Is career change to psychology a bad idea in late 40s?

I'm in my late 40s and am looking at a career change and am considering a few options, including psychology. I'm not really thinking about clinical, and I don't necessarily want to earn loads... but I really do want a meaningful job with opportunities to learn more, and also to work with others.
I already have a PhD in the arts, so would prob do a conversion and then another MSc in specific area (quite interested in sports/exercise psychology but open to doing other things at this stage). But it's a lot of extra study and I've already done tons of study in my life so far...
What is it actually like to be a psychologist? Is it worth it?! Do you get to work in teams much, as I really enjoy team working?

Hi,
Firstly, age is not a huge barrier but i would be efficient with your next steps as you already have some strong evidence of academic abilities and why waste time eh.
Psychologists come in all shapes and sizes but as a Clinical Psychologist i am always working in small to medium teams (circa 10 to 20 people). I love it also, as everyone is an expert in their own field and we get to have some really amazing but often strong minded conversations about the best plan for our clients. Id assume it will be similar for most client facing psychologists also.
Whether it is worth it depends on the person, plenty of unhappy Clinical Psychologists but most value and enjoy their job. I came to Psychology in my late 20s and has been the best career ive had.
Greg

Thanks - that's helpful, really glad to hear about the teams. I agree about not wasting time! Do you have any advice about efficient next steps, qualifications-wise?

Well a lot will depend on whether you want to be a Practitioner Psychologist (Counselling, Clinical, Educational, Forensic etc) or simply work within the field in another capacity. Each pathway has very different requirements. What i would say is unless you know you have to do a masters for a specific role, i wouldnt. You have a strong academic background already, so these core skills will be valued and helpful regardless of your career change.
Greg

I'm in my late 40s and am looking at a career change and am considering a few options, including psychology. I'm not really thinking about clinical, and I don't necessarily want to earn loads... but I really do want a meaningful job with opportunities to learn more, and also to work with others.
I already have a PhD in the arts, so would prob do a conversion and then another MSc in specific area (quite interested in sports/exercise psychology but open to doing other things at this stage). But it's a lot of extra study and I've already done tons of study in my life so far...
What is it actually like to be a psychologist? Is it worth it?! Do you get to work in teams much, as I really enjoy team working?

I'm in my late 40s and am looking at a career change and am considering a few options, including psychology. I'm not really thinking about clinical, and I don't necessarily want to earn loads... but I really do want a meaningful job with opportunities to learn more, and also to work with others.
I already have a PhD in the arts, so would prob do a conversion and then another MSc in specific area (quite interested in sports/exercise psychology but open to doing other things at this stage). But it's a lot of extra study and I've already done tons of study in my life so far...
What is it actually like to be a psychologist? Is it worth it?! Do you get to work in teams much, as I really enjoy team working?

If your goals are "meaningful ... with opportunities to learn more, and also to work with others", then start with where you are now, and work out how you can get to a desirable destination, about 2 steps away.
If you jump to something completely new, you will have to drop to entry level roles and you will be competing against young, energetic, unencumbered graduates. If you have any financial obligations, or even moderate 40-year old's quality of life aspirations, then you may find that hard.
Better is to work out your current skill set, your experiences in a neutral context - so not "I can maintain a school database", but "I can manage databases" and make a long list.
Then try and flesh out "meaningful", "learning opportunities" and "working with others". Do you mean working in healthcare, in MH, with children, would conservation be meaningful, is there a faith motivation, in the charity sector etc etc. Try and tie it down more.
There are more risks associated with a career move later in life, eg financial risk, accommodation options, relationships, obligations etc. But the advantage is that you should have a lot more data to work with, because you have 20 years of adulting to refine your skills, experiences, what you like, what you didn't like etc and frame a more informed plan.
The bottom line though, is it's best to be realistic about how to make (approximately) 2 x 2 year steps towards your goal, from where you are now, and aim to be there in about 5 years. Leverage the skills and experience you have now to make the move, rather than ditch everything and start again.

I am currently staying in my current career and studying with open university, Some people say this is not a real University but it works for me.
I am extremely lucky in my current career as I get a house and bills paid for as as a bonus on top of my salary . Which makes studying alot less stressful.
Also current employer is very supportive when I find lectures to go I just go and work longer another day without taking holiday time.
I am not an academic like some. Highest qualification is a HND , I have to.put in alot of hours learning how to reference and etc.
I take my hat to those of you that have already studied for a degree .

The OU is a proper university that awards proper degrees, ignore people that say otherwise! But my advice still stands, think about a career that uses, not just your degree and any other learning, but builds on your current skills, rather than abandon everything you've done so far, and start from scratch.