Is it too late to change careers? I'm about to enter my 30s and I'm utterly sick to death of IT

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Lazy_Battle_9487@reddit

Following this thread. I'm 37, earn below average wage. I'm good with money though so not struggling. I save and invest. But I feel like I could be doing more, earning more. I want to get into something technical, online, like data analysis or cloud engineering. I'm thinking about completing some courses on Coursera, but at £31+ a month of Coursera, I'm not so sure.

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Executive-Recruit@reddit

It is never too late, but you will clearly need to expect a step back in the short term. Understanding what you want, your transferable skills and longer term aspirations is the best starting point. There are a lot of advisors who will help and consult.

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GloomyTaro9395@reddit

I can give you my backstory. I went into engineering in a highly specialised technical field called condition-based monitoring, which doesn't leave room to pivot into any other specific engineering-related domains due to how technical and how deep the expertise was. I decided to look into different careers. Long story short I landed a data science degree apprenticeship with a large organisation, as I wasn't able to land an apprenticeship when I was younger, but I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to get into engineering after coming out of college with an engineering qualification. I wouldn't recommend the way I went about it, since I quit my job to upskill to try and land this type of degree apprenticeship, but it was so competitive, and I wouldn't have gotten it without taking that chance. My line of work at that time involved a lot of travelling between working hours and staying away often, leaving me little to no time to upskill and put the effort in to make that transition. Although the circumstances weren't great, I do wish I had made the leap sooner, as I've been wanting to transition out of my current role for quite some time. I was too comfortable and unwilling to take any risk.

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aviewfrom@reddit

I’m nearly 50 and I am 8 months out of a 25 year career in higher education, I got a nice payout so not working yet, but am transitioning into the charity sector and looking for meaning again. I have the freedom to volunteer and use that to find what I want to do next. That’s a huge advantage obviously but after 30 years of working having this time to just stop for the first time since I was 18 is amazing.

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Cute-Pear7948@reddit

Most exciting jobs

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Gbrown546@reddit

My dad changed career in his late 50s. Is it harder? Yes. Is it impossible? No

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GunnerGuruuu@reddit

I'm 34 and am moving from a corporate financial job in London to a cargo transportation role in Spain, when you look back at your life when you're 70+ you will laugh at this question, 30s is a baby in the grand scheme of life, go for it.

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TheKingOfSpite@reddit (OP)

This is the kinda thing I need. I have a very cagey relationship with the concept of ageing. Unfortunately that relationship is one way because ageing loves (hates) us all equally hahaha

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GunnerGuruuu@reddit

0nce you learn to appreciate the passage of time in relation to aging you can learn to be less harsh on yourself, everyone ages at the same pace it all depends on how you use your time, if you stay for 1 year in your current job that's 1 year less you can spend learning something new. There's a reason the phrase "no time like the present" is a cliche, do what you want and do it now.....

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assama95@reddit

I switched to door-to-door sales from 5 years of IT recently and I'm 30. Best decision I ever made, never to late to change.

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thelaughingman_1991@reddit

I'm 34, 35 in October. Stumbled through entry level jobs as a bit of a mess in my twenties, 'only just' entered a career towards the end of them. I'm a graphic designer, currently working fully remote for a charity. It's pretty chilled in the grand scheme of things, and my work-life balance is the best it's ever been, as I work 8:30am-4:30pm with no commutes etc. I love graphic design, but between AI, over-saturation in the industry, rampant ageism (I can't hope to be 40 trying to keep up with 20 year olds with twice as much spare time and energy), the road ahead unfortunately looks bleak. I'm joining a September cohort to become an accredited ADHD coach, after being formally diagnosed in July. I'm hoping to use my existing marketing, social media, and graphic/motion design knowledge to market myself well (when a lot of people in the space have pretty subpar visuals), and help people who have been in the situation(s) I've found myself in previously. I'm not cut out for corporate life, or office niceties such as another 40+ years of pretending I care about photos of your kids, what's on Netflix, or what you've done/what you're doing this weekend. I'd rather preserve my sanity, ideally have control over my work/hours, keep things remote (for the benefit of my own ADHD), and hope people in the process. There are barely any male coaches in the space, and between that and my own lived experiences, hopefully it goes okay.

