Peggie Zih – a career change at 40

Peggie Zih (MBA AGSM '2001, BSc '1989) built up a successful career as a solutions architect. She worked across sectors, designing technology solutions to solve business challenges. It was only later in her professional journey that she became inspired to pivot and shift her focus into her passion area of natural health and coaching entrepreneurship through study at UNSW.

"To find some balance, I started taking short courses in natural health simply out of personal interest. What began as a hobby gradually deepened. ... That's when I stepped onto my entrepreneurship path, first with a healthy café, then a postpartum herbal product line, and eventually into full time practice as a naturopath, craniosacral therapist and coach."

Making a career change later in life

Making the decision to change careers in your 40s and beyond is a big step to take.

"Changing careers in my 40s meant starting again in an era where entrepreneurship required not just expertise, but also marketing, branding, content creation, financial skills and a strong online presence. I had to build all of that from scratch while deepening my clinical knowledge."

Connected to making the decision is an understanding of what it takes to forge a career. Being established in another area, and more grounded in life, gives you a more wholistic view of what is required, including financial, education and training, investment and risk.

"What helped me most was a commitment to learning. Learn, learn and keep learning has been my anchor, and it continues to reward me."

How studying with UNSW can help strengthen a career change

For Peggie, making the decision to continue her study at UNSW gave her the opportunity to strengthen her entrepreneurship capabilities. She completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) within UNSW.

"[My degree] strengthened my ability to build business strategies, evaluate risks and adapt quickly when plans change. My exchange scholarship to NYU broadened my global perspective in ways that continue to influence my work today."

"From pitching to investors, preparing financial statements for audits, structuring operations, to understanding how to position my services in the market, the foundations I gained [in my MBA at UNSW] gave me the confidence to take the leap and the tools to build a sustainable practice."

Support your passion

Find the course that can support your changing career and help you flourish within it.

For Peggie, a hobby, turned into a passion, which then became a successful and fulfilling career change.

"For anyone considering a career change, especially later in life, I want to say this: it's okay to start small. You may not have the same titles or certainty you once had, but starting again isn't a setback, it's a rebuilding. Each step accumulates. The work may look different now, but the fulfilment that comes from creating a life aligned with your values is immeasurable."