9 Successful People Who Prove It’s Never Too Late To Change Career

Do you find yourself sat at your work desk thinking you’ll be there forever? Have you ever dreamt about leaving your career behind – and doing something different? Are you in the process of trying to figure out  ‘what career is right for me?’

Changing careers can seem like a daunting and impossible task, but changing to a more fulfilling and rewarding career is an option for anyone, at any age.

Here are nine inspirational career changes by successful people to help motivate you to make a change in 2015, ranging from brilliantly talented local types to veterans of international brands.

01. Ellen DeGeneres

Today Ellen DeGeneres is best known for being a famous stand-up comedienne and talk-show host, however, before becoming an entertainer, Ellen worked as a paralegal doing clerical work for a law firm. She also worked as an oyster shucker and sold vacuum cleaners door-to-door!

02. Amanda Lintott

Amanda is best known for being one of Australia’s top female entrepreneurs. After working for several years as a successful lawyer, Amanda saw an opportunity in the automotive industry and decided it was time for a change in career. When she was five months pregnant, she made the move to set up her own automotive recruitment company, Career Driven. Amanda proves that while the change in industry may seem drastic – it is possible!

03. Harrison Ford

Before landing a role in a little known movie called Star Wars, Harrison Ford made his crust as a carpenter. He was in fact still working as a carpenter when he landed the role of Han Solo. Admittedly, it probably wasn’t a hard career decision for Harrison to make, but he decided to follow his passion and change his day job for good.

04. Suzi Dafnis

Suzi Dafnis is another inspirational Aussie career changer who now holds the position of CEO of the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. Before following her passion to become a recognised entrepreneur, blogger, media commentator and public speaker, Suzi worked in various marketing roles. Suzi puts her secret to career success down to education and ongoing commitment to improving her skills in business.

05. Walt Disney

Walt Disney was fired from his role as a newspaper editor because he ‘lacked imagination and had no good ideas’. However, Walt proved that successful people don’t give up, and decided to set his sights on something bigger – making the move to a career in Hollywood producing successful cartoon series.

06. Poh Ling Yeow

Poh is best known for being a runner-up on the hit show MasterChef Australia. Poh has used her passion for cooking to help drive her change in career from graphic designer and illustrator to being a presenter of her own cooking series on ABC – Poh’s Kitchen.

07. Ken Jeong

From licensed physician to comic actor, best known for his role as Mr Chow in The Hangover – Ken Jeong used to practice as a Doctor of Internal Medicine. Ken Jeong cites the support and understanding of his family and wife as being one of the main factors that helped to make such a drastic career change possible.

08. Dave Hughes

Funny man Dave Hughes wasn’t always paid to make people laugh. Before making the career switch to comedy Dave worked in an abattoir, as a bricklayers labourer, and as a shop assistant.

09. Sylvester Stallone

Before he stepped into the boxing ring as Rocky, Sylvester Stallone worked in a wide variety of roles that included a lion cage cleaner, earning a meager $US1.12 an hour. Sheer perseverance has been key to Stallone’s success and the hard times he endured before selling the Rocky script are well documented.

If you are thinking about changing careers or are in the process of asking yourself ‘what career is right for me?’ then speak to the team at Capital Training Institute.

They offer a wide range of training courses available in Australia from Project Management Training and Building and Construction courses, to Work Health and Safety Training.