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QuackBox90@reddit

Can I ask what course you'll be taking to become an accredited ADHD coach? I'm currently an Autism/ADHD Specialist Mentor considering the move to coaching but a lot of courses I've found online seemed a little suspect!

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thelaughingman_1991@reddit

No worries at all, happy to help! I've got an intro call with them next week, to join with their September cohort: [https://barrettcoachingandtraining.com/accredited-award-in-adhd-coaching-barrett-coaching-and-training/](https://barrettcoachingandtraining.com/accredited-award-in-adhd-coaching-barrett-coaching-and-training/)

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QuackBox90@reddit

This looks really good actually, thanks so much for sending the link across! I hope your intro call goes well next week :)

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marsman@reddit

Nope, shifted out of that in my 40's to a completely unrelated field, its a bit of a pain in the arse in terms of salary and involved a lot of learning, but it has been fun and I'm in a better position in terms of how much I enjoy what I'm doing now..

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Theallseer97@reddit

My grandma qualified as a nurse in her mid 40s. (She's in her 70s now) I myself am 29 and have spent the last 2 years putting myself through various training to enter the career I want. Which I finally got a job in, in January of this year. For as long as your body is able and there is breath in your lungs, it's not too late.

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Internet-Superhero@reddit

What is your job title Sir

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Icy_Comparison4814@reddit

It’s definitely not too late, but the key is being realistic about the transition. You might need to take a pay cut or retrain, but entering your 30s with clarity is better than staying stuck for another decade. People switch into trades, teaching, healthcare, and creative fields all the time around this age. The bigger risk is staying somewhere you already know you hate.

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Revolutionary_West56@reddit

Measured and great answer

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Revolutionary_West56@reddit

Just had a career change at 35. You got this

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lickmybrains@reddit

By the the time you retire the retirement age will likely be 70 so you have up to 40 more years of working. Or the difference between now and 1986. Of course its not too late.

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JavaRuby2000@reddit

I still hadn't graduated until I was in my 30s so I'd say yes it's not too late. I'd bummed around living in Newquay working in fast food or kitchen porter jobs all the way through my late teens and 20s and didn't decide to do anything about it till really late.

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mkaym1993@reddit

Nope! I haven’t personally changed careers since I was 23. However, I know people who have changed careers in their 30s and 40s and been highly successful. I’d wager people have changed much later and been successful too. In all honesty at 30 you are likely going to be working for the next 30-40 years, and that is plenty of time to build a new, successful career!

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Duffin88@reddit

I made the change when I was 34 and haven’t looked back since. Defiantly can do it.

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hunterfam55@reddit

You've still got twice as long to work as what you've just done.

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Ok-Charge-6998@reddit

In my eyes, 20’s is making all the big mistakes. 30’s is finding a semblance of stability to counteract your 20’s. Therefore, you’re not too late. You’re just getting started. Your 30’s are basically your 20’s with lessons learned, disposable income, and maturity.

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RachelRachel71@reddit

Such wise words.

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jetjitters@reddit

Never too late, but I've always found the pay cut when career changing and having to start from square one to be brutal

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RachelRachel71@reddit

Don’t you rise quite quickly though?

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TheLoneleyPython@reddit

Find the job before leaving your current one

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jjStubbs@reddit

How long have you worked for? Presuming it's 10+ years, well you have 37 years until retirement age so crack on, you're only like a quarter of the way into your Woking life mate. Crack on, figure out what you want to do and make the change.

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CarDry6754@reddit

I have considered moving out of software engineering but been doing it for 20 years so any change would be a massive pay cut. As the sole income in my household I also can’t afford to take much of a pay cut.

