Yes, I'm 70 and continue to reinvent myself. After high school, I blew up my undergraduate studies because my head wasn't in the game. I took jobs in my 20s that addressed what I thought of as social weaknesses. By my late 20s, through aggressive self study and a couple of college classes, I switched careers and entered the software development world. Again, a lot of time spent on aggressive self study to be competitive with established developers. Realizing in my mid-30s that my lousy undergraduate showing was holding me back, I re-entered school and subsequently completed two masters degrees, an MS and an MBA. The MBA granted me credibility with senior management and propped up my management career. I did that for a few years until I and friend of mine started a consulting/development business, which we did for about 8 years. At that time I was offered a job with a Fortune 500 company that was too good to pass up. Following a series of takeovers, my job morphed repeatedly until, at age 65, the last company bought me out. Now, at 70, I've been accepted as a freshman at a major university to study things for fun, not career prospects. The bottom line, you can always reinvent yourself. It's not always easy, e.g., going back to college while working 50-60 hours per week, but it can be done. All it takes is planning, sacrifice, prioritization, and deferred gratification. In the end, it can be transformative. But, it will always be a hard journey.
I hate to be that guy, but you can just choose to do these things. Learn to set SMART goals. Then set just one, so there's no excuses around priorities. Obviously, choose well. Make that goal your life.
Yes, I'm 70 and continue to reinvent myself. After high school, I blew up my undergraduate studies because my head wasn't in the game. I took jobs in my 20s that addressed what I thought of as social weaknesses. By my late 20s, through aggressive self study and a couple of college classes, I switched careers and entered the software development world. Again, a lot of time spent on aggressive self study to be competitive with established developers. Realizing in my mid-30s that my lousy undergraduate showing was holding me back, I re-entered school and subsequently completed two masters degrees, an MS and an MBA. The MBA granted me credibility with senior management and propped up my management career. I did that for a few years until I and friend of mine started a consulting/development business, which we did for about 8 years. At that time I was offered a job with a Fortune 500 company that was too good to pass up. Following a series of takeovers, my job morphed repeatedly until, at age 65, the last company bought me out. Now, at 70, I've been accepted as a freshman at a major university to study things for fun, not career prospects. The bottom line, you can always reinvent yourself. It's not always easy, e.g., going back to college while working 50-60 hours per week, but it can be done. All it takes is planning, sacrifice, prioritization, and deferred gratification. In the end, it can be transformative. But, it will always be a hard journey.
I hate to be that guy, but you can just choose to do these things. Learn to set SMART goals. Then set just one, so there's no excuses around priorities. Obviously, choose well. Make that goal your life.