Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon experience, you are not alone. This isn't a plug, it is something I am passionate about. The company I co-founded (restl

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon experience, you are not alone. This isn't a plug, it is something I am passionate about. The company I co-founded (restless.co.uk) is working really hard to change perception and age discrimination across the entire employment market in the UK. Many of our members have similar stories to yours, although we are largely aimed at 50+, we hear the same from 45+ too. Sadly I don't think this is something that will change overnight, changing societal opinions is never easy and takes persistence, which we are committed to. We are engaging with our membership base and listening to their experiences in order to better educate employers on the importance of an age-diverse workforce and how to ensure that's happening for them. We are making an impact but as you have seen there is a long way to go! I know that doesn't help you right now, I'm sorry. However, we do write a lot of content in this space that may help, restless.co.uk/career-advice/. We're always keen to hear feedback, so drop us an email if you have any. Incidentally, I am the CTO at Rest Less, and my first hire was a 58-year-old software engineer so I hope that gives you a boost. Although we're not looking for someone in your specific area of expertise at the moment I'd be interested in having a conversation, please reach out if that's something you'd be interested in doing. Personally, and this is obviously my own opinion, I don't think you should be looking to change career if it's something you enjoy. Best of luck.