How to Change Careers in Your 30s

When I was twenty-six, I knew I wanted to start my own business.

I had never run a business before nor did I have a business degree. The only thing I had was four years of experience working as a copywriter.

Despite this, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. Even though it was a leap of faith, I had this sense like if I stepped off the cliff, I wouldn’t plummet to the ground, but would learn how to fly.

Seven years later, I have a successful freelance business just as I always imagined (I even teach other people who want to start their own businesses, too).

The problem is, that feeling — the one I felt nearly a decade ago — is back again. But this time, it’s pushing me toward writing comedy for TV.

Again, I do not have a writing degree. I do not have experience with comedy (other than winning “funniest” in middle and high school). But even so, I can’t ignore that inner voice I’ve come to know and trust.

Unlike starting a business, the desire to write for TV is not new to me. I have been thinking about it since I was a kid, but I never thought to pursue it as an actual career.

Now that I’m in my thirties, most people would tell me that it’s too late. That the window of opportunity has passed and I should just pack it in and stay focused on what I’m doing.

(After all, that’s what happened when I told people I wanted to start a business; they looked at me like I had six heads and thought I was crazy.)

But I know from experience that when that little voice starts nagging you to listen, you should.

So what does changing careers in your 30s look like? Is it possible? And if so, how do you do it?

While it’s still very early for me, I’d like to share the process I’ve been following to hopefully inspire and help others who are also considering changing careers at a later stage of life.

Below, I share what I’ve been doing for the past couple of years to prepare for a career transition, as well as what I learned when I started my own business in my mid twenties.

I hope you find these tips inspiring and helpful, and perhaps more than anything, I hope this article leaves you feeling less alone.

Learn before you leap

While I’ve always thought about having a creative writing career, it never seemed possible, so I didn’t invest any time or energy learning the craft.

Sure, I might’ve scribbled out a shitty spec script once and read half a book on TV writing, but with my demanding agency job (and then my freelance business), I never made it a priority.

But in 2019, four years after I started my business, I started to get that “feeling” again that was pushing me back toward creative writing.

So I signed up for my first writing course that was slated to begin in early 2020 — and we all know what happened after that.

The pandemic hit and derailed everything (including my in-person writing class). Because of COVID, I put off taking that first writing class for another six months.

When I finally took it, I felt energized. So I took another. Then another. And another. And more after that. I started getting books on writing and signing up for more classes and workshops.

It took me about two years worth of education before I felt comfortable writing anything, including stuff I wasn’t even sharing.

The point is, if you’re going to make a life-changing decision, it shouldn’t be done lightly or spontaneously.

You need to put in the time to make sure it’s the right choice for you, whether that’s taking classes, reading books, hiring a coach, or whatever makes sense for you.

You need to be sure that the thing you’re moving toward isn’t just a fleeting desire, but something you truly love and want to commit yourself to for the foreseeable future.

When I decided to start my own business in my twenties, I worked multiple jobs — my full-time agency job and many freelance gigs — for a full year before pulling the trigger.

It wasn’t easy, but it was temporary, and most importantly, it set me up for success when I finally made the switch.

Get help early and often

After being in business for seven years, one of my biggest regrets is not getting help from experts when I needed it (more on that here).

Instead, I tried to figure everything out myself which was much more painful, time consuming, and costly than facing one of my biggest fears: asking for help.

I’m an extremely independent and self-sufficient person. While that mindset can be helpful in some ways, it can also keep you isolated and hold you back from reaching your full potential.

When I started writing, I decided I wasn’t going to make that same mistake again.

Instead of working alone, I hired writing coaches who could help me improve my writing skills and keep me moving toward my goals.

While you don’t need to do this on Day 1, I definitely recommend doing it at some point so you can get advice, guidance, and support from people who know more than you do and have already accomplished what you’re working toward.

If you don’t have the funds to hire 1-on-1 help, that’s okay.

Try forming relationships with people who are already doing what you want to do and see if they’re open to staying in touch or even establishing a mentor-mentee relationship.

Many times people who’ve already achieved their goals are eager to give back to those who are motivated and committed to learning, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

Join a community of like-minded people

Similar to hiring coaches, I also joined a writer’s group which is a great form of accountability and a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow in a safe and supportive environment.

Many times educational programs (like classes, workshops, masterminds, etc) offer opportunities for networking and may even have a built-in community.

I found my writer’s group through a 6-week TV writing course and joining it has been one of the best decisions of my life.

I’ve met incredibly talented, smart, funny people who feel like friends and are pushing me to accomplish my goals.

It’s also great to know people in the industry who can help you grow your network and pass along job opportunities should they arise.

Set milestones that will inch you toward your goals

Changing careers, especially later in life, can be really scary and overwhelming. It may even feel impossible, like there’s so much to do and learn, you’ll never get there.

But don’t let those feelings dissuade you; instead, start by setting small milestones that can help inch you toward your goals at an achievable pace.

For example, instead of trying to become a TV writer on Day 1, I started with the simple goal of just taking classes, reading books, and learning.

From there, my next step was to create a daily writing habit where I had to write 500 words per day. I did this for three months before I was at “100% to goal” every day.

Next, I set some more concrete writing goals, like publishing on my blog twice a month and writing guest blog posts. I also set long-term goals like finishing a certain amount of scripts by the end of the year.

From there, I hired writing coaches, joined a writer’s group, and I’m excited to say that I’m working on my first TV pilot and spec scripts.

I have a long way to go; there’s no doubt about that. But the important thing is I’m on the right path and making progress toward my goals.

I don’t expect overnight success, but I know if I put in the work and have patience/persistence, there’s no reason why I can’t make it happen.

Don’t quit your job until you need to

Since the beginning of 2022 I’ve been spending 50% of my time on my business and the other 50% on writing.

I didn’t know if I’d be able to stick with it, but I’m still going strong three months into the year.

Sure, there are days where I write more than I work on my business and vice versa, but it’s been a great way to ease myself into the idea of becoming a full-time creative writer and proving to myself that I can in fact do it.

But more importantly, I’m not throwing away my career before (or if) I need to.

There may come a day when I need to put my business on hold (or perhaps walk away forever), but that’s not today. Right now, I’m just focused on learning, getting better, and slowly inching toward my goals.

I may be in my thirties, but I still have at least thirty more years left in my career (hopefully more!), which means I don’t need to rush haphazardly to the finish line.

And the same is true for you.

No matter where you are in life, it’s never too late to follow your inner voice or to accomplish the goals that are important to you.

As long as you’re prepared to put in the time and effort, anything is possible.

Are you just thinking about making a career change?

Have you already started pivoting into a new career? Do you have any words of wisdom you can share?

Comment below to tell me all about it!