How to navigate a career change into tech. As a woman. In your 40s

Switching careers can be daunting. And for many women in their 40s, juggling financial responsibilities, family, and an established career is already complex. Now add to that stepping into the fast-moving and highly competitive world of tech. Doing an Ironman with no prior training at times might feel more achievable. 

We often frame mid-career change through the lens of industry bias or imposter syndrome. While those experiences are entirely valid for many, for me, the fear was about something far quieter and far more personal.

Could my brain still do this? 

Could I learn complex technical concepts again after years in a different space? Could I move from being the experienced and competent expert in the room to being a novice again? The last one was the biggest leap. Yet the combination of life experience, domain expertise, and purpose is exactly what this industry needs more of. 

Embracing the learning curve and believing in yourself

My own move into tech and data analytics began less with a grand plan but with a desire for more flexibility, growth, and a field where I could transfer my skills.

I went back to university and completed a master's in big data at the University of Stirling, and this is where I encountered my current employer, dentsu UK&I, and I decided to join their graduate scheme.

The learning curve was steep. But, for me, it wasn't intimidating because of who was around me. My 40s brought with it the liberating realisation that I no longer care about what others think of me. I was coming from law enforcement, which is an equally male-dominated field, and sitting in lecture halls and meeting with people half my age didn't bother me. I wasn't there to impress. I was there to learn. 

For me, it was intimidating because of the high expectations I put on myself. Something I think most women can relate to. 

When you've built a career, you're used to being the expert in the room. Starting again means relinquishing that identity. It means asking basic questions and feeling slow. It means being comfortable with having little idea what you are doing. But it also means growth.

My technical capability was new. My professional maturity wasn't.

Life experience and transferable skills are what set you apart. What might seem a disadvantage often is your strong point, and finding managers or peers who support this journey was vital for my progression.

How to make the move

If you're considering a career change into tech, or any industry, start by taking an honest inventory of the skills you already have – stakeholder or project management, sector knowledge, communication, leadership, etc. – and then map the specific skills you may need to gather or improve on.

You won't acquire all of them within a few weeks, so break it down into achievable steps that fit into your life: a short introductory course you can do in the evenings, a project where you can apply new skills in your current role, then proceed to progressively more advanced training. Seek out new opportunities and bigger steps like presenting data insights to senior leaders to normalise yourself in the space and to build a portfolio of practical experience, not just certificates. 

A mid-career change might feel like a selfish move, but don't underestimate the positive effect it will have on those around you. One of the most meaningful and entirely unanticipated results has been the example that it set for my two daughters who have both said that witnessing me make a tough switch and succeeding in a new field showed them that they always have options. They can choose a different path at any stage of life provided they are willing to work hard and commit to it.

Most importantly: embrace the discomfort. It's not a signal to stop. It's a sign you're expanding.

The role of employers

But it's not all on us women to brave this step or empower peers to do the same. For those already established in the industry, there is also responsibility and opportunity here.

Employers have a huge role in making tech careers accessible at every stage of working life.  Career switchers bring commercial awareness, resilience and contextual thinking. They have navigated complexity before. Companies need to make space for nonlinear career journeys and adapt inclusive hiring processes where potential and transferable skills are valued alongside formal qualifications, create returner and career-change programmes, and actively work against age bias. 

At dentsu UK & I, one of our many ERGs (Employee Resource Group) focuses on age inclusion, something I am passionate about.  We're constantly striving to deepen our understanding of the workforce through data and surveys and working closely with HR and recruitment on age inclusion for hiring processes, and training and career development programmes. Partnering with organisations like 55/Redefined, we are helping to shape industry-wide progress and inclusive representation in tech, media and advertising. For us, it is more than age diversity; it's about designing intergenerational teams, where people from different generations can thrive and collaborate.

Believe in yourself, and make them believe in you

To all women in their late 30s, their 40s or 50s, you are not just capable of reinvention. As women, we practice it constantly, through different life stages, roles and responsibilities, we adapt and recalibrate. You have it entirely within you to change careers and to reinvent your professional lives. And the tech industry needs you. We bring perspective, resilience, diversity, and varied experiences that make us strong employees, co-workers and mentors.

This International Women's Day, let's not see a mid-career pivot as a risk, but as a powerful way to shape the future of an industry that influences so much of our lives. And let's stop asking ourselves if we are capable of or allowed to begin again. 

We are. And we always have been