Changing careers at 40: a method, not a leap into the void
A career transition is not an act of blind courage: it is a project. The four phases to move through it with strategy.
Daniel Jerez Nacache · 2026-05-22
At some point in a career the question comes to everyone: 'is this really what I want to do for the next twenty years?'. The problem is not the question: it is that most people live with it for years without turning it into a project.
The first phase is the review — not of your CV, but of your values: what gave you energy in past roles, what drained it, what you are no longer willing to negotiate. Without this clarity you risk changing jobs only to replicate the same discomfort in a new context.
The second phase is low-risk exploration: conversations with people who do the work you are drawn to, side projects, targeted courses. The goal is not to decide, but to collect real data instead of fantasies.
The third phase is positioning: translating your experience into the language of the new context. Career changers do not start from zero: they start from a wealth of transferable skills that must be told strategically.
The fourth phase is the landing: the first ninety days in the new role decide the trajectory. Clear goals, intentionally built relationships, quick visible wins. The leap into the void does not exist: there is the bridge built one plank at a time.