Four Signs It's Time for a Career Change After 40 (and Why)

Feeling drained, unmotivated, or unhappy in a job that no longer fits? It might be a sign you’ve outgrown your role.

Do you wish you had more meaning, joy, and reward in your work, yet fear it’s too late, too risky, or too complicated to make a change?

You’re not alone.

In this episode, Cathy breaks down the four clear signs it’s time for a job change and shares what you can do right now to move toward a more fulfilling next chapter.

You’ll also hear real client stories, practical advice, and the mindset shifts every midlife professional needs when navigating career transitions.

Your next chapter isn’t waiting — it’s calling. Tune in and take your first step today.

Contact Cathy at https://www.moreformidlifers.com/contact/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:09

Welcome back to More from Midlifers, where we turn your midlife what's happening now moments into movement and direction, and yes, even little excitement about what comes next. Hi, I'm Kathy Burns, mentor with years in HR and certifications in leadership and training. I've seen the struggles midlife professionals face. I used to advocate for employers, but now I'm here to advocate for you, the midlife professional who is ready to be seen and heard and valued. And today we're tackling a topic that keeps way too many of us awake at night. Let me ask you something. What's keeping you up at night? Is it stress? Is it your job? Is it your inner voice maybe that's saying if I have to do this one more day? Sometimes we think we're burnt out, but sometimes we've just outgrown the job. Yes, just like those jeans that you swore still fit. They did in 2018. What happened? That's okay. Midlife is like this where you wake up one day, look around and say, Wait, is this still working for me? And your soul quietly in the background is whispering E no No. So today we're talking about four big signs that it might be time for a job change and what you can do about it without blowing up your whole life. Ready? Let's go. Sign number one. You're tired. Not the I needed that kind of tired, but the I need a vacation in my soul. Tired. I can tell you that there's a difference between saying I worked hard today and I have nothing left to give this job. When you've worked very hard, you may be tired, but you also feel exhilarated. But when you're tired from job stress, your bones just feel heavy. And you have no spunk, you have no energy. You're tired of the lack of communication at work. You are tired of being behind on deadlines because Timi's complacent. You're tired of having to take responsibility for others when they slack off. You're tired of being second guest, micromanaged. You're tired of the pay, and you can't sleep. You were drained. If you're once again tempted to call in sick or give some excuse, your car didn't start, the Wi-Fi went out, can't work from home, building lost power, you name it. This isn't exhaustion, it's misalignment. I've been there. My job got so routine with very little to look forward to from one day to the next. I felt lethargic, no energy, I gained weight, and I thought, is it me? Am I the problem? Spoiler. No, you are not the problem, you've just stopped growing. And when growth stops, purpose taps up, and you no longer feel relevant, and that affects the other aspects of your life. So don't wait for your whole life to become stale. There are things you can do. Sign number two. You're bored and not even the good kind. This is the I could cry from boredom type of boredom. You're not challenged, your ideas go nowhere, nobody picks you to be on a project team. Your brain is telling you you deserve better and you are right. I'll tell you about one of my clients who stayed in a job for a long, long time, and she was beautiful, brilliant, capable, you name it loyal. But when the company that she was working for got bought out, leadership changed and suddenly she was invisible. Her ideas were overlooked, her contributions were ignored, and her joy was gone. She thought she had changed. But really she had outgrown the environment. When you outgrow things, you know you can do more, you can do better somewhere else. Wanting something healthier isn't betrayal, it's self-respect. Listen to that voice. Sign number three, your body is speaking up loud and clear. You feel tension in your shoulders, you have joint pain, your back starts to hurt, stomach in knots constantly, and you're feeling unstable. Why? You're mentally stressed all the time and you're on edge, you overreact, you get irritated, the smallest things, you've lost your sense of humor, you're cynical, you're overwhelmed. Don't think that you can ever juggle things I used to be able to juggle before. Furthermore, you don't want to juggle anymore. Yep, yep, yep. Your body is smart. Your body is speaking. Listen. I have a client who told me that she never even saw or suspected a layoff. Looking back her body had known for months. She pushed through all that tension. She ignored the signs and blamed herself. Of course she would. She was laid off after twenty years. Of course that was a big blow to her. But when she finally stopped and listened, she realized she had failed. She had stayed too long. Your body isn't being dramatic. It's wise. And when it says