131–140 of 234 posts
Education and training will help you get your foot in the door. That is where I would start.
There was a MASSIVE wave of retirements the last few years. Lots of openings.
0: https://www.ucop.edu/local-human-resources/_files/performanc...
My wife was a store manager, wanted to slow down for family, took hr courses and is now an hr manager.
So there are success stories in fairly radical career changes.
On the other hand it sounds like you want to stay in the field, just get some traction? I work for a big tech technically in technology, and would hire "someone like you" depending largely on other qualifications and aspects,especially on something adjacent - I. E. (spit balling) if you have a decade of average or below average technical experience, you might make an above average incident manager, release manager, service delivery manager, etc - depending on other skills and circumstances. If you are willing, diligent, detail oriented, have good comm skills, have good troubleshooting skills, or any combo of above, there are jobs with upward mobility (not saying it's trivial finding them).
that being said. i started over at 45 with a consulting company and i'm doing VERY well with it. i'm now 47 and can tell you that i love my job and wouldn't trade it for the world.
I wouldn't go to law school unless you really want to do it, but the point is there are plenty of people out there looking to change their careers all the time. Some are more successful than others in achieving it (due to luck or other reasons), but it is not as uncommon as you may think it is. It's never too late. Good luck.
I have a "successful" career as a dev at a financial company. At least successful as in i was a high performer at one point and ive held the job for 10 years. I feel the same way you do, and similar age. I feel like I could lose my job and never get another tech one. I'll never get back to being a high performer.
The only way to answer your question is the apply/try. I hope I never have to find out for myself.
1 - See a therapist. What you wrote is what you believe about yourself, and that belief may be false.
2 - Understand your previous and current behavior. It will follow you, regardless of career.
3 - Be kind to yourself. Others will criticize your career path without understanding your background or history. HN might not be the best outlet to ask for support in this area.
Yes there is hope. Yes you can 'start over.' Begin with asking for help. When you yourself believe tech will consider hiring you, tech will consider hiring you.