Reinventing yourself professionally at 40

Starting from scratch at 40: is it too late to reinvent yourself?

It's common to think that people over 40 are too old to change jobs and start over in a new position. However, it's becoming more and more common to find people who decide to do so regardless of their age.

Although this factor can be seen as a problem, in reality, it offers many advantages that you can benefit from, as your maturity and life experiences help you think more clearly and understand your preferences and needs. This makes it the perfect time and makes it possible to reinvent yourself with ease.

Advantages of reinventing yourself professionally at 40

As we mentioned before, the maturity and experience that come with age make starting over at 40 a positive move and offer several advantages such as:

Experience

You’ve had time to try out different jobs and discover what you're good at or what you're passionate about. Plus, at this age, you still have enough time to retrain and start in a different sector.

Adaptability

Your experience and desire for change will make it easier for you to start in a new sector, company, or job position. It’s the perfect opportunity to acquire new skills, develop your talent, and find your ideal job, as long as you are willing to learn.

New perspective

Another advantage of reinventing yourself at 40 is that you know what you want to achieve and what your priorities are. For example, being able to spend quality time with your family might be a non-negotiable for you, or maybe you want a job that causes you less stress, or on the contrary, you're looking for a profession where you can earn more money.

Key steps to reinventing yourself professionally at 40

To successfully reinvent yourself professionally and choose the right path, it’s best to follow a series of steps or tips that will help you easily achieve success.

Evaluate your personal situation

Before deciding on a professional change, it’s important to assess your current situation. For example, reinventing yourself will be different if you have financial support, family responsibilities, or other conditions that may make the situation more challenging.

Depending on these factors, your career reinvention may be more or less urgent, allowing you to make a decision without rushing and even consider different options when executing your plan of action.

Know yourself

Before choosing a new career path, you should conduct a personal SWOT analysis or evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, your top talents, or even what you dislike. This will help you make a better choice if you have several options and are unsure of which one to pursue or what you really want.

Discover your passion

To make the best decision and reinvent yourself professionally, we advise you to search for and find what you love to do and how you can turn that into a career. For example, maybe you enjoy communicating and helping people with decision-making. In that case, working as a real estate agent could be a great professional option.

Identify your priorities

Another key tip for reinventing yourself at 40 is to discover what your priorities are. For example, you may be looking for a job with flexible hours to spend more time with your children, or you might want to be self-employed.

These aspects will help you better choose your career path and rule out options that don’t align with your professional goals and ambitions. One of the most common aspirations when reinventing oneself professionally is finding a balance between work and personal life.

Age doesn’t matter

It’s common to find people every day who have decided to change their professional career regardless of their age. Nowadays, age no longer plays such a significant role when making decisions in this area.

What’s important, on the other hand, is having the attitude and motivation to pursue and achieve the career change you're aiming for.

You’re not starting from scratch at 40

Contrary to what you or others might think, 40 is a great age to make a career change. The major advantage at this age is that you are an experienced person, with a professional background and knowledge in other fields that can be useful in any new job.

For example, if you have a university degree, it will be easier to access various jobs where you can also apply your knowledge. However, many positions won’t even require a degree.

Be resilient

To successfully reinvent yourself professionally at 40, or at any age, you need to be able to adapt to changes and, most importantly, not give up when faced with obstacles or difficulties that arise during the process.

The more you have developed this ability, the more likely you are to achieve your goals, no matter how challenging they seem.

Overcome your fears

One of the most common issues when reinventing yourself professionally at 40 is fear. This is when self-sabotage appears. We set obstacles for ourselves and justify our inability to achieve our goals.

Some common fears include worrying about what others will think or feeling that we're not capable of achieving success, known as imposter syndrome.

Get training or find companies that will train you

Even though you bring experience from another field, or even if you stay in the same one, you may need specific knowledge. In this case, training will make the path and adaptation much easier. Additionally, it helps you stand out from the competition and enhances your professional outlook.

One advantage of today’s job market is that many professions don’t require extensive training, meaning you can start working in your new role in a short amount of time.

Support from the company

Having a support network is key to making the transition much smoother. In some cases, certain companies provide tools to help you achieve your goals. Working with them will make you feel supported and backed up.

An example of this is Engel & Völkers, which provides its employees with the necessary tools and support to become successful professionals.

Personal branding and the job market

Nowadays, some platforms make it easier for you to find a job or clients, such as LinkedIn. This is why having your own personal brand can help you establish yourself in the industry if you want to work independently.

A personal brand helps you showcase your values to companies or clients, making it easier for those who align with your ideas to reach out to you.

Network

The best way to find opportunities or clients, depending on your job, is through networking. This means attending events where groups of people come together to discuss work. This activity will help you meet other professionals or contacts who might open the door to new career opportunities.

Additionally, expanding your network can be useful for creating synergies and having support when needed.

Success stories of professional reinvention

Undertaking a professional reinvention may seem like a daunting task. But, even if we don’t realize it, there are always success stories and examples of perseverance that provide a fresh perspective and serve as motivation.

For example, at Engel & Völkers, we have a standout success story like that of Sonia Catalán. This mother of three left her previous job, and after her maternity leave, decided to start from scratch with us.

Despite not having any experience, she managed to become a sector leader within a few months, thanks to her effort and the tools we provided to help her succeed.

As you can see, reinventing yourself professionally at 40 only requires a strong and determined mindset. This is the optimal way to achieve success in this new venture. If you want to reinvent yourself professionally and would like to do so as a real estate agent, we would be happy to welcome you to our team.