Zoe Hunter: Mid-life career changes more common than we think

Dwayne Brown, 45, is now training to be a chef after 25 years in IT. Photo / Zoe Hunter

OPINION

I have been a reporter for more than a decade.

I studied journalism after high school and have worked in the industry ever since.

The thought of changing careers now, in my 30s, gives me high anxiety.

What would I do? Is it too late to switch jobs? Am I too old to be making such a drastic leap?

The answer is no. There are many people who have faced these fears and followed their dreams into a new career pathway.

They have proven it is never too late to change careers even in your 40s, 50s, or 60s.

Last week, Tauranga man Dwayne Brown shared why he was changing careers at age 45. He was setting aside 25 years in IT and training to be a chef.

He said it was scary to be changing careers in his 40s but he just wasn’t enjoying it anymore and wanted something more “rewarding”.

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller - who made the jump from a corporate career to Parliament in 2014 - will again be assessing his job options after last week announcing his impending retirement from politics, saying he didn’t have enough “fire in the belly” to continue his role for another three years.

For a previous story, Carly Gibbs spoke to eight Bay of Plenty women who made career changes in their 40s and 50s, including a teacher aide who became a mechanic and a dietitian who became a holiday home manager.

Mid-life career changes may be more common than we think.

An article on American business news website CNBC reported the average age for a person to change careers was 39. The article said workers may feel stagnated once they reached the midpoint of their career, resulting in them making a job switch.

In August 2022, the Annual Workplace Wellbeing Survey of 1200 Kiwi workers by EMA and nib New Zealand showed one in four employees intended to change jobs in the next 12 months. Of those considering a career change, more than half were seeking flexible working, career development, regular performance feedback, and well-being initiatives.

Local recruiters have reported that as expectations and attitudes change within the workplace, more employees were taking a hands-on approach to their careers and reshaping their relationships with employers.

Industry disruption was becoming the norm and people began to weigh up their options post-Covid-19 lockdowns. The trend had businesses rethinking the way they attract, train, and retain top talent.

Recruiters told NZME at the start of this year they expected the job market to remain candidate-driven with flexible start times or the ability to work from home just some of the ways employers can put their best foot forward when advertising vacancies.

In my opinion, anyone who has been working in the same industry - or even the same job - for 10, 20, 30, or more years, has been showing staunch loyalty.

But opportunities are out there and more people are seizing them.

It is important employers look after their more-seasoned employees - or risk them following a different pathway.