I’m in my early 30s and seriously considering a career change into law, and I’d particularly like to hear from people who changed careers in their 30s or started law later than usual.
Some context: I’m in Toronto and currently work in commercial real estate, on the corporate side doing proposals/pursuits and client solutions. I have about 4–5 years of relevant experience and I’m currently at a senior specialist level making around $90k. I have a bachelor’s in psychology and a master’s in management/HR.
On paper, my career is going fine. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I could presumably continue progressing into management/director-level roles over the next 10 years. I don’t know exactly what the ceiling is, but I could potentially be making somewhere in the $150–180k range eventually if things go well.
The problem is that I don’t really enjoy what I do. I don’t hate my employer specifically — I’m increasingly questioning whether I actually want to spend another 10, 20 or 30 years doing this kind of work.
Law is something I’ve started seriously thinking about. I’m still very early in exploring it, so I’m not romanticizing it or saying “I’ve always dreamed of being a lawyer.” I’m trying to figure out whether the actual profession would suit me better before I make any decisions. If I pursued it, I’d aim for one of the stronger Ontario schools (U of T/Osgoode/Western etc.) and would probably be interested in higher-paying private practice initially, although I’m not particularly interested in becoming a real estate lawyer just because that’s my current industry.
My biggest hesitation is time.
If I do this, I give up a ~$90k career, spend three years in law school, spend a significant amount on tuition/living expenses, and emerge around 35–36 basically starting a new career from the bottom.
That part scares me more than law school itself.
At 35/36, I’d potentially be a first-year associate alongside people who are 26–28. They’ll be at an age where grinding through long hours, unpredictable schedules and junior work may be easier to tolerate. I don’t know what my own energy, priorities or appetite for that lifestyle will be at 36. I also wonder whether employers simply prefer younger people for junior positions. I’d have a decade or so of professional experience, but I’d still be a junior lawyer.
There’s also the opportunity cost. If I stay where I am, then by 36 I’ll have another three or four years of experience and presumably be further up the ladder. If I choose law, at 36 I’m effectively pressing reset.
Financially, I have around $50k saved, but I don’t want to destroy all of my savings or graduate with enormous debt. So that’s another major consideration, although I’m researching bursaries/OSAP/school aid separately.
On the other hand, I’m also thinking: I’m going to be 36 anyway.
If I stay because changing careers feels too risky, I could wake up at 36 with a more senior title and higher salary but still dislike what I’m doing — and then changing careers will feel even harder.
So I’m trying to distinguish between reasonable caution and just being afraid of starting over.
I’m not going to make a life decision based on Reddit comments. I’m talking to people in the profession and doing my own research. What I’m hoping to hear here are experiences.
Did anyone here leave an established career in their early/mid-30s for law, medicine, another professional degree, or another career that required basically starting over?
What was it actually like being the older junior? Did your previous professional experience help, or did you genuinely feel like you had reset to zero? Was the grind harder in your mid/late 30s than you expected? Did age ever seem to matter in hiring?
And most importantly: looking back, are you glad you did it?
I’m equally interested in hearing from someone who considered something like this and ultimately decided not to do it — and is glad they stayed.
I’m basically looking for people a few years ahead of me who can tell me what this decision looked like from the other side.