Am I Too Old To Change Careers?

This question came from a listener who asked: “I'm 62—am I too old to change careers?”

I remember a conversation with a Speedy Sherpa client in his 50s that sent me down a rabbit hole looking for what I began calling "the unicorns"—people in their 60s who weren’t just working, but thriving in meaningful full-time roles. And yes, I found them. But they didn’t get there by accident.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

• Why “Corporate Toast at 50” is still far too common
• What thriving 60-somethings do differently
• The real reason career joy is rare—but not impossible—after 60
• And why you don’t need permission… you just need a plan.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “too late” to make a change—this one’s for you.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• The Speedy Sherpa Programme: https://www.midlifeunstuck.com/the-redesign
• Article: 50 Year Old “Corporate Toast” https://www.midlifeunstuck.com/new-blog-1/2017/9/20/50-year-old-corporate-toast
• The (2025) Midlife Work-Life Satisfaction Report - https://www.midlifeunstuck.com/new-blog-1/2025/midlife-worklife-satisfaction

This is the Joy At Work podcast, and I'm Lucia Knight.

Here's this week's question from a listener.

I'm 62.

Is that too old to change career?

And is it too old to work with you?

Ah, this question takes me straight back to a client

conversation about four or five years ago.

Let's call him Cathal.

He was one of my Speedy Sherpa clients, and he had just turned 55, and as big

birthdays do, it got him reflecting.

Looking ahead in a way that are busy lives normally don't allow.

Cathal asked me if I knew anyone in their sixties who was still employed

full-time and actually enjoying it.

I hesitated because in that moment I couldn't think of a single person, not

one, not someone who was still employed and genuinely loving their work.

And it was a wake up call for me.

Had I become so focused on the 50-year-old corporate toast trend

that I'd called out in 2017, that I'd quietly written off the idea of thriving

in full-time employment after 60?

I knew plenty of self-employed 60 somethings doing brilliant work.

But working for someone else full-time, loving it?

That was different.

So I told Cathal the truth, I don't know anyone yet, and I asked him to

stay focused on our work while I quietly kicked off a new research mission.

I went looking for what I started to call the unicorns.

People in their sixties who were still employed, still curious, still

thriving, and after weeks of awkward silences, countless conversations,

tapping networks and whispering, Hey, I'm hunting for unicorns, to anyone

who'd listen, eventually they appeared.

There was Chris 66 thriving inside one of the world's biggest companies.

Kathy, still growing and leading in pharma and public roles.

Peter, who moved continents at 65 to start a brand new

career in a brand new industry.

Graham, John, Philippa, Neil, Lydia, every single one of them defied that

tired idea of corporate toast at 50.

Now, were they?

Unicorns.

Maybe not, but they were rare.

Rare enough that I still believe the corporate toast trend is real for way too

many people, in way too many companies.

But let's come back to the question, is 62 too late to change career

or redesign your work life?

No, it's not even late.

Our generation and the ones behind us aren't just working longer.

We're wanting to work longer, but we have to start being smart about it.

Our strategy has to look different.

What I discovered in my research is that those thriving in full-time

work in their sixties and seventies.

Don't follow the old rules.

They've rewritten them.

They're international career designers.

They make deliberate choices.

They play a different game and they value different things.

I wrote a meaty article about this.

It's not a light read, but worth it.

I'll pop it in the show notes.

It's the results of 11 deeply personal interviews, and here are just a few

patterns that emerged across industries, disciplines, personalities and roles.

They say yes more than they say No.

They're not just learning new skills.

They're learning about themselves constantly.

They don't see their careers as ladders.

They see them as ecosystems.

They don't chase titles.

They chase meaning and satisfaction.

They choose to care deeply about the problems they work on.

They asked great questions across generations, disciplines,

roles, and companies.

They make their experience useful by staying vital,

curious, and obviously valuable.

And maybe most importantly, they build relationships with deep

trust, curiosity and respect.

And a wild amount of generosity.

Not transactional, networking, not what can you do for me connections.

These are people who check in with no agenda, who remember that day you

did that brilliant thing, and the day you messed up and ask them for help.

They keep relationships warm.

For decades, while also juggling deadlines and life like the rest of us.

Honestly, I learned so much from them.

So to our listener and to anyone wondering if 62 is too old to change

careers or design work differently, we think career joy in our sixties

is rare because we don't see it in this no news is good news world, but

maybe we're not looking hard enough.

If we want to be paid well to do meaningful work for as long as we

choose, not as long as we're allowed, don't shrink dreams to fit age.

Redesign our work lives to include those dreams because at

62, you don't need permission.

You need a plan.

And I happen to know just the woman who can help you design it.