A Roll Of The Dice: The Limbo Of Changing Careers In Your Mid-To-Late Twenties

It was the end of 2023 and I was 27. I was in a job I liked, surrounded by colleagues I loved, yet I felt unfulfilled. Despite having a job, I felt I was stuck in limbo; not established or financially stable enough to take a leap of faith to a new career, but also burdened by the time I’d already invested in this path.

I knew leaving my job had to be for something I felt strongly about. Journalism was something I’d wanted to do throughout my teens, but during university and the pandemic, it fell by the wayside. So, in January 2024, I handed in my notice at my marketing role and began my NCTJ Diploma.

Entering the world of journalism in your mid-to-late twenties is a unique challenge and one I’m not alone in. Research by City & Guilds says almost half of 25-34-year-olds have thought about changing their careers, but were the most reluctant to actually do it, saying they simply didn’t know where to start.

So, in the face of financial hurdles, self-doubt, and a journalism industry often seen to favour younger newcomers, just how can it be done?

‘There’s A Rising Pressure To Feel Like You’re Achieving Something’

Natasha Stanley is the head coach at Career Shifters, an organisation that helps people make career switches. She says the biggest barrier to career changers in their mid-to-late twenties is often psychological.

“The vast majority of barriers to making a sideways shift are far more internal than external,” she explains. “You get to the end of your twenties, there’s a rising pressure to feel like you are rooting into something or achieving something.”

Natasha Stanley (L) and Sophia McAlpine (R)

“The thought of entering a period of perceived instability or having to start again when it feels like everybody else has got it all sorted now, can be really, really scary.”

It’s something that resonates with Sophie McAlpine, 28, who is now a broadcast journalist with BBC Newsnight. She began her career as a journalist at 26, joining Times Radio as an assistant producer, having previously worked as a publicist. “My biggest challenge now is within myself,” she tells Journo Resources, “feeling like a chancer because I don’t have any relevant training or qualifications, feeling behind because I’m slightly older than some of my peers.”

Self-doubt and confidence were also cited by one in five people in the City & Guilds research as key barriers to changing careers. But while these feelings of self-doubt and impostor syndrome can feel overwhelming, they often don’t reflect the reality of a career transition’s success.

City & Guilds CEO Kirstie Donnelly MBE emphasises the importance of career switchers “recognising their own transferable skills”, while Sophie agrees that her lack of formal journalism training hasn’t been a major limitation in her new career.

A Cliff Edge Of Opportunities

However, not all barriers can be solved with a new mindset, with many support schemes for emerging journalists specifically aimed at younger entrants. For example, looking at the opportunities listed on Journo Resources’ database of mentoring schemes> in December 2024, more than a quarter had some kind of upper-age cut-off.

For example, applicants to ELLE: Generation Next mentoring programme are capped at 24, while Arts Emergency, The Poetry Society, and the Photography Foundation all cap their schemes at 25. Similarly, several entry-level jobs may also have stipulations; Associated Press’s latest producer internship> was specifically for those currently or recently studying. ESPN’s internships are offered as part of a degree course.

It’s something that bothers David Spencer, who founded careers advice site The Media Mentor more than a decade ago. He’s a man who knows the landscape of opportunities well; as well as guidance and mentoring, the site is home to a regularly updated jobs board. He says schemes with age cut-offs “absolutely” create limitations and “marginalise those people who come into the industry at a later stage”. He highlights the Radio Academy’s 30 Under 30 list. “Why does it have to be under 30? We want to encourage people to have flexible careers and move around in their lives.”

Many of these initiatives do provide crucial opportunities and are capped with good reason; the NCTJ’s 2024 Journalists at Work shows that journalists under 25 are 12 per cent less likely to be in full-time employment than their peers in other industries. However, the problem doesn’t go away for those over 25 — they’re just less likely to show up in the statistics as they’re currently working elsewhere. If anything, the routes for career changers are even more unclear.

The Cost Of Changing Careers

If you do find a job, the chances are it comes at a cost. According to the Learning and Work Institute, the average career changer’s hourly pay is 14 per cent lower than if they’d stayed in the same role.

This is exacerbated in journalism, where unpaid and low-paid experience is often seen as the norm. In 2024, the NCTJ found that 66 per cent of journalists undertook work experience before securing their first role. Of this, 73 per cent said the placement was completely unpaid. It’s particularly difficult for those from working-class backgrounds, who don’t have the support needed for this to be workable.

>However, there are options. Apprenticeships are touted as an opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’ and almost half of apprentices in 2022/23 were over 25.While salaries are on the low side for established professions, they’re higher than they once were and include professional training; ITV’s trainee scheme pays £27–29,000pa, while News UK pays apprentices £25,000pa.

Another option is a gradual translation by gaining freelance work; Sophie picked up weekend shifts at Times Radio alongside her original job, allowing her to build experience and funds. Other interviewees we spoke to talked about how they cut back on their expenses while transitioning.

Ross Field is the head of research at Flight Studio, the company that produces the Diary of a CEO podcast. Previously, he worked for a restaurant booking app while completing a master’s degree in security studies. He reflects: “Moving into journalism at that stage, you do have to be willing to endure some sort of economic hardship. I was lucky to live with a friend who owned his flat, and I had to make a lot of sacrifices.”

But, whatever route you take, it’s important to make a plan of how much you can afford to cut back or save — and be realistic to avoid burnout.

Despite these barriers, there can be huge benefits to making a move later in your twenties. Natasha emphasises the importance of recalibrating your idea of what progress looks like: “We are taught that ‘success’ looks like ‘up’, but we can reframe that. The sweet spot of your late twenties is that if you come to someone with questions about entering a new career, they’re not going to judge you for not having nailed it already, but you have had enough experience to be able to bring something to the table.” In other words, making a  “sideways” or “downwards” can be advantageous.

It’s something Ross, who regularly hires new people for his team, agrees with. “It says something if you are successful in one area and willing to take a risk to make a move like this. It shows that you are headstrong and confident in yourself. In journalism, there’s not enough of that.”

David adds that age can also bring a “maturity”. “There’s a huge difference between 28 and 21,” he says. “Age is a real positive in this industry.” This can be about knowing what your own strengths and weaknesses are, explains Sophie. “In retrospect, I’m glad that I wasn’t happy in my previous role because it gave me the push I needed to go for it,” she reflects. “Working in different roles has made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses and given me a different skill set that’s helped me to stand out.”

Nearly a year after deciding to leave my job and pursue a journalism career, there’s one thing above all that is required. While there’s no single route into the industry, any transition requires resilience.

The systemic barriers faced by those from marginalised backgrounds cannot go unsaid; it’s clear there’s a lot more to do in making our industry representative. Yet the determination of many career changes in their mid-to-late twenties offers a blueprint for success and their journeys reveal not just the ability to adapt but also the unique strengths they bring to the field.

“Changing careers isn’t just an opportunity to find something you can do right,” concludes. “It’s equipping you with the skill set to dance through life as it emerges.”