Too Good at a Job You Don’t Love Anymore? You’re Not Alone – Welcome to the Midlife Career Crises

After 25 years in recruiting, I’ve had the unique privilege of watching careers evolve over decades. I’ve worked with many of the same companies, leaders, and candidates for years, and one pattern I’ve seen consistently is a shift in passion and purpose as people move into their 40s and 50s. 

So yes — from my perspective, the midlife career crisis is absolutely real. 

But it’s not just anecdotal. The data backs it up: 

• 60%+ of mid-career professionals (ages 45–54) consider a career change, often unsure what’s next and afraid of losing income or identity (HBR). 

• Economist David Blanchflower found happiness follows a U-curve, bottoming out in midlife (ages 45–55). 
• Gallup (2023) reports: Only 23% of employees globally are engaged at work. 

• Burnout peaks between ages 35–54, especially in mid-to-senior roles. 

• Bill Burnett (Designing Your Life) and Chip Conley (Modern Elder Academy) both explore how reinvention is a necessary, natural step, not because we’ve failed, but because we’ve outgrown the version of ourselves that led to success. 

This isn’t just theory. It hit home for me, too. 

At 48, I was burned out as an EVP of Sales at a mid-sized recruiting firm. I spent hours daydreaming about new path, including turning my passions (mountain biking and Deep House music) into a career. Spoiler alert: there’s not a huge market for 48-year-old House DJs on mountain bikes. 

Instead, I did something equally bold, I quit and started my own company. (With the debt I took on, the DJ path might’ve been cheaper.) 

My wife went through a similar shift at 50. After decades in HR leadership at multi-billion dollar cybersecurity firms, she stepped away to focus on herself. A year later, our whole family, including two high schoolers, moved from California to Sydney, Australia. 

What causes these shifts? 

Often, it's because we’ve followed what researchers call the "default life plan”, doing what we’re good at, chasing goals we set in our 20s, and meeting societal expectations. By midlife, we hit a wall because: 

• Our values evolve. 

• We’ve “achieved”, and still feel restless. 

• We’re stuck in an identity tied to success, not fulfillment. 

As Adam Grant writes in Think Again: 

“Competence becomes a cage — you’re too good at something you no longer love.” 

But here’s the good news: this isn’t a crisis, it’s an opportunity. 

We bring decades of wisdom, skills, and experience to the table. Reinvention doesn’t mean abandoning the past, it means integrating it into a future that feels more aligned and authentic. 

After coaching many people through this and experiencing it myself, I’ve created a free worksheet and reflection exercise to help explore what’s next. I’m happy to share it, just reach out (and soon it’ll be available on our new website). 

Key Takeaways: 

1. You’re not alone, this is common and completely normal. 
2. It often stems from success, not failure. 
3. There is a process to figure out what’s next. 

Lastly, I recently joined leadership coach Dave Turano on his podcast Cut Through the Noise to talk more about this topic and midlife career reinvention. He’s one of the best — give it a listen and feel free to reach out if I can support you in any way. 

Check out his podcast episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mid-career-crisis/id1466812912?i=1000700907736

*This article was written by a Human.