IT Career Change at 40 in Ireland: Salary Roadmap

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Key Takeaways

• Your 40s are the Pay Peak: Irish workers aged 40–49 earned a median €925.54 a week in 2025.
• IT Pays More at the Top: Information and communication staff earned a €1,515.67 weekly median, the highest of any sector.
• Entry Pay Resets Lower: New cyber security and business analysts in Ireland average €33,983 and €31,486 on PayScale.
• The Climb Back Is Quick: Cyber security analysts average €48,812 within one to four years and €70,000 by mid-career.
• Time Is on Your Side: With the State Pension paid from 66, switching at 40 leaves about 26 working years.
• Traineeship and Bootcamp Programmes at Fortray combine live classes with 1:1 mentorship, practical labs, and hands-on projects to fast-track your IT career.

It’s half nine on a Tuesday in Naas. The kids are asleep, you turned 40 in the spring, and three tabs are open: your payslip, a cybersecurity course page, and a Reddit thread asking whether anyone really gets into IT this late. That’s where most plans for an IT career change at 40 begin, and it’s the right time to look at the numbers.

Irish workers aged 40–49 earned a median €925.54 a week in 2025, the highest of any age group. Information and communication staff earned €1,515.67, about 64% more, according to CSO figures reported by the Irish Examiner.

Fortray Ireland helps career changers and IT professionals train for these roles, and this guide maps what each route pays.

What Does an IT Career Change at 40 Pay in Ireland?

Expect average pay of roughly €34,600 to €57,400 across the common entry routes, with cloud roles higher once you have IT experience. That €925.54 weekly median for your age group works out at about €48,100 a year, so that’s the line to beat.

PayScale puts the average IT project manager in Ireland at €57,406, with the middle 80% earning €40,000 to €83,000. Business analysts in IT average €47,138 and cyber security analysts €47,040, both just under your 40s median. IT support technicians sit lower at €34,552. Cloud solutions architects top the group at €77,702, though few people walk into that title without earlier IT experience.