please share stories of career success 40+

[Anonymous]

It'll be harder than if you had been advancing steadily, consistently, and progressively towards an ultimate professional goal, but perhaps you can take your lessons learned and ambition to identify what you need to do to get to where you want to be. That is, you need a road map: what can you realistically aim to achieve in the next 12 months? 3 years? 5 years? 10 years? What will it take to get to each target? Then go for it.

Develop a plan. Execute the plan. Be proactive.

[Anonymous]

How are people defining success in this thread? More money? Higher title? Or just more fulfilling job? It would help to know what before and after was.

Not op.

[Anonymous]

To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

Can you elaborate? Did you have kids? I won’t get to really take on a bigger job until kids are 13+ which means I’ll be 53

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

No one needs 15 years of partying. Plus you need time for your spouse and kids. Kids, plus work dominated my 30s. They were a blur of family life. That happens for others in their 40s (and they killed their career in their 30s). No matter the time frame, it's hard to excel at work and at home. To do so requires a ton of help, and even then you are likely just surviving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

No one needs 15 years of partying. Plus you need time for your spouse and kids. Kids, plus work dominated my 30s. They were a blur of family life. That happens for others in their 40s (and they killed their career in their 30s). No matter the time frame, it's hard to excel at work and at home. To do so requires a ton of help, and even then you are likely just surviving.

I got married at 36. Hence the 15 years or partying. I excelled at work just from 36-45 peak years. Got from cube to corner office and had three kids in that stretch of time. Then went into chill mode from 45-55. Had my big corner office and a bunch of staff to do the work. Bucket of cold water in face at 55 reinvested my self now in a new industry with a big office and staff. Going to chill again

Kids are great career. Do you know how much respect I get with three young kids banging out work!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

No one needs 15 years of partying. Plus you need time for your spouse and kids. Kids, plus work dominated my 30s. They were a blur of family life. That happens for others in their 40s (and they killed their career in their 30s). No matter the time frame, it's hard to excel at work and at home. To do so requires a ton of help, and even then you are likely just surviving.

I got married at 36. Hence the 15 years or partying. I excelled at work just from 36-45 peak years. Got from cube to corner office and had three kids in that stretch of time. Then went into chill mode from 45-55. Had my big corner office and a bunch of staff to do the work. Bucket of cold water in face at 55 reinvested my self now in a new industry with a big office and staff. Going to chill again

Kids are great career. Do you know how much respect I get with three young kids banging out work!

Are you a man?

[Anonymous]

I left corp america and started my own company at 37 when I was pregnant. After bootstrapping for a few years, I raised venture capital at 45, as a single woman founder with no connections, no ivy background. I sold my company for 8 figures at 52.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

No one needs 15 years of partying. Plus you need time for your spouse and kids. Kids, plus work dominated my 30s. They were a blur of family life. That happens for others in their 40s (and they killed their career in their 30s). No matter the time frame, it's hard to excel at work and at home. To do so requires a ton of help, and even then you are likely just surviving.

I got married at 36. Hence the 15 years or partying. I excelled at work just from 36-45 peak years. Got from cube to corner office and had three kids in that stretch of time. Then went into chill mode from 45-55. Had my big corner office and a bunch of staff to do the work. Bucket of cold water in face at 55 reinvested my self now in a new industry with a big office and staff. Going to chill again

Kids are great career. Do you know how much respect I get with three young kids banging out work!

Are you a man?

Obv with a way younger wife who doesn’t work. Also a boomer so could afford to buy home on one income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

No one needs 15 years of partying. Plus you need time for your spouse and kids. Kids, plus work dominated my 30s. They were a blur of family life. That happens for others in their 40s (and they killed their career in their 30s). No matter the time frame, it's hard to excel at work and at home. To do so requires a ton of help, and even then you are likely just surviving.

I got married at 36. Hence the 15 years or partying. I excelled at work just from 36-45 peak years. Got from cube to corner office and had three kids in that stretch of time. Then went into chill mode from 45-55. Had my big corner office and a bunch of staff to do the work. Bucket of cold water in face at 55 reinvested my self now in a new industry with a big office and staff. Going to chill again

Kids are great career. Do you know how much respect I get with three young kids banging out work!

What’s more interesting is my takeaway is his staff does the actual work? So why did he stop “partying”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

No one needs 15 years of partying. Plus you need time for your spouse and kids. Kids, plus work dominated my 30s. They were a blur of family life. That happens for others in their 40s (and they killed their career in their 30s). No matter the time frame, it's hard to excel at work and at home. To do so requires a ton of help, and even then you are likely just surviving.

I got married at 36. Hence the 15 years or partying. I excelled at work just from 36-45 peak years. Got from cube to corner office and had three kids in that stretch of time. Then went into chill mode from 45-55. Had my big corner office and a bunch of staff to do the work. Bucket of cold water in face at 55 reinvested my self now in a new industry with a big office and staff. Going to chill again

Kids are great career. Do you know how much respect I get with three young kids banging out work!

Are you a man?

Exactly. Only for men are kids great for a career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To be honest 21-34 should be for partying. At work 34-49 is peak. So plenty of time ti make your move. Just do it.

I landed a really big job at 45 after goofing off till 35 in my career. That job ended at 55 and still got a big job. 60 is kiss of death job hopping but 40-55 is all good

No one needs 15 years of partying. Plus you need time for your spouse and kids. Kids, plus work dominated my 30s. They were a blur of family life. That happens for others in their 40s (and they killed their career in their 30s). No matter the time frame, it's hard to excel at work and at home. To do so requires a ton of help, and even then you are likely just surviving.

I got married at 36. Hence the 15 years or partying. I excelled at work just from 36-45 peak years. Got from cube to corner office and had three kids in that stretch of time. Then went into chill mode from 45-55. Had my big corner office and a bunch of staff to do the work. Bucket of cold water in face at 55 reinvested my self now in a new industry with a big office and staff. Going to chill again

Kids are great career. Do you know how much respect I get with three young kids banging out work!

Are you a man?

Exactly. Only for men are kids great for a career.

And only if the DW shoulders all the responsibility.

Men who take paternity leave and leave early to do daycare pickup. Career suicide

[Anonymous]

I had a big career in my 20s-35. Second career that was more low key 36-53 while I was raising kids. Went back to graduate school at 54 and started third career and have never been happier. If you had asked me if I could/would be able to go back I would have said don’t be ridiculous. But the time goes by no matter what you do. Just jump in and get it done! Whatever it is for you.

Don’t be restricted by some idea of what you can and cannot do. You have a lot of leeway to make things happen!

[Anonymous]

Tell me you started your career well in advance of the recession with out telling me! I was on my 3rd career field by 30 only 5 years into starting my first "real" job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I left corp america and started my own company at 37 when I was pregnant. After bootstrapping for a few years, I raised venture capital at 45, as a single woman founder with no connections, no ivy background. I sold my company for 8 figures at 52.

What kind of business?