9 Creative Career Paths to Consider When Making a Career Change at 40

Looking to make a creative career change at 40? There’s no time like now. It may seem like a daunting decision, but we’re here to tell you it’s not. As a graphic design course provider that has been helping people change careers for the better since 1997, we’ve seen plenty of 40 year olds come through our doors in search of a new creative career. And make a success of it.

At 40, you’ve still got a good few decades of work left so it’s a great age to make the change over to a career you really want. A few months of patience and learning could see you revitalised in your dream career.

If you’re looking to make a career change without studying for a new degree, Shillington’s online graphic design course is perfect for you. Our course equips you with everything you need to make a creative career change in three months full-time or nine months part-time.

As our course is tailored to graphic design, this is one option for a creative career change. Though, there are plenty of other amazing opportunities that our course opens you up to. We’re going to run you through 9 creative career choices, plus a foolproof guide of how to make your career change.

1. Graphic Designer

Our number one recommendation for a career change at 40 with no degree is graphic design. Graphic design is a versatile and in-demand career that requires creativity, technical skills, and a keen eye for detail.

Combining creativity and specific graphic design skills with other skills such as problem solving, strategising and communication, a career in graphic design is a great way to combine your passions and expertise from a previous career.

What do graphic designers do? Graphic designers are responsible for a lot of things we see and use everyday, from the apps on your phone to the advert you see on your commute. Though, graphic designers do more than just make things look nice. They’re all visual communicators, taking concepts and ideas and turning them into something visual. Graphic design is like its own language.

Graphic design is also a great job for a career changer as there’s clear set paths that allow you to see your way into and through the industry. Also, with Shillington’s graphic design course, you’re able to get working as a graphic designer in as little as three months so you’ll be wasting no time.

2. Website Designer

Another promising creative career at 40 is website design, a specialist offshoot of graphic design. It would especially make sense if you have previously worked in the digital realm or have experience working with websites. For example, if in your marketing role you were responsible for making changes to the backend of your company’s website.

Furthermore, as the world grows increasingly digital, the demand for website designers continues to grow. Website designers use their creativity and technical skills to create websites that are visually appealing, user-friendly, and optimized for search engines. They work closely with clients to understand their needs and develop website layouts, graphics, and content.

3. Art Director

Another great direction for a creative career change at 40 is becoming an art director. It’s the perfect career for someone who has taken the Shillington graphic design course as you use all the skills you’ll learn on the course, but also oversee things from an artistic perspective, potentially using skills you’ve gained in your previous career.

Art directors essentially direct the art of the campaign. They go to photoshoots, film shoots, work with storyboard artists and, overall, manage the art behind the project. They brief designers and hire freelancers to work on the projects. In a design studio, they also do things like make sure brand guidelines are adhered to and the like. In summary, they oversee things from an art perspective, not a logistics perspective (that’s for the project manager, keep reading!).

4. Illustrator

Though Shillington’s graphic design course isn’t angled towards illustrators, you’ll still learn key concepts and ideas to combine with drawing talent to make a career change to become an illustrator.

Illustration is a highly creative career that involves using art and design to communicate ideas and tell stories. Illustrators work in a variety of industries, including advertising, publishing, and entertainment.

They create artwork for book covers, advertisements, magazines, and more. If you have strong drawing skills, a vivid imagination, and a passion for storytelling, illustration could be a great fit for you.

5. Project Manager

Another great opportunity for a career changer is a project manager, specifically a design project manager. This works really well for a career change as the likelihood you’ve overseen a project already in your career so you can combine these existing skills and your new graphic design skills.

Design project managers oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of design projects. They work closely with clients, designers and other stakeholders to ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget and to the client's satisfaction. If you have project management experience and are passionate about design, a career as a design project manager could be a great fit for you.

Project managers have to be very organised and have a strategic brain, but also use their design knowledge to be able to determine the what, how and why of any particular brief. The role also has a creative streak as project managers help to plan and illustrate a brief’s concepts.

6. Design Strategist

Have you previously worked in strategy? Then a career change to a design strategist could be a great idea for you. It’s the perfect opportunity to combine skills learned on Shillington’s graphic design course with the strategic skills and mindset you already have.

Design strategists work with clients to develop design solutions that support business goals and meet user needs. They use research, data analysis, and user testing to inform their design decisions and develop strategies for improving the user experience. Using branding skills they learnt on their graphic design course, brand strategists have to get to know a client’s business inside out so they can develop a brand strategy which is then applied to the brand identity. In short, the work they do will completely shape how a brand looks.

7. Marketing Designer

Currently working in marketing? Why not combine what you do now with an amazing new creative career? Marketers and designers often work closely together so why not flip what you do and start creating the content marketing teams need: ads, social media posts and the like.

Marketing designers create visual content that promotes products and services. They work closely with marketing teams to develop campaigns that attract and engage customers. Marketing designers need strong design skills and an understanding of marketing principles.

