Starting a Digital Career Later in Life

Is It Too Late?

Many people considering a tech career worry they’ve missed their chance. They see younger candidates and assume they’re at a disadvantage. This concern is common—and usually unfounded.

At StartSteps, we work with career changers in their 30s and 40s. What they share isn’t age, it’s motivation and a clear reason for wanting change. Starting later doesn’t put you behind. In many cases, it’s a strength.

Why Digital Careers Make Sense Later in Life

Digital roles offer what many people look for at this stage: stability, long-term growth potential, and flexibility. These skills are in demand across nearly every industry, which makes them durable.

Our learners have transitioned from education, retail, logistics, healthcare, administration, and other fields. The common thread is not their background, it’s their commitment to learning something new.

Transferable Skills Are Real

One of the biggest advantages career changers bring is transferable skills: abilities developed through work and life that apply directly to digital roles.

Here are some practical examples of these transferable skills: 

• Communication matters because tech teams need people who can explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. 
• Problem-solving is valuable because troubleshooting processes and finding workarounds is everyday work in digital roles. 
• Organization skills translate directly when managing projects, timelines, and documentation. 
• Teamwork experience—collaborating across departments and managing relationships—is essential in any tech environment.

Tech teams rely on people who can explain ideas clearly, understand processes, and work reliably with others. These skills are often as valuable as technical knowledge, sometimes more so.
During the interview process for junior technical roles, often hiring managers are evaluation for those core “soft” skills just as much as for technical skills. They want to know someone will be easy to work with and can problem-solve as a team.

Getting Started Without Feeling Overwhelmed

Starting something new can feel intimidating, especially if you haven’t studied or trained in a while. That’s normal.

Taking it step by step helps. Start by learning about different digital roles—not everyone becomes a software engineer. Then identify what aligns with your interests and strengths. Finally, choose structured training rather than trying to figure it out alone. In particular, StartSteps’ ServiceNow program is a great option for career changers because it offers a highly-paid technical career path with only light coding required. 

A clear path and the right support turn something overwhelming into something manageable.

Finding the Right Role

Tech is broad. There are roles focused on systems and platforms, business processes, customer-facing technical support, data, and operations.

At StartSteps, we offer programs in SAP Finance Consulting, which focuses on business systems and finance processes; SAP EWM, which specializes in warehouse management systems; ServiceNow Administration, which covers IT service management platforms; and Cloud & Data Engineering, which trains you in AWS, Databricks, and data infrastructure.

Each program is about five months, full-time, and includes technical training plus soft skills development. Training is conducted in English.

Programs Are Fully Funded

If you’re in Germany and eligible for a Bildungsgutschein (education voucher), StartSteps programs can be 100% funded. The voucher is issued by the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter and covers the full cost of approved training. This removes the financial barrier and lets you focus on learning.

Experience Is a Strength

Career changers often bring confidence, perspective, and resilience that younger candidates don’t yet have. Real-world experience helps you approach challenges calmly and communicate effectively with stakeholders.

A career change can be challenging. It can also be rewarding. Your next chapter doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s—it just has to work for you.

Next Steps

If you’re considering a career change into tech, visit startsteps.org to learn more about our programs and book a free consultation. We can help you figure out which path fits your background and goals.