How to make a career change at 30
Step 1: Identify your transferable skills
Changing careers at 30 can feel overwhelming, but breaking the process into manageable steps can make the transition feel more achievable.
If you have no idea where to start, grab a journal or a piece of paper and start drafting a mind map: a visual diagram to organize information, generate ideas, and show connections around a central topic.
Why go old school? Doodling on pen and paper can actually increase brain activity. In fact, a study from 2021 found that writing on paper showed stronger brain activity compared to typing, and led to better memory retention. Similarly, a study from 2025 suggests that writing by hand is a multi-sensory experience that coordinates thought, action and vision.
First, audit your transferable skills. Make a circle called “skills” and draw branches out to capture your strengths, whether it’s communication, leadership, project management, customer service, data analysis, digital skills or problem solving.
Don’t hold yourself back. All of these skills carry across industries. By sketching them out and drawing links between skills, you will see that you have many assets in your toolkit already. The key is linking them together and leveraging them towards a new career.
Step 2: Explore before you commit
Once you have a targeted field, career or industry in mind, do research. Head to LinkedIn to check out people already working in that field. Get a sense of their day-to-day duties and long-term achievements. Is this line of work something you can see yourself doing?
It may seem daunting, but you can reach out to people in a position you’re curious about through LinkedIn. Ask for a coffee chat: an informal interview done in person, by phone or via video about 15 to 20 minutes long. Coffee chats can be key to learning more about an industry and making connections. The information gained during a short phone call can give you first-hand knowledge about a career or industry before you commit.
In addition to coffee chats, you can ask to shadow at a workplace, enroll in short courses or even volunteer in the target field.
Step 3: Build a realistic financial runway
Before you take the leap, it’s important to get your finances in order. Changing careers is a big decision, and a little planning can reduce stress in the process.
For example, build a buffer with a few months’ emergency savings or even visit a financial advisor to discuss your plan, timeline and how to pull it off financially.
By the way: online university at the University of Fredericton allows students to keep working full-time while studying. Students can earn money while they study their way to a new career.
