But career coach Michele Waters says it’s both a natural and common occurrence. “I see it happening at all ages but certainly in the 40s and 50s, it’s very common. Developmentally, it’s natural that people are evaluating the second half of their life: what do they want to have and what have they missed out on? And often they are just sick and tired of what they are doing,” said Waters, who has more than 30 years of experience in counselling people making career changes. By the time people come to her, they know they are stuck in a rut, but have “come to realize that they have the right to be happy and they can do something about it,” Waters said.