You’ve turned 40 and suddenly, you get a sinking feeling you’re getting nowhere in your career. Or, you’re anxiously comparing how a friend that you met at a recent secondary school reunion is doing way better than you.

Maybe, it’s part and parcel of mid-life crisis. Or, it could be a situation where organizational restructuring and layoffs have scared you so much that you’ve started thinking hard about what to do with your career now that you’re over 40.

Here are 5 tips to help you stay sane and stay ahead in the game.

1. Learn skills relevant to your job AND new skills outside of your industry

Don’t assume that you job is secure. Make an effort to keep learning. Because roles evolve, you want to be ready to assume new responsibilities when the opportunity arises.

And you can do that if you’ve been picking up new skills regularly. Don’t wait for your HR department to send you for a course. Sign up for a one that will help you learn new skills for your current career.

If you’re considering a career change, you should be learning a new skill now to prepare yourself for the future.

You’re a nurse, but have always been curious about coding? We say, go for it. Coding cuts across industries and it is key to solving problems. A super useful skill for the economy of today and tomorrow.

If you’re a Singaporean aged 40 to 60, you get a one-off $500 SkillsFuture Credit to help you upskill from 1 October 2020. So, if you’ve not spent the $500 broad-based SkillsFuture Credit provided by the Singapore government to all citizens 25 years and up, you have $1,000 for the course of your choice.

If you’re after a free course, there are loads out there from Cousera to edX and more. Take your pick from coding, to marketing, communication and language. You’ll be spoilt for choice.

2. Be receptive to new opportunities

Just because you’ve been in the same career for some time doesn’t mean that you can’t try something new.

When an opportunity comes a-knocking, have an open mind and explore. Even if it’s an opportunity in an unrelated industry, or something completely different.

So, don’t be in a hurry to hang up when a headhunter or a prospective employer calls you to discuss a role.

Remember, as a mid-career professional with years of experience under your belt, you’ve a ton of transferable skills and value to add.

3. Network, network, network

Fear not! You don’t have to turn into a social butterfly nor burn your weekends to grow your network.

Start by ensuring your online presence is up-to-date and informative. This makes it easier for business contacts to identify you and match your competencies to opportunities at hand.

In the course of your work, attending seminars and conferences is a powerful way to network. The connections you make are invaluable and it pays for you to nurture contacts over occasional catchups over coffee.

And if you’re a member of a professional association, it’s useful to jump into industry meetings even occasionally, to keep in touch with your peers and be abreast of industry developments and trends.

4. Be adventurous

If you’re over 40, you’d most likely have saved up quite a bit and built up resources over the years.

This may well be the time for you to take up new hobbies and do things you couldn’t when you were younger.

Beyond hobbies, say, you’ve now the resources to learn more about investing to better plan for your retirement. We say that’s a new adventure in itself!

And you’ll never know when you can one day turn your passions into a business or a new career.

Turning 40 is an exciting time for mid-career professionals. So, go forth, and embrace the opportunities to stay ahead in your career!