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ActiveElectrical3193@reddit

Not even close to too late. You still have 30+ years of working life ahead. Staying in something you hate is the bigger risk. Plenty of people pivot in their 30s and do better because they bring experience, discipline, and clarity. Just transition smartly. Don’t jump blindly. Test the new path on the side, build some income or skills first, then move.

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Obvious-Water569@reddit

If you're in your 20s, it's absolutely not too late. As long as you're prepared to take a pay cut for a few years, the world is your oyster.

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lophiesang@reddit

Are you implying that any later than 20s is too late?

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Obvious-Water569@reddit

Definitely not. You can do it at any age as long as you're prepared to take the pay cut.

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TheKingOfSpite@reddit (OP)

I will be for another few months hahaha

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CombinationCalm9616@reddit

Oh no only a few more months then yes you are too late. You should just start planning for your end of life care now.

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shadow-season@reddit

Moved from all sorts of office, education and admin roles in my 20s into software testing in my early 30s. I've been Head of QA for the last 5 years, in two companies. Definitely doable.

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Such_Direction_1528@reddit

It's never too late!

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Grouchy-Regular-6960@reddit

why dont you move into cyber security or 3rd line it support? infr a engineer?

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KindAd840@reddit

I became an apprentice in the telecoms industry at 30 and started a new career from scratch. Best decision I’ve ever made and completely changed my life for the better. It isn’t for everyone, but gave me a sense of having to really prove myself when got there that I was as worthwhile taking a chance on as the young ones that were part of the same intake. Hard work going that route, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

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Justan0therthrow4way@reddit

I’m in the same position, I’m 31 and had enough. I’m trying to figure out what I should do.

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Dconnolly69@reddit

Same here, i have a toddler and a mortgage, barely cover my costs as it is so pay reduction isn't an option

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Future_Pianist9570@reddit

Same position. Just turned 37 with a teenager, toddler and a new born

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Adzx93@reddit

Honestly this is what the system is designed to do, make it so that you're stuck in a shitty job with decent pay but everything's too expensive so you can't take a pay cut to try something different....

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Dconnolly69@reddit

And they wonder why depression is prevalent

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musicfortea@reddit

As others have said it's never too late. However, what is it about IT that you're sick of? It's such a vast and varied field that you could pick up the skills of doing something different within "IT".

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WILKOFL@reddit

I changed career completely at 40, so no. You're not too late.

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whyamihere189@reddit

Why would you leave IT?

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Sweetomlet@reddit

I'm 32, I have gone back to college and gone back to uni within the last year. I was the oldest in the class but it was so worth it. Change the career and trust in yourself

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EatingCoooolo@reddit

IT is so boring. I’ve been in it for a long time, the only way I can at least enjoy it a bit is going into cloud security and work for s company that is flexible so I can work from abroad a few weeks out of the year. Before covid I wanted to change to HR.

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nikkijxd@reddit

I would trace back what skills and qualifications you have and try to do a sidestep into a slightly different industry. Otherwise you would (likely) be taking a paycut to retrain.

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ToastedCrumpet@reddit

Do companies even train anymore? Most just expect you to have a decade of experience from elsewhere

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nikkijxd@reddit

Some do but usually you are expected to have some base knowledge. Typically industries that train are a bit more niche or skilled people are in short supply. As strange as it sounds i would take a look at companies who are able to sponsor peoples visas to come in to the country as its a sign there is not enough skilled people available(in the country). Typically it is cheaper to train someone than have them relocate to the UK.

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Mapleess@reddit

What is IT to you?

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stealth941@reddit

I'm looking to get into electrical work. I've gotnsome construction experience and I'm in IT. I just need 3.5k for a deposit for an out of hours training school

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Soggywallet94@reddit

When I was 28 I retrained and now at almost 32 I have the best job I've ever had teaching kids bushcraft. Never too late to change your life in any way!