we're done here, pay attention. Sign number four. You're daydreaming, looking out the window, thinking about doing something else somewhere else. I'm not talking about going to Hawaii here, although yeah, maybe that's something to think about doing. What I'm talking about is I want more meaning. I want to feel excited again about my job and what I'm doing. I need to make an impact. I want work that feels like me. That just means you need direction. A midlife GPS rerouting you ever so gently because you keep ignoring the flashing lights that say your next chapter is this way. You've just got to follow. Go with your gut. You don't need to quit tomorrow. You don't even need a five-year plan, you just need one tiny step of curiosity. What's on the other side? So what do you do with all of this? Here we are going to talk about next steps. Easy. First, start small, not scared. Do an action bullet point that's on your list things to do. A big change doesn't always mean a big leap. You do need to take an active step though, whether it's simply exploring what's out there, preparing your resume, networking and meeting people who are already where you want to be, and making your role tolerable. If possible, in the meantime. One of my clients, who is a digital marketing strategist, did not quit. She simply rewired her role. How you say? Well, she thought out of the box and figured she couldn't make any changes to her current job. She would do things that would give her satisfaction for working in that environment and training new hires, or leading a project, or reconnecting with purpose. Her spark came back in just one small shift. You'll be amazed at the difference that it makes if you just step out of the box for a minute. You don't have to flip the table, just move one chair, and that's all. Next, you can stop focusing on the negatives. Stop focusing on what you hate and start exploring with what you want. You can ask yourself, well, okay, so who am I becoming? Or what impact do I want to make next? What do I want my work to feel like? Curiosity brings clarity. And when you're clear, you can focus on the directions you want to take. Direction brings courage. Take that leap. Next, you can also take steps to bring back the joy. If you can't change the job today, change the energy. If you can't do anything about the current job situation, look outside the job. Join a group, take a class, kindle a hobby, something you used to do and have passion about. You can do it again. Volunteer, mentor. Volunteering is my favorite outside of work activity. It is very gratifying. Joy outside work creates resilience inside work. I encourage you to explore things outside of work. Finally, get support because doing this alone can be very exhausting. If you don't know where to start, it helps to have somebody who does and who will see you clearly. Like a mentor, a coach, a teacher, a sister, a pastor, or a friend. Someone who can say, You're not crazy, you're just growing. And here's a personal note when I had to go through that transition myself, I found joy in a small weekend side job. I just loved it. I love the people, the work, the energy became my safety net and my reminder that fulfillment is still possible, even when your main job feels like it's depleting every bit of energy in my soul. So if you're feeling bored or drained, irritated, or done, that's not the end of your story. What you are feeling is growth, the kind that refuses to let you stay small. You're not stuck, you're not messed up, you're not crazy, you're not too late, you are in transition. And transitions, well, that's where the magic happens. You don't need to have everything figured out. You don't even need a five-year plan, you just need to begin. So if what we're talking about hits close to home for you, listen to me for a minute. When your job stops fitting, it's not a personal flaw, it's your spirit telling you you were made for more than this. And think about this: you're not protecting yourself from the unknown that might be around the corner. You're postponing the life you're meant to live. You are putting it off. Asking for help is not weakness, it's strategy, it's strength. I've watched so many midlife professionals go from drained, discouraged to energized and hopeful, not because they have all the answers, but because they finally allowed themselves to take a hand when it was offered. So if your heart is pounding a little and your gut is saying to you, I think she's talking about me, well, trust that. Don't wait for the breaking point, don't wait for the layoff. Don't wait for one more year of resentment. Reach out now while your spark is still flickering because I promise you, it can become a flame again to help you take the first step. Download the free plan of action workbook at my website, which is called more for midlifers.com. It'll help you start and give you the clarity and the structure that you've been craving. And if you want some guidance just to get you off the ground from somebody who's in your corner, someone who's been where you are, go to my website and put yourself on my calendar so we can talk. Sometimes a good conversation can change everything. It's free, this is your moment, and I'm right here with you. Thank you for joining me today, and I'll see you in the next episode of More.