Change Career After 40 — Keep Your Earning Power
A calm, low-risk way to pivot without starting from zero: map the strengths that travel, keep a paying lane for runway, and ship credibility projects that create proof fast.
Start My 30–90 Day Plan →1) Portable Strengths (10 Minutes)
Your advantage at 40+: pattern recognition, context, and people who trust you. Re-frame those into the next lane.
Transferable Skills
- Stakeholder management • communication • decision framing
- Problem solving • analysis & synthesis • prioritisation
- Delivery • change management • mentoring & leadership
Domain & Assets
- Industry familiarity, constraints, buyer types
- Portfolio, playbooks, testimonials, systems you’ve built
- Allies: 5 warm contacts who will give you feedback
Add non-negotiables (income floor, hours, flexibility, travel). Constraints reduce risk and sharpen the plan.
2) The Two-Lane Plan (Protect Income, Test the New Lane)
Don’t jump—parallel-run. Keep earning with what already sells while you test a new lane in short sprints.
| Lane A — Income / Runway | Lane B — Experiments (2–4 weeks) |
|---|---|
| 5–10 hrs/wk consulting in your current expertise | Mini-audit for a target buyer (“3 fixes in 14 days”) |
| QA/advisory retainer for ops, governance, or reviews | Teardown post (before/after, screenshots, metrics) |
| Freelance using best-paid skills to extend runway | Shadow/interview 3 people in the role you want |
| Contract work to keep benefits or cashflow steady | Volunteer micro-project with a clear success metric |
Outcome: steady cash + 2–3 artifacts that prove fit. When leads pull, shift hours from Lane A → Lane B.
3) Credibility Projects Buyers Trust
Buyers don’t buy intent; they buy proof. Ship small artifacts with outcomes.
Artifact Menu
- Mini-audit: one-pager with “3 fixes in 14 days”.
- Teardown: LinkedIn post reviewing a product/process.
- Case study: turn a past win into problem → action → result.
- Demo: 3-minute Loom showing a workflow improvement.
- Before/after dashboard: one chart that shows impact.
Publish & Reuse
- Share with 3 warm contacts and ask: “What would make this a yes?”
- Add to portfolio & resume; re-scan with the WisGrowth Resume Scanner.
- Ask for a 2-line testimonial (outcome + time saved / revenue).
4) Your 30–60–90 Day Roadmap
Days 1–30 • Baseline & First Proof
- Run a 7-day Energy Audit (what gives energy vs. drains it)
- Ship 1 mini-audit or teardown
- Reconnect with 5 allies; ask 2 precise questions
Days 31–60 • Evidence & Story
- Turn proof into a short case study (before / after)
- Refresh headline: role | value | proof
- Hit a 70%+ honest ATS score and keep iterating
Days 61–90 • Pitch & Decide
- Pitch 5 roles/clients with artifact links
- Offer a fixed-fee diagnostic or 2-week pilot
- Decide: extend two-lane or shift 60–80% into the new lane
5) Risk Controls (Sleep-at-Night Rules)
- Runway: 3–6 months of expenses or anchor engagement secured
- Caps: Max 2 experiments at a time; time-box every sprint
- Fit checks: energy trend ↑ / ↓ every Friday; redesign quickly
- Boundaries: avoid open-ended hourly work—prefer diagnostics/pilots
If experiments stall for two weeks, reduce scope and tighten your niche. Depth beats breadth in career pivots.
6) Metrics That Matter
- Evidence velocity: artifacts shipped this month
- Lead quality: % of replies turning into a call
- Repeat work: pilots converting to retained work
- Energy trend: +/– tags weekly (avoid swaps that drain you)
7) Scripts You Can Steal
Diagnostic Offer (email/DM)
“I noticed {specific bottleneck}. I run a 7-day diagnostic that surfaces 3 quick wins and a 30-day plan. Fixed fee, outcome-based. If useful, we can extend; if not, you keep the plan.”
Rate Card Anchor
“This audit reduces 6–10 hrs/week of manual work and pays back in < 30 days. I price on outcomes rather than hours so there’s no surprise bill.”
Make Alignment Your Default
Run your first proof project this week. We’ll handle prompts, resume insights, and next-step suggestions.
Scan Your Resume (Honest ATS Score) Take the Career Clarity Quiz