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Loose_Goose@reddit

I went back to uni at 33, changed my life and I wasn’t the oldest on my course by a long shot.

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setokaiba22@reddit

It’s never too late but some options may cause you to take a pay cut for a while or retrain. Some retraining my be impossible without funding or huge spend (particularly if you already have a degree) but if you find what you wan to do - often your career so far and experience might open up doors you didn’t realise and put you ahead even without retraining in some other sectors too.

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Sylvester88@reddit

Definitely not.. did the reverse and entered into IT at 34 years old.

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blow_on_my_trombone@reddit

Follow your dreams bro

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Dynnargh@reddit

I've been thinking the same for a while now, late 20s, I started about 20yr ago with hands on work like repairing desktops, upgrading servers and network installations but seems all the money is stuck behind a desk. Tried sys/net admin and cloud eng and I just can't stand being behind a desk, doing tasks off a jira board that no one really cares about and all the corporate bollocks. need to be out and about doing something I think.

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TroublesZoo@reddit

I was still working in a call centre environment at 32. Now I'm 44 and I'm on 77k in financial management. I'm fully acknowledging I've had some luck along the way with opportunistic moves at the right time, but it is possible.

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BlackStarDream@reddit

The term "too late" is ageist propaganda. People live a long time. Society and technology changes fast. To decide your entire life and find your callings in your teens and twenties is unrealistic.

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BalefulMongoose@reddit

It's absolutely possible. I would, however, take the time to reflect on what you don't enjoy about your current work? A few years back, I'd decided I'd had enough of what I thought of as my dream career. I pivoted into a new industry. The job was great, but I was even more miserable. I just wasn't as passionate about the work. Eventually, I decided I wanted to go back but on my own terms. Had previously worked a 44-hour week with lots of on call hours outside of that, which is really what made me fall out of love with my work. Now I'm on a 37-hour contract, being on call only a couple weeks a year and I love my job again.

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MullyNex@reddit

It's never too late.

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mrsdontknowwhoiam@reddit

Not at all. I’m 43 and made the change 6 months ago and it was the best decision for my happiness and regret not doing it sooner.

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Quiet-Song-5395@reddit

What did you change to and from what ?

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mrsdontknowwhoiam@reddit

I was a chef for 27 years which I worked my way up the ladder from when I left school but the passion and temperament wasn’t there anymore. I now work in a private care home as an hca and absolutely love it but I got really lucky with the facility I work in as it’s such a happy,positive and friendly place to be.

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Longest_boat@reddit

I’m in the same position. My company have gotten rid of half of the work force through any means they can and just given the rest of the work to us. It’s hard and gruelling.

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SixCardRoulette@reddit

I went to law school in my late 20s - I'd realised I was really interested in the legal side of things in my previous job compared to the actual work, and the lawyers didn't seem any cleverer or more observant than I was. It was hard work as a "mature student", doing the courses in evening and weekend sessions (this was before COVID so no Teams classes, so we did online exercises & pre-recorded lectures in the evenings and then went along in person on the weekends), but it was very rewarding and I got a job at the end of it at 30, and I've been working in law ever since. But the relevant part is that I was actually one of the younger people on that course - there were people in their 30s, 40s, 50s and even older, looking to change careers. The recruiters and firms who came to talk to us explained that, yes, quite often employers were looking for young graduates because they wanted the longest possible career as a return on their investment training them up, but equally there was a lot to be said for hiring someone with the same skills but with 10/20/30 years of "real life" experience, both in the workplace and in terms of relationships with clients who might not want someone super young.

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DeifniteProfessional@reddit

lol same but the money trajectory is "decent" so I'm going to lean into it. I know work is 1/4 of our lives, but the more money, the better the weekend

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ConsciousFyah@reddit

I’m 51, and unemployed because my last workplace was toxic and full of assholes. Be glad you’re way younger. No whining.

