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Key Takeaways
- Plenty of Runway Left: Irish State Pension age is 66, so a 40-year-old still has about 26 working years ahead.
- You’re in Good Company: 47% of Irish workers say they’re considering a new career path, up from 34% in 2025.
- Your 40s Pay the Most: The CSO puts median weekly earnings for ages 40–49 at €925.54, Ireland’s highest band.
- Expect a Smaller First Salary: PayScale entry-level pay for common Irish tech roles runs from about €26,000 to €40,500.
- Reuse What You Know: The management and process experience leads to project or business analysis roles, shrinking the early pay gap.
- Traineeship and Bootcamp programmes at Fortray build job-ready tech skills with 1:1 mentorship and hands-on labs.
It’s 9 PM, the kids are finally asleep, and you’ve opened another job site you’ll close without applying. You’re 40, you’re good at what you do, and you’re not sure you want to do it until you’re 66.
You’re not the only one… The 2026 Work Trend Index by Microsoft Ireland found that 47% of Irish workers are considering a new career path. The new career at 40 is realistic, but it has a price: your first tech salary will probably sit below what you earn today. This guide shows how big that gap is, which roles shrink it, and a 12-month plan to get there. Fortray Ireland helps career changers and IT professionals train for these roles.
Is 40 Too Late to Start a New Career in Ireland?
No; the Irish State Pension age is 66, which leaves a 40-year-old about 26 working years. That’s longer than most people at 40 have spent in their current career. Even if your switch takes until 42, you’d still have more than two decades to build seniority, earn pay rises and change direction again if you need to.
Irish workers are also moving more than ever. In the Microsoft Ireland study of 1,000 workers, 48% had changed employer in the past year, up from 38% in 2025 and just 19% in 2023.
