Thinking About a Career Change Midlife? Here’s How to Get Unstuck

A career change midlife can feel impossibly hard.

You have a strong feeling that it’s time for a change, and you also know that the days of having a job for life are long gone. But you are out of ideas. Or the idea of major upheaval for uncertain outcomes leaves you paralysed.

This is a perfectly normal and common situation for men over 40 to find themselves in. 

But it often doesn’t feel normal. It’s common to ask yourself: “what is wrong with me?” or “how did I end up in this position?”

UK data from the Office for National Statistics shows that people aged 45–59 report the lowest life satisfaction and highest anxiety levels.

There can be societal pressures and stigmas that make you feel like you have failed, or that you are going through some kind of self-indulgent crisis. That you should pull yourself together and just carry on.

There is also often a sense of confusion. After months or even years of trying to think of a solution, there is still no real idea of what you should do next.

What is usually clear, however, is that the current situation is not working - and that life is not that enjoyable as a result. 

In many cases, this ongoing dissatisfaction is closely linked to chronic stress or burnout, rather than simply being “in the wrong job”.

Signs and Causes of Feeling Stuck in Midlife

Many people I speak to are unsure whether they really need to make a change - or whether they should just push through.

The difficulty is that dissatisfaction often builds gradually. It doesn’t always arrive as a dramatic crisis.

Instead, it can show up through subtle but persistent signs.

Career change midlife can feel confusing and overwhelming

Some common signs I see are:

• A persistent lack of energy or motivation at work
  

• A feeling of “this isn’t me anymore”
  

• Success on paper, but little sense of fulfilment
  

• Dreading the start of the working week
  

• A growing sense that something needs to change - even if you can’t yet explain what
  

On their own, these don’t necessarily mean you need to change careers immediately. But taken together, they are often a sign that something deeper needs to be addressed.

This is where many men begin questioning whether they are facing something more structural.

Why external success doesn’t protect you from a career change midlife

One of the main challenges is that you can feel trapped.

The mortgage. Responsibilities. Expectations from others. Fear of being judged. A loss of confidence in yourself.

It can feel like there is no way forward other than to just keep going.

But once you create some space to properly break your situation down - and put aside the constant spinning of thoughts - options do begin to emerge. And so does a path forward.

Crucial to this is taking a fresh look at who you are right now.

Most of my clients are in a state of transition. They are no longer the person they once were, but they are not yet the person they are becoming. That in-between space can feel very unsettling.

At this stage of life, there is often a growing desire for more meaning and purpose through your work. Simply paying the bills or appearing successful on the outside is no longer enough.

This shift is widely recognised in leadership research, with Harvard Business Review writing that mid-career transitions often centre around identity, purpose, and values alignment.

You may also start to realise that your current role doesn’t really play to your strengths. And that you want something that feels less like “work”, and more aligned with who you are.

At this stage, what often feels like confusion is actually transition.

And transition requires a different approach from simply “trying harder.”

How to Navigate a Career Change Midlife with Clarity and Confidence

From my experience, there are two main parts to navigating this kind of professional shift successfully.

The first is clarity. The second is confidence.

Both take deliberate work.

(You can read more about my own personal story and transition to coaching here)

Career change clarity: understanding your strengths, values and needs

Clarity on a potential career change starts with self-reflection - but in a structured way.

What you are really doing here is stepping back in order to move forward.

I encourage my clients to focus on four key areas:

1. Natural strengths and your core skill-set

Having a role built around what you are naturally good at - and enjoy doing - is extremely important.

Not only will you perform better, it will feel more effortless and fulfilling.

A useful question here is: When do I feel most engaged or in flow in my work?

2. Needs

There can sometimes be scepticism around this.

But the clue is in the word - these are things you need in order to feel OK in your work. They are not “nice to haves”.

If you don’t know what your needs are - or which ones are not currently being met - it becomes very difficult to figure out what needs to change.

3. Values

Values can sound a bit abstract or even fluffy.

But spend time in a role or organisation that conflicts with your values, and you will quickly see how important they are.

Values are the things you attach importance to. And being able to work in a way that aligns with them is a major driver of job satisfaction.

4. Non-negotiables

Being clear on your “red lines” - as well as what is desirable but flexible - is a very practical way to narrow down your options.

It helps turn a vague sense of “something needs to change” into something more concrete.

This level of self-discovery makes exploring options much easier.

Instead of grasping at ideas, you start to understand - at a deeper level - what would actually suit you. What would be energising, realistic, and fulfilling.

Midlife confidence: overcoming fear, limiting beliefs and uncertainty

Once there is more clarity, confidence often starts to improve naturally.

People begin to reconnect with their strengths. And they start to see that there is a viable path forward.

But even then, taking action can still feel daunting.

Two areas are particularly important here:

Mindset and limiting beliefs

These are the beliefs that hold you back - often without you fully realising it.

Common examples include:

• “I’m too old to change careers”
  

• “I can’t afford to take a step back”
  

• “I’ve invested too much to start again”
  

These beliefs can feel very real.

But they are often assumptions rather than facts - and they can be challenged.

Taking small, strategic steps instead of drastic leaps

It’s common to assume that a career change needs to happen quickly.

In reality, a more sustainable approach is often to take a series of smaller steps.

This might look like:

• Exploring ideas alongside your current role
  

• Testing options through side projects
  

• Gradually building experience or confidence in a new direction
  

Timeframes and the “in-between” phase

This is the part many people find most uncomfortable.

You may want things to move quickly. That’s completely understandable.

But pushing too hard can lead to ignoring what your instincts are telling you - and sometimes to making the wrong decision.

The challenge is to stay grounded during this period, even when it feels uncertain.

In my experience, when people give themselves the space to do this properly, the right path tends to emerge - and it often saves a costly wrong turn.

When handled carefully, this phase becomes less threatening and more constructive.

That is often where structured support becomes valuable.

Support, Coaching and Your Next Step

Coaching can be a very effective way to work through both parts of this process. 

Research from the International Coaching Federation shows that the majority of coaching clients report improved confidence.

Not because it gives you the answers - but because it helps you find them more clearly and more quickly.

You are not having to do it on your own. And the process is very different from talking things through with friends or family.

There is space, structure, and objectivity.

And importantly, there is also challenge - to help you move beyond the patterns or assumptions that may be keeping you stuck.

In many areas of life, we are willing to invest in external support.

It’s interesting that there can sometimes be hesitation when it comes to something as significant as our career - which often forms a central part of our identity and day-to-day wellbeing.

If you’d like structured support working through this process, you can book a free Discovery Call to explore your options.

(For more details, also see my blog article on why a career coach is worth it)

If you are considering a professional shift at this stage of life, feeling stuck does not mean there is something wrong with you.

It usually means something important is changing internally - and that you haven’t yet found the right way forward.

With the right space, structure, and support, clarity and confidence can be built. And from there, meaningful change becomes realistic.

About the Author: Tim Storrie

I’m an ICF-accredited career coach with an Oxbridge education, an MBA, and a corporate background. Drawing from my own midlife experience of burnout and transition, I help men over 40 who feel lost or frustrated to find a career that excites them through clarity and confidence.

My approach is both nurturing and challenging, combining structured, exercise-based reflection with deep personal insight.

If you’d like to explore whether coaching could help you move forward, book a free Discovery Call.