My life has always been unconventional so I don't know if this really counts as reinvention. At age 36, after being passed over for yet another promotion, I decided to quit my secure secretarial job at the phone company and go to school. I bounced this idea off many people because it was a risky decision .. only one person was aghast and it was somebody who I didn't admire all that much anyways. I figured if she thought it was a bad idea then it had to be a good idea.
So at 36 I started as a non-traditional student in the 2+2 program at the local university -- 2 + 2 implying that you would work towards a two year degree and some of those classes would count towards a four year degree. I decided to major in computer programming as a start. I completed a five-year program in four years and began my new IT career at a national bank at the age of 40 !!! Before I hit 41, I enrolled in the Masters program. This degree took me a bit longer because I became pregnant with my first child at 42 -- then a second child at 44. So I reinvented myself from middle-age single secretary to middle-age mother who happens to work as an application developer and am so glad I did :) I have never been unconventional but it works for me.
