imposter because it was so different from what I’d done before. And it took a few months to convince myself that I could actually do it and that I had the skills and knowledge to make it work.

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“I initially started up my styling business as a side hustle in parallel with working full-time on my day job which ensured I could pay the bills. I officially registered the company in June 2023 and transitioned into working full time as an online stylist in January this year.

“Being in total control of my own destiny is one of the most rewarding things I’ve found. There’s also an enormous sense of satisfaction when clients tell me the impact my advice has had on their confidence and wellbeing – it’s so rewarding and validating. Fashion is often perceived as quite frivolous, but I think it can have a huge impact on how a person feels about themselves.

“Starting over is definitely not for the faint-hearted. You really need to be a self-starter and be crystal clear on what your priorities are. But if you’re really up for that challenge, then I would say go for it. It could be the making of you.”

‘I feel like I’ve actually done something useful’

Gareth Rees, 51, is from Oxfordshire. He studied for a degree in engineering, briefly joined the Marines (“a big mistake”), worked as a management consultant and then became an airline pilot for 15 years. He is now in his first year as a qualified secondary school teacher, a move he made with the support of Now Teach.

“I loved being a pilot. I worked for Monarch for eight years and then Emirates for seven years, which meant me and the family all moved out to Dubai, which is part of the deal if you work for them. It was quite a long time to be away from home – and Covid was the point where I realised that my parents were getting older. I was in Beijing when my father had a heart attack and I jumped straight on a plane and flew back to see him. He’s fine today, but realisations like that made me reflect on where I was at.

“Flying was lovely for me: I would fly a plane to somewhere really nice and get to stay there for a bit, return to Dubai, have a rest and then do it all again. Meanwhile, my wife and kids were in Dubai all the time, working and going to school. It felt quite a lot to ask of them. We eventually made the decision as a family to return to the UK.

“Although I’d enjoyed flying, I felt ready for a change. The turning point came after reading a series of articles by Lucy Kellaway, a former journalist who went on to set up Now Teach after training to become a teacher. I also remember watching a video of comedian Tim Minchin doing a commencement speech for graduates at the University of Western Australia where he said that everyone should be a teacher at some stage. It got me thinking.

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“I’m now in my first year as a qualified science teacher. It’s been overwhelming. Your first year is notoriously challenging. Everyone is sympathetic and you’re supported throughout and we know the next year will be better. If I was going to try and fix the education system, I’d say everybody just needs to try and do 10 per cent less. During a typical day, teachers often find it hard to find time to eat, have a drink or even use the toilet.

“The sense of community I have found has been a lovely surprise. I’ve just come back from playing five-a-side football with a bunch of other teachers and the sense of working with others and getting to know them has been brilliant. Pilots are a bit weird in that you’ll meet somebody [another pilot] who you’ll be locked in a little room with [the cockpit] for hours and hours. You might repeat that on the return leg, but then you may well never see that person again, so it’s quite a dissociated life.

“At school, there’s an incredible sense of community, among both staff and the kids. Getting to know each of the students and working out what makes them tick or what approach works best for them is a really good feeling. When you work out a different way to help them understand a new concept and they finally get it? It’s really lovely and you feel like you’ve actually done something useful.

“Lots of people have told me that teaching is the best job in the world. The jury’s still out for me on that one, but it’s possibly one of the most important ones going and one with a really strong sense of purpose and meaning to it.”

2025-03-22T07:53:10Z