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SirLongShank@reddit

Don’t think it’s ever too late. I am 36M, worked for family business since early 20’s always hated it cruising along cause it’s easy and I am giving it up soon to open a cafe with the wife

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PaleMaleAndStale@reddit

Of course it's not too late. You're looking at it from the perspective of "God, I'm almost 30. How old is that"? Instead, look at it from the more realistic perspective that you are pretty much in your prime mentally and physically and likely have 35+ years of working life ahead of you. You're more than capable of career switching and have every reason to if you're not happy doing what you do currently.

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-You_Cant_Stop_Me-@reddit

I went back to uni at 30 and got a degree to start a totally new career. Go for it!

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Greig89@reddit

Sadly you still have the majority of your career to work. You’ve barely scratched the surface of your working life. 🙌

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bishibashi@reddit

I’ve just left IT at 52, it’s like a breath of fresh air. Admittedly I’m able to take the pay hit because I did decently for the last 25 years, but I’m a general manager working in education now, 10 minutes from home, get school holidays and local gov pension scheme. Really enjoying it.

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Limmmao@reddit

I'm 40 and have been trying to move to IT for the last 2 years. So, good luck and thanks for potentially opening the space to me.

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lilfaeri@reddit

It’s never too late to make a change. It may be difficult but I think it’s better to risk it and work towards something more fulfilling than to spend the rest of your working life doing something that makes you unhappy. We end up spending a huge proportion of our lives at work so if you’re not happy where you are currently then make the change.

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WestleyMc@reddit

I came back from travelling around your age and had to start a career from scratch. Took a while but have built a successful career in sales now. Bear in mind you likely have 35/40 years of working to go.. so you have 80% of your career left..

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SheComesFirst24@reddit

I think with AI and robotics starting to take over getting out of IT is a good move, all dependant on what you want to do next? If it's something where you work with your hands, i.e. electrician etc then that is probably a safer bet long-term.

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slb609@reddit

My wife became a cabinet maker and tutor at the age of 52. You're fine.

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Fine_Cress_649@reddit

I went to medical school aged 30, now aged 45 and just completed training lol. I think I found medical school easier as a 30 year old than the 18 year olds did - I wasn't out drinking every night, I knew I wanted to be there and to study etc - but after starting work I found it loads harder being a 35 year old and working long shifts, nights etc with a different set of priorities and a small child at home. Also the fees/student loans situation was way easier 15 years ago - I paid 3k per year which I was easily able to cover by working part time.

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mronionbhaji@reddit

I'm also trying to get out of IT, mostly because my management seem to think AI can just replace me. I'm also fed up of constantly trying to update my skills to avoid being outdated. Currently trying to join the police.

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Desafinado777@reddit

You're only 30, mate.

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Otherwise-Tie-9055@reddit

Completely changed careers at 30 best decision I’ve ever made

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GetCapeFly@reddit

What did you switch from and to?

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Otherwise-Tie-9055@reddit

Worked in a factory to a railway signaller

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throwradrpri@reddit

No it's never too late.. I knew of a man who was 82 and was studying for his law degree in the UK as he was an uneducated retired factory worker and he reason was so that he can say he achieved more in his life

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dinkidoo7693@reddit

Its never too late, start applying for jobs you are interested in. Jobs market is an absolute nightmare though so it could take a while to get anything

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evenstevens280@reddit

Never too late to change careers, really.

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cooky561@reddit

It's never too late, I changed career path at 39, my mum changed careers at 45. Just be aware that it's harder than when you are 21, as a lot of graduate roles are offered to well, graduates university job fairs and similar events.

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StuPick44@reddit

Christ no.

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Exact-Put-6961@reddit

Teaching?

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PM_ME_BEEF_CURTAINS@reddit

I know people who have had mid 50s career changes 30s is fine That said, what are you looking to do?

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Xaavuza@reddit

Why would it be too late?

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