I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been encouraged hearing about people who didn’t become successful until later in life. It was taking a LONG time for my acting dream to come true and hearing that Kathryn Joosten, who played President Bartlet’s White House Secretary on The West Wing, didn’t start acting until she was 42 was very comforting to me. It gave me hope. It meant maybe I could do it too.

It was my dream to become a successful, working actor. I started in theatre, but I was aiming for TV and film. I wanted to do serious drama. So I did everything I could to support that dream: majored in Drama in college, studied acting in New York City and Los Angeles, earned my Actor’s Equity Association membership and my Screen Actors Guild card, took countless headshots, attended casting director workshops, got a manager and an agent, and auditioned my little heart out. Needless to say, it was A LOT of work. And it took many years and lots of money and countless odd jobs to support chasing that dream. 

When I was 38, I finally started getting some good work on TV. I had performed in numerous small-time plays and some very bad movies, but I was finally getting somewhere and working opposite some major stars. And then, guess what? I fell out of love with acting. By now I was 40 years old. Midlife snuck up on me when I wasn’t looking. 

Ok, so now what? I was convinced it was my destiny to be an actor. I literally thought it was written in the stars for me to be a star according to an astrological chart reading I had done when I was a Freshman in college. And even though I faced plenty of rejection, that dangling carrot of positive feedback from people in the know was always there, keeping me in the game. 

But one day when I was in acting class—which I used to love whether I was booking work or not—I felt so uncomfortable I wanted to crawl out of my skin and leave the room. An acting coach I had been working with suggested I test the waters, pack up all my headshots, and shut down all my online accounts for casting. I did, and it felt great! But, again, I thought, now what? How do I start over? 

I had only ever had one real “job-job” in my life thus far. Actors always need part-time or super flexible jobs they can leave at a moment’s notice to run off to their big break audition. But now I was looking at a real career transition. So, I reached out to a friend who had a film production company and signed up to intern for her reading scripts. For free. Now, mind you, my husband was able to support us. So, in that vein, I could take time making my career change. I know not everyone is always that lucky. 

From there, I was offered a position working for my former acting coach in her office. My job duties were varied but included lots of writing. I wrote email newsletters, I rewrote some of her website copy, I wrote video script summaries to go along with her YouTube channel posts, and I often had to provide headlines and sub-headlines for many of these projects. I also revamped her membership group content and sold her programs over the phone. But what I really dug was coming up with those titles and headlines. 

I had no idea I was writing copy until a coworker of mine said, “Hey, Copy Queen, come here. I need a headline.” And then it hit me. I thought, “Am I writing copy?” I was so thrilled and excited by this notion. I suddenly remembered wanting to go into advertising in high school before the acting bug bit me. And l always wanted to be Peggy Olson from Mad Men.

You see, I was a closet writer my whole life. I kept every single notebook and journal I’d ever written in. They contained my dreams, musings, poems, book titles, chapter titles—all non-fiction and personal stuff. And I still own some of my best high school and college papers about films I had studied. 

I never chased writing because I didn’t know what kind of writer I wanted to be, and I actually thought becoming a writer would be riskier than trying to become an actor! I knew I didn’t want to write fiction or novels, but I didn’t know how to apply my writing talent. Now, it was all starting to make sense. 

I immediately signed up for a writing class at UCLA Extension called “Writing for Marketing & Advertising” to see if copywriting was what I thought it was and if I was any good at it. I loved it. I ate it up. I soaked it up like a sponge. And I was good at it. 

The teacher agreed that I had the talent to do it professionally and told me to make a website and get out there. So that’s what I did. I hired a web designer, gave notice at my job, and started talking to my writer friends to garner any advice they might have for me. 

I found a bread-and-butter client who kept me busy for years until I finally had a baby. At 47! But that’s a whole other midlife story. When I returned to work post-baby, a magazine editor neighbor asked me to interview a producer and write a feature story for his magazine. 

My career then changed to journalism, and I love that too! Now I’m ready to flex my writing muscles even further and pitch major magazines with personal experience-reported essays and ghostwriting, which will be another midlife milestone and lifelong goal of mine. Was any of this easy? No, not really. It was super uncomfortable at times and really fun at others. So, if you are itching for a career change in midlife, here’s what I suggest: 

Get Grounded

You might need to take a job while figuring out your midlife career change. I call this putting your feet on the ground while you dream and scheme. It could be anything, working at Starbucks or Target or babysitting. Like in my case, you never know what you might learn about yourself that could help you find what you really want to do. 

Be Open

Say “yes” more and try things out you don’t think you’ll like. Even try stuff you KNOW you won’t like. Also, be open to learning. I loved going back to school and walking on a college campus again. There is no shame in that. Embrace it! 

Ask for Help

I also recommend telling everyone you know that you’re changing careers. It takes courage to share this and not feel like a failure or be afraid that others will judge you—but do it anyway. Again, you never know who might have a job you could be perfect for. Or they might know someone else who does. No matter what field you’re in, it’s always who you know. 

I also did a free course from a career coach that was invaluable. I highly recommend looking into resources like career change coaches. One question she asked on her freebie worksheet was, “What would you laugh all the way to the bank getting paid for?” My answer was, “My ideas.” As a writer, that’s exactly what I get paid for. 

Forget Your Age

As an actor, I always kept one eye on the age clock. Don’t let your age stop you. This sounds corny but believe in yourself, no matter what. If you don’t, nobody else will. According to the United States Department of Labor, most people have 3-7 career changes in their lifetime. Perhaps you could even embrace this change with grace and gratitude. And remember to use your experience and wisdom to your benefit. It’s all in how you spin it. 

It’s Worth It

Yes, change is hard. Yes, it’s uncomfortable not knowing what’s next, but it’s only temporary. What if you could finally do something you truly enjoyed? Just give yourself time even when you feel like time is running out. Whatever you end up trying, it will be worth it. And, yes, you’re worth it too! 

Katie Grant is a freelance writer, journalist, and ghostwriter. She covers Parenting, TV & Film, Women’s Health & Wellness, and Lifestyle on Medium @katiegrantwriter.