At 44, I had 18 years in education.
Zero tech experience.
And a mortgage that didn't care about my dreams.

“I'd been teaching high school English for 18 years when I realized I was more excited troubleshooting the school's website than grading essays. But how do you pivot to tech at 44 with zero portfolio? My mentor, Lisa (former teacher turned product designer), didn't just tell me to 'learn Figma.' She showed me how to reframe classroom experience as user research. She introduced me to hiring managers who valued my communication skills over my bootcamp certificate. The scariest part? Taking a $12k pay cut for my first UX role. But Lisa had done the same thing at 46. She knew the timeline.”

“Twenty-two years in banking. I knew financial products inside out but felt invisible in every tech conversation. When I told people I wanted to move into product, they smiled politely. My mentor David had made the same jump at 50. He helped me translate 'managed a branch of 15' into 'led cross-functional teams through regulatory changes.' He showed me which PM certifications actually mattered and which were credential theater. Most importantly, he told me it would take longer than I wanted. He was right—but it happened.”

“I was partner-track at 39 when I realized I hated every minute. The money was good, the prestige was real, and I was miserable. My mentor had left BigLaw at 43 to start an edtech company. She didn't sugarcoat it: the first year was terrifying. She helped me save 18 months of runway before I quit, introduced me to angels who understood career changers, and talked me off the ledge at 2am when our first launch flopped. Now I run a legal-tech startup helping others escape.”

“Thirty years of selling software. I was good at it—too good to leave, everyone said. But I spent my nights helping friends' kids with career advice, writing LinkedIn tips that went viral, and feeling more alive than I had in years. My mentor was a former executive who'd become a coach at 55. She taught me that my sales experience WAS coaching experience—I'd been coaching teams for decades. She helped me structure my first program, price it without imposter syndrome, and build a client base. Now I help sales leaders who feel stuck, just like I was.”