Abstract:

This study investigates the dynamics of mid-career transitions through a qualitative analysis of 60 podcast-based narratives collected between 2024 and 2026. It examines how adult learners navigate radical career shifts, with a comparative focus on transitions into the Information Technology (IT) sector versus non-IT domains. The central problem addresses the interplay between motivation, structural constraints, and identity reconstruction (abandoning one’s established expertise in one domain to enter novice position in another).

Methodologically, the study applies thematic analysis to longitudinal narrative data, structured along three analytical dimensions: push factors (e.g., burnout, stagnation), pull factors (e.g., perceived opportunity, value alignment), and transition strategies (e.g., formal retraining, incremental repositioning).

The findings indicate that while initial triggers for career change are largely similar, the trajectories diverge significantly across sectors. IT-bound transitions feature largely structural and epistemic incentives, including perceived meritocracy, remote-work affordances, and engagement in complex problem-solving. In contrast, non-IT transitions tend to prioritize relational, embodied, or value-driven dimensions of work. That said, professional networking remains an important factor for both types.

A key distinction emerges in retraining. IT transition can often contain a discontinuous “hard reset,” requiring abstract, formalized knowledge and demonstrating competence through standardized credentials. Non-IT pathways may allow more continuity through transferable skills, enabling gradual repositioning. Consequently, learning velocity differs markedly: IT learners experience compressed, intensive learning phases, often characterized by isolation and cognitive overload, whereas non-IT learners engage in situated, practice-based learning trajectories. However, there is also a subset of IT transfers that manages to combine their former domain with the new technical skillset.

Four conditions appear critical for successful IT transitions. First, tolerance for intellectual vulnerability is essential, as individuals must endure a prolonged period of perceived incompetence and loss of status. Second, effective integration of prior domain knowledge can produce enhanced profiles that bridge technical and contextual expertise. Third, adoption of a “perpetual learner” identity is necessary, given the continuous obsolescence of technical knowledge. And finally, overcoming various stereotypes often associated with the IT sector (e.g. predominantly male, of European or Asian descent, introverted etc) is needed, while still striving to appreciate and tune in to the specifics of the professional culture in the sector.

The study concludes that IT transitions are not merely occupational shifts but processes of epistemic and identity reconfiguration. Compared to non-IT pathways, they impose higher cognitive and psychological demands, while simultaneously offering distinct forms of structural mobility. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of adult learning in technologically mediated labor markets and outline the importance of identity in successful career transformation.

Keywords:

Career Transition, IT reskilling, Adult Learning, Professional Identity, Qualitative Analysis, Lifelong Learning.