Has anyone successfully changed their career after 40 and is now working in a trade for example and is doing well? Or knows about services, resources, support in the UK?

I made a change from being an IT manager for 34 years to be a property developer in my early 50s. I did this initially in the UK then moved to Brazil for a lower cost of living, warmth and better quality of life.

NAS94755 said:

What steps did you take?

I learned as much as I could about the market and the skills then got stuck into a project. Initially I was living and working in central London and was only renting (following a near bankrupcy in 2006) so worked out it could be cheaper for me to buy a flat on the sea front on the South Coast while commuting into London each day.

I made about £180k profit on the first project then did a second where I made over £200k - both were big projects (about a year long for the work). A third, small project was then undertaken when the market became stagnant and this only yielded £20k but since I needed a place to live it saved on rent.

NAS94755 said:

What Service did you use?

I learned how to do all the tasks from YouTube and web searches in general. I also asked loads of questions from any contractors I hired (electrician, plumber and plaster).

NAS94755 said:

How did you finance the change?

All the projects were financed from savings made in the previous few years and some bonus from a wrongful termination of my employment lawsuit. Add in the profit from previous projects and it starts to snowball.

There were Capital Gains taxes to pay of course plus stamp duty and all the related legal & estate agent fees but some research into how to do this can save you quite a lot.

When I started I had not done any DIY of consequence for 20 years but I like to work on electronics and mechanical things in general so a house is just a different sort of thing to work on - the principles are all still compatible.

For the last 3 years I have been in Brazil (8 major renovation projects now complete) and I only have to work about 6 months a year actively - the rest is for enjoying early retirement, so I get to travel, read, work on myself and enjoy the life in Brazil.

Oh wow! well done! You had an actual career and managed to save some money, which in turn helped you shift career into something else lucratively! Thanks for sharing! 

Oh wow! well done! You had an actual career and managed to save some money, which in turn helped you shift career into something else lucratively! Thanks for sharing!