Intermission is over.

I’m obsessed with second careers—let’s be honest, we all should be. In an economy where the average American changes jobs 12 times by age 52, the idea of locking yourself into one linear path is outdated. Careers aren't ladders anymore—they’re jungle gyms. If you’re not exploring the next bar to swing to, you might be clinging to one that's rotting. It’s never too late to leap.

Take my friend Rebecca. She took a full decade off to raise kids, then got ‘sponsored’ (yes, women sponsoring women—it works) to interview for a senior legal counsel position at an independent fertility regulator. The interviewer? A little skeptical, pointing out she was in her late 30s. Rebecca, cool as ice, replied, “I plan to work into my 60s—that’s 30 more years. For some people, that’s an entire career.”

Boom. 🎯

Here's a stat to chew on: By age 35, half of all professionals in the U.S. start rethinking their career paths. And women, in particular, are better positioned for second acts than we give them credit for. In fact, women who return to the workforce after taking time off for caregiving ramp up faster than men. They bring more strategic insight and are twice as likely to adopt leadership positions within five years of re-entry. Translation? Late 30s isn’t late— it’s a launch pad.

And if you think a career shift requires a pre-set plan, think again. Just look at Ruhama Shitrit. She was a school teacher who spent years cooking Shabbat meals for her family. At 50, her kids convinced her to post her recipes on Instagram. Fast forward, Ruhama now has over 500,000 followers and is a legitimate influencer. She didn’t have a five-year social media strategy—she just put herself out there and let the market decide. Turns out the market loved her.

That’s the thing: You don’t need a 10-point plan. You need to get in the game, test your skills in the open market, and see what sticks. The beauty of a second career? You’ve got experience. You know what works for you and what doesn’t. And with experience comes an ability to leverage those hard-won skills in new ways.

Speaking of leveraging skills, I met a couple recently while considering buying their business. Forty years ago, they left their high-paying law jobs in New York City to start a men’s tailoring business in a coastal town. Sounds random, right? Wrong. They’re now doing over $5 million in EBITDA. Why? Because they transferred the precision, attention to detail, and client focus from law to tailoring—skills are fungible. The business isn’t just alive—it’s thriving. And this is happening all over the place.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 20% of new businesses survive their first year. However, businesses started by people over 45? Twice as likely to succeed. Why? Because experience, networks, and frankly, not giving a damn about what others think, help.

Here’s the real issue: breaking yourself down to figure out what those transferable skills are is harder than it sounds. We get stuck seeing ourselves in one role, and that self-perception can be our biggest obstacle. My advice? Start by asking people what they come to you for help with. Watch what you do for free, for fun, or even out of sheer habit. Those are your real transferable skills. And here's a 21st-century tip: you can even share your LinkedIn profile with ChatGPT and ask it to read between the lines—it's pretty good at pulling out things you didn't even realize were skills.

The point is, careers are getting longer, and life is getting messier. It’s never been easier, or smarter, to reinvent yourself. Whether you’re 35, 50, or 70, if your career is at a crossroads, that’s a signal—not a stop sign. Hit pause, take stock of your toolkit, and then figure out how to rebrand yourself for your next move. As Mick Herron, the late-to-the-game bestselling author wrote: