What new Career or Pivot did you start in your 40s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two friends of mine finished law school around 40, worked for other people for a bit, and then started their own practices doing trusts and estates. Before the law school, one used to be in IT and the other in investment banking. Both moms of two.

IT and investment banking are high profit careers and pretty secure so why did they change to law? the prestige?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend left corporate America to become a speech therapist in her 40s, and never looked back.

My cousin was working in Hollywood (and actually somewhat successful) but then changed to become a speech therapist in public schools. She loves it, and her acting experience is very helpful.

Do you know what the educational path is?

I become a speech pathologist in my 30s! I spent a year taking a handful of "leveling courses" (aka the speech pathology undergraduate courses you need as prerequisites to apply to graduate school), two years of grad school for an MS, and then a yearlong, full-time, paid Clinical Fellowship Year (kinda like an internship). Then I was fully licensed.

I was able to work full time while taking my leveling courses and then part time during the first year of grad school (doable, but only because it was flexible. most of the ppl in my cohort didn't work at all in grad school).

It is an amazing career path and I'm so glad I took the leap and went for it. Prior to becoming an SLP, I worked in corporate finance. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I started my own business at age 50. Probably should have stayed at my day job, though. It was easier and paid more.

considering doing this, can ou share more about your experience?

[Anonymous]

My mom started college at age 48 with a degree BS in Dental Hygiene and then went on to get her MPH.
I left corporate America to work at a university at 40. It was a great change!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend left corporate America to become a speech therapist in her 40s, and never looked back.

My cousin was working in Hollywood (and actually somewhat successful) but then changed to become a speech therapist in public schools. She loves it, and her acting experience is very helpful.

Do you know what the educational path is?

Well her undergrad was in theater so she had to take some extra classes first, then apply to her masters. She did a masters and an internship/on the job training. She did her masters in a big city so she was able to do some commercials on the side for extra money,

I wish I had done this! Too old now..-sigh. Almost 61 and ready to retire. Lots of schooling to be come a speech therapist!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend left corporate America to become a speech therapist in her 40s, and never looked back.

My cousin was working in Hollywood (and actually somewhat successful) but then changed to become a speech therapist in public schools. She loves it, and her acting experience is very helpful.

Do you know what the educational path is?

I become a speech pathologist in my 30s! I spent a year taking a handful of "leveling courses" (aka the speech pathology undergraduate courses you need as prerequisites to apply to graduate school), two years of grad school for an MS, and then a yearlong, full-time, paid Clinical Fellowship Year (kinda like an internship). Then I was fully licensed.

I was able to work full time while taking my leveling courses and then part time during the first year of grad school (doable, but only because it was flexible. most of the ppl in my cohort didn't work at all in grad school).

It is an amazing career path and I'm so glad I took the leap and went for it. Prior to becoming an SLP, I worked in corporate finance. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Did you do any of your coursework online? There are many places that offer the prerequisites online..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend left corporate America to become a speech therapist in her 40s, and never looked back.

My cousin was working in Hollywood (and actually somewhat successful) but then changed to become a speech therapist in public schools. She loves it, and her acting experience is very helpful.

Do you know what the educational path is?

I become a speech pathologist in my 30s! I spent a year taking a handful of "leveling courses" (aka the speech pathology undergraduate courses you need as prerequisites to apply to graduate school), two years of grad school for an MS, and then a yearlong, full-time, paid Clinical Fellowship Year (kinda like an internship). Then I was fully licensed.

I was able to work full time while taking my leveling courses and then part time during the first year of grad school (doable, but only because it was flexible. most of the ppl in my cohort didn't work at all in grad school).

It is an amazing career path and I'm so glad I took the leap and went for it. Prior to becoming an SLP, I worked in corporate finance. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Did you do any of your coursework online? There are many places that offer the prerequisites online..

Yes!! I did them through Longwood University. I really liked the "program."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two friends of mine finished law school around 40, worked for other people for a bit, and then started their own practices doing trusts and estates. Before the law school, one used to be in IT and the other in investment banking. Both moms of two.

A friend of mine did this around the same time. She has been a SAHM of 3. She now works in tax law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was asked to join a retained executive search firm + then ended up heading the office

This sounds cool!

