Let me start by giving you the answer you’ve come here for. Is 32 too old to start a new career? In a word: No. In two words: Absolutely not. Now, read this out loud: 32 is not too old to start a new career. Whether you are 30, 32, 37 or 39, it is never too late to change careers. In fact your 30s is actually a great time, if not the perfect time, to start a new career. And I’m going to tell you why.
You Know Yourself Better Than Ever
Your 20s are a great time for exploring who you are and what your interests are. That’s the same for the types of jobs we do and careers we have in our 20s. We start to learn what drives us. Maybe it’s an account manager role and getting excited when you land a new account. Perhaps the creativity you get to experience in marketing is what gets you up in the morning. My point is, if you’ve been working since University, that’s 11 years of work experience under your belt and you will know what makes you happy and what doesn’t.
The good thing is that in our 30s we have the confidence to say ‘No, this career no longer serves me.’ Instead of being in your 20s and worrying about what people will say or think if you decide to do a U-turn on your career. For example, I took a promotion I never wanted in my 20s because I was told it was the right thing, even though it made me miserable. I look back on that decision now and realise it was the right decision for the company because they needed someone for that role. I was tricked into taking it. Because I was too young to realise what was actually right for me.
All of our maturing is done by the time we hit 30 (hopefully) and therefore at 32 this is the best you have ever known and understand yourself. Which means if you are 32 and feel like you need a career change, you should listen to yourself and know you are making the right decision.
'Life Is Too Short' Awareness
Do you really want to spend another 10 years in a career that doesn’t make you happy? Quite often, once we have reached 30 we realise our life has suddenly flown by. There’s a chance that people close to us have passed away or been seriously ill (sorry for the dark turn), it’s only once you reach your 30s and experience this that you realise you don’t want to waste your life in a career that doesn’t make you happy.
Ours 20s are more about survival and making mistakes, everything we have learnt from our 20s can be applied and put into action for ours 30s. If you’re ready for a career change at 32 then go for it, because life is too short not to start a new career that could make you happy.
Your Skills Are More Transferable Than You Realise
Perhaps you are worried that for the last 10 years you have been in an HR role and you’re worried about how seriously people will take you in a sales role. But there any many benefits of having worked in HR and dealing with people that can be used in sales. For example, you will have many experiences dealing with different types of people. And in sales, you will be selling to many different types of people. Of course, this is just one example but drop me a comment if you want me to keep going!
Even at 32, you have time to start a new career and move up the career ladder faster than you did in your 20s.
It's Not Starting At The Bottom, It's Starting Something New
Most people fear starting from the bottom when changing careers. Especially if you are on a great salary and have worked hard to move up the career ladder. But then you need to ask yourself, ‘Is the salary worth how my career is making me feel?’. If the salary does mean more to you then perhaps you are okay staying in your current job. However, sometimes money is not enough. And although you may take a pay decrease by starting a new career, that will gradually increase, the same as it did in your current career.
Generally people in their 20s will progress in their career at a slower rate because they lack the overall understanding of a business. But you already have that knowledge. Because you have probably dipped in and out of other areas of a business to support, learn or develop yourself within your current career. And this can be applied when you start your new career. You’re not as far behind as you believe.
Don’t think of starting a new career as starting from the bottom, think of it as an exciting new challenge.
Stay Sharp, Learn New Skills
Starting a new career means learning new skills. And staying on top of our learning and development is actually vital as we age. According to Scientific American, once you hit your 30s, you start to perform worse in tests of cognitive abilities. That means the rate at which you perform mental tasks. Therefore in order to stay sharp, it’s essential to keep your brain engaged with new skills.
Starting a new career even at 32 will have huge benefits on your overall mental performance and wellbeing.
Is 32 too old to start a new career? No, and here's a roundup of why:
- At 32, you’re at your peak understanding of who you are. Your likes and dislikes. Listen and trust to what your mind and body is telling you or you won’t be fulfilled.
- Having a career that makes you miserable is not sustainable for your mental health. Life is too short to be unfulfilled. Do what makes you happy and have no regrets.
- All the skills you have developed from your current career can be used when you start your new career. You may even bring a fresh perspective on things.
- Career progression and salary will happen much quicker than you think. You already have an amazing set of tools to bring to your new career that will help propel you forward. You just gotta use them!
- Learning new skills helps keep our minds sharp and has many benefits for our overall mental wellbeing.
There you have the answer, that 32 is NOT too old to start a new career. Now go spice up your CV and start applying for your new dream career- you won’t regret it.
Good luck!
P.s, if you’re unsure about leaving your current job, check out our post: 5 Signs It’s Time To Start Looking For A New Job.