Success in Changing Career or Following a Dream During Middle Age.

I can't give you her real name, but a friend of. Mine was working as Nursing Unit Manager in specialist melanoma ward in a big, very good hospital. At around 45 she'd had enough so she went to university, became a lawyer, and now she's a family law specialist.

My mom! She was a stay at home mom and then worked at low-skill office jobs when I was a teenager. She graduated from college as a licensed RN a few years ago, in her late 50s. I am so proud of her! Not only did she face difficulty as an older student (who developed stress induced health problems) but also persevered while dealing with unexpected but really intense opposition from my dad. (He has definite old school ideas about men providing for their families while the wife keeps house. But only toward my mom - he fully supported me getting an engineering degree and talked about watching my kids when he retires so I can get a job if I want. Yeah, I don't get it either.) Anyway, she has been working as a nurse for a few years now and, as far as I can tell, has no regrets.

I have a friend who had her masters degree in counseling. She then got married and raised 2 kids. 25 years and one divorce later she had to take 3 extra classes and has had to do the time required till she can counsel on her own. It's been a bit of a struggle but she has landed on her feet. On of her kids has aspbergers and with her divorce experience plus counseling all of us, her friends, she has a wealth of real life experience that makes her excellent at her job!

Laura Ingalls Wilder

I know a woman who changes careers every 10 years like clockwork.
She's worked in banks, she's worked for H&R Block, she's worked as a Cobol programmer, as a masseuse and I think she's back in programming again from the last I heard.
It's hard to build up benefits, sick/vacation leave and a decent 401K when you change jobs that often.