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I became a librarian. Got my MLS at age 46.

I want to do this! I have a masters in mental health counseling and am 37. Would you recommend it?

[Anonymous]

I quit a very big corporate job at 38 and did consulting for a couple of years hoping to find my niche. I joined a small company, eventually became president and ultimately made far more than if I had stayed in a big company. I loved being involved in the detail and making stuff happen, not just being a bureaucrat. But, at 38 I had three kids 5 and under and I look back now and think was I crazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I started my own business at age 50. Probably should have stayed at my day job, though. It was easier and paid more.

considering doing this, can ou share more about your experience?

Sure. It took 3 years of many 16 hour days to make a profit, and a small one at that. I'm exhausted and burned out, and being my own boss is not even a tiny bit fun anymore. Getting noticed and getting business and ranking on Google was the easy part. My product is great and sells itself, and I'm at good at selling anyway, and marketing, and pretty much anything creative. The hard part is the finance and organization part. I just really have no idea what I'm doing and can't figure out how people make a living doing this (but they do). I have a whole bunch of degrees and credentials and thought I'd be able to learn it because I'm so smart and all, but I'm failing and maybe not that smart and now wish I'd just gotten a regular job with actual benefits and guaranteed pay. Unless you are in an industry with really high profit margins and have a ton of money and business experience, I can't really recommend this route.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I quit a very big corporate job at 38 and did consulting for a couple of years hoping to find my niche. I joined a small company, eventually became president and ultimately made far more than if I had stayed in a big company. I loved being involved in the detail and making stuff happen, not just being a bureaucrat. But, at 38 I had three kids 5 and under and I look back now and think was I crazy?

Well yeah. You won’t have any regrets if you make a ton more money, best of both worlds.

If you had petered out at your smaller company and never caught up, I’m sure you would sing a different song.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I started my own business at age 50. Probably should have stayed at my day job, though. It was easier and paid more.

considering doing this, can ou share more about your experience?

Sure. It took 3 years of many 16 hour days to make a profit, and a small one at that. I'm exhausted and burned out, and being my own boss is not even a tiny bit fun anymore. Getting noticed and getting business and ranking on Google was the easy part. My product is great and sells itself, and I'm at good at selling anyway, and marketing, and pretty much anything creative. The hard part is the finance and organization part. I just really have no idea what I'm doing and can't figure out how people make a living doing this (but they do). I have a whole bunch of degrees and credentials and thought I'd be able to learn it because I'm so smart and all, but I'm failing and maybe not that smart and now wish I'd just gotten a regular job with actual benefits and guaranteed pay. Unless you are in an industry with really high profit margins and have a ton of money and business experience, I can't really recommend this route.

Did you network with other business owners before starting this business?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I started my own business at age 50. Probably should have stayed at my day job, though. It was easier and paid more.

considering doing this, can ou share more about your experience?

Sure. It took 3 years of many 16 hour days to make a profit, and a small one at that. I'm exhausted and burned out, and being my own boss is not even a tiny bit fun anymore. Getting noticed and getting business and ranking on Google was the easy part. My product is great and sells itself, and I'm at good at selling anyway, and marketing, and pretty much anything creative. The hard part is the finance and organization part. I just really have no idea what I'm doing and can't figure out how people make a living doing this (but they do). I have a whole bunch of degrees and credentials and thought I'd be able to learn it because I'm so smart and all, but I'm failing and maybe not that smart and now wish I'd just gotten a regular job with actual benefits and guaranteed pay. Unless you are in an industry with really high profit margins and have a ton of money and business experience, I can't really recommend this route.

Did you network with other business owners before starting this business?

Sure. But even now, when I know just about everyone in the business, most people won't talk about money. Product, advertising, sure, but few people will tell you honestly what the state of their finances is. Those that I have talked about it with have the same issues that I have. There are a couple of very large companies making decent money, but their business model is different in the same way that Walmart is different from your local organic grocer. I'm not sure, but I think being so small might be the real problem. But expansion would mean borrowing money, and since I feel like it would be kind of a shot in the dark, I'm not willing to do it.