If later in life means, more recently... I started my first business during COVID in my late 30s. Doing great!

Changed careers and went into decarbonization and environmental protection research at 39. So glad that I now feel like what I do matters and my purpose has meaning. Findings can sometimes be depressing tho

Money isn't everything in life..

Discovered my gender and sexuality in my mid 30’s. I turn 40 in 2 weeks and am continuing to find myself and become more and more comfortable in my skin and am genuinely happy for the first time in my life.

I'm 45 and all I've managed to do is accept the reality that I always have been and will continue to be counting days until oblivion gets here. The main difference between then and now is a half dozen pills a day and years of therapy so that I no longer desperately want to expedite the process.

Try watching Epicly Later'd by Vice, it has some people who achieved something after their teenage years which seems to be the cut off usually. Personally idk I'm a fuck up never did anything worthwhile I just switch hobbies every two weeks cuz adhd when life is basically over by mid-20s

I found out at 38 that I really love working out. I wish Id found out 20 years earlier before my testosterone was in decline.

Starting working in IT at 45. It's cool, and I'm looking forward to the future of my career. First paid days off in my life.

I'm not 40 to 55 but I find that typically career changes later in life (I'm assuming that's what you are referring to) typically revolve around a topic that the person is already familiar with. If you are worried about your career choice you can always take a few introductory classes on other skills now to keep "in your back pocket" for later.

I heard of people that took a welding class in highschool or similar, getting laid off and nearly evicted in their 40s/50s. However that little bit of experience early on meant it was easy to pickup the trade later. Especially if the trade is in demand and companies are willing to train newbies.

I retrained in control system engineering after 15 years getting nowhere and it was the best thing I ever did. My work is much more fulfilling, there's always something interesting to look in to. Finding something that you're inspired by is a huge deal.

Finished my BA in "regular study time" (3 yrs) and then decided to also do the MA degree within the regular study time (2 yrs), due to the gvmt student loan scheme telling you to fuck off if you take only a day longer than the alloted time (which is way to short for the extend of all required courses). Burnt out right before writing my thesis and had to look for a job to keep myself from becoming homeless. Got royally exploited by the company I worked at but was able to save a lot of money due to my still very frugal lifestyle that I had to pick up during my studies (the monthly student loan being below the officially recognized poverty threshold). Handed in my resignation after 2.5 yrs without having anything lined up because the exploitation and pressure for new tasks without any bump in pay were too much to take. Took it slow and used up 2 years to finish the odd unfinished course and my MA thesis in East Asian Politics while living completely off my savings meant for retirement. The way I figured, this is just preponed retirement, living a frugal but satisfying life and investing my time in my political studies and philosophy. Came out a way better man than the broken and bitter husk I've been when quitting my job. During this time I had to pay back my student loan (10k EUR) with my savings I was also relying on to not become homeless, had a child, finished my MA degree, and, most importantly, joined a progressive political party, as I couldn't take the broken state of our society anymore. This may have been the best decision of my life (next to having a child), as it provided me with an alternative source of self-worth, next to my professional career which had now been in shambles. I engage in local politics and partake in most of the regular meetings and projects the local branch of my party undertakes. There I met intelligent and interesting people who I became friends with, that also share my passion to make the world a fairer and better place for us and our children. I (mid-30s) am currently on the job hunt after recently finishing my degree and am extremely relaxed towards finding a job, seeing as I can always job hop away from a bad one whilst retaining my dignity and self-worth through my political engagement. Life is finally good.