8. Social Media Manager

Another great option if you’ve previously worked in marketing (specifically social media marketing) is social media management. If you’re changing careers without a degree, it’s a great way of using skills from your previous career in a fruitful, creative role.

Social media managers are responsible for managing and growing a brand's social media presence. They use their graphic design skills to create and curate content, engage with followers and analyze social media metrics to inform their strategy. If you have experience with social media, a passion for content creation and a love for community building, a career change at 40 to a social media manager could be a great fit for you.

9. Freelance Graphic Designer

Want to work for yourself? If you’re looking to escape working for a big company and want to be your own boss, creating your own amazing work then we’d definitely recommend becoming a freelance graphic designer.

Freelance graphic designers work with clients on a project-by-project basis, they can pick and choose their own projects and what they want to work on. Freelancers can work in one or multiple areas of design, for instance branding, web design or print design. They have the freedom to choose their own projects and set their own schedules. Freelancing gives you the opportunity to truly put your own stamp on the graphic design industry, making it the ideal creative career change at 40.

Now you’ve seen some potential exciting jobs that a career change could take you to, we’re going to break down how to actually make the jump. Just follow these easy steps:

1. Identify your Interests and Skills
2. Research your Options
3. Refine your Skillset
4. Network and Build a Community
5. Update your Portfolio and Resume
6. Find the Right Job
7. Remain Patient and Positive

1. Identify your Interests and Skills

Your first step in changing careers at 40 is to properly identify your interests and skills. Take some time to reflect on what you enjoy doing and what you're good at and see if you can find any links between that and the potential careers that you’ve just read about.

2. Research your Options

Good news is if you’re reading this then you’ve already got step 2 sorted. Make sure you’ve properly researched your potential career options. It’s important to consider what you value in a career and what you want to get out of a career change. Want flexibility? Remote working options? Make sure that your chosen career allows for it. We want you to find your dream job here.

This is also the time to research the job outcomes, salary potential and education requirements needed for your career change just to make sure you really know what you’re getting yourself into.

3. Refine your Skillset

A huge part of making a career change is gaining the skills and knowledge needed to actually do the job at hand. This may be as simple as reading a few things online, but if you’re serious about changing careers, we would strongly recommend taking a class or bootcamp to make sure your skills are up to scratch before moving onto the next step.

Looking to make the change to one of the careers above? Or another creative career in the field of design? Then Shillington’s graphic design course is perfect for you. In just three months full-time or nine months part-time, our dedicated teachers (who are all practicing graphic designers) teach you everything you need to know to work as a professional graphic designer. You leave the course with a graphic design portfolio, ready to start working in a studio or as a freelancer immediately.

4. Network and Build a Community

Networking is key when it comes to a career change. Attend industry events, join professional organizations and connect with people in your desired field on LinkedIn and follow them on Instagram or Twitter. Building connections like this cannot only help you learn about job opportunities but also gain insights into the industry you want to work and stay on top of the latest industry trends.

You never know, networking both digitally and in person, could lead to direct job offers or interviews. It’s all about talking to the right people! Chances are people already working in the industry are friendly and happy to chat about what they do so don't be afraid to reach out to people and ask for advice or guidance.

5. Sharpen Up Your Portfolio and Resume

For a career change into graphic design or a related creative industry, you’ll need a portfolio of your work that you’ll use to apply for jobs. A graphic design portfolio is a document of what you can do and the projects you’ve worked on. Don’t have a portfolio yet? Shillington can help you with that, all our graphic design graduates leave the course with a polish, professional portfolio.

With any career change (creative or not) you’ll also need to make sure your resume is up to date. Make sure it shows any courses or bootcamps you have taken in your career change journey. Also, make sure that you tailor your previous experience so your resume shows how the skills and practice you’ve gained over the years could help you in your new career and put you ahead of your competition.

6. Find the Right Job

This may seem obvious but once you’re all ready to apply for jobs, assure that you’re applying for the right job for you. When making any career change, once you start applying you might just want to apply for every single opening you see. But, to really nail your career change, you should carefully consider the jobs you actually want to apply for.

Do your research on the company and the role within it you’re applying for. Does it seem like a place you want to work? Do the job responsibilities excite you? Ask yourself these questions and more just to make sure. You’re making a huge life decision so you want it to be the right one for you.

7. Remain Patient and Positive

This brings us on to our last point: remain patient and positive. Your dream job is unlikely to just fall into your lap (and if it does, lucky you). Be patient, make the right decisions, learn what you need to and, most importantly, take your time with it—as we said before, you don’t need to rush. That’s only going to lead to upset.

Also, keep positive! If it seems like it’s going to plan, that’s fine. Stick at it and keep chipping away and everything will come to fruition. It may take time, but once that career change happens, you’ll never look back.

Interested in making a career change to graphic design? Our graphic design course will teach you industry-relevant skills and help you kickstart your creative career in as little as three months.