UGC in Your 40s: Midlife Crisis or Midlife Opportunity?
- 19 hours ago
- 5 min read
Somewhere between AI quietly saying “I can do your job faster” and corporate restructuring becoming a personality trait, I started questioning everything I thought I knew about career stability. Never in a million years did I think that that nagging voice would eventually turn into me becoming UGC content creator in my 40s.
The Cookie-Cutter Career Plan That Turned into UGC Content Creation
When I was in my twenties, I'd been painted a very clear picture of how my career would unfold.
Get a job. Do well in a company. Stay there until retirement. Collect a few milestones along the way.
Simple. Predictable. Safe.
Cute, right?
That was the formula many of us were given: find a good job, do good work, and everything else will fall into place. Fast forward twenty-plus years… and let’s just say the formula aged about as well as low-rise jeans.
Laugh through the wild ride of midlife with my book, I Turned 40 and Everything Stopped Working—Even Me!
When the Corporate Winds Start Changing and Content Creation Starts Thriving
Companies restructure. Industries evolve. Technology moves at lightning speed.
And lately, artificial intelligence is everywhere, quietly whispering in your ear, “I can do that 10x faster… your days are numbered.”
After spending more than eleven years in the same organization, I started noticing subtle changes and shifts. New priorities. New systems. New expectations. New management. The kind of changes that don’t outright announce themselves, but slowly rewrite the rules you thought were stable.
Then the question started forming, the one I kept mentally swiping away like that same annoying ad that reappears on your feed every few days. What if this isn’t the company I retire from?
At first, I ignored it. Try to stay busy and focused on the day-to-day. But eventually, that uncomfortable question turned into something else entirely: possibility.
I Wasn’t Starting Content Creation From Scratch (Even If It Felt Like It)
When I seriously started contemplating my next move, an avalanche of ideas came to mind. The truth is, I wasn’t starting from zero. For over a year, I had already been side hustling by creating content through my blog, Out of Body Xperience, writing stories. Then I started sharing travel experiences. Making videos. Building a small but real online presence. I had even published my first book.
So I was already creating, I just hadn’t labeled it as anything beyond “a creative outlet.”
Then I came across something called UGC.
Yes… UGC. And if you’re thinking, what on earth is that? You're in good company.
I still remember telling my husband I wanted to start a UGC business. His response?
“UGC? Is that another detox diet thing? Because, I still have PTSD from the two-week no-carb phase three months ago.”
Honestly… fair question.
To be fair, I probably would have thought the same thing a few years ago. UGC sounds like one of those internet acronyms people casually throw around while the rest of us just smile and nod pretending like we know what's going on and hope context eventually fills in the blanks.
UGC stands for User Generated Content.
In simple terms, it’s when brands hire everyday people to create authentic videos and photos featuring their products or services. Not polished commercials. Not big-budget ads. Just relatable, real-life content. The kind you've scrolled past on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok a million times without even realizing it’s an ad.
Why a UGC Side Hustle in My 40s Clicked for Me
The best part? You don’t need millions of followers. You don’t need viral content. And you definitely don’t need to be 23 with fluffy lips and have a ring light installed in every room of your house.
Shout out to millennials and Gen X! Yeah boy...we’re still in the game!
And as I started researching UGC, something clicked.
For years, I had been pouring my creative energy into helping other organizations grow. And while I don’t regret my career in education, training, and academia, since it has shaped who I am, I also realized I had quietly outgrown the box I was in. I didn’t want all my creative energy tied exclusively to someone else’s goals anymore.
I wanted something of my own.
Not because I had a dramatic exit plan or a sudden desire to become a full-time influencer living in Greece by Tuesday (although if Greece wants to sponsor that idea, I’m available).
I wanted options, not limitations. A second stream of income, not a panic plan. New skills, not routines I could do half-asleep. And honestly, I wanted to prove to myself that reinvention after 40 isn’t just possible, it might just be what was meant to happen all along.
Because midlife has a funny way of making it seem like you always had everything together. Everyone assumes you’re “settled,” meanwhile you’re secretly Googling new career paths at 2am while binging a Korean Netflix series.
Why I’m Documenting This UGC Journey
Learning UGC has stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve had to learn a whole new social media language, figure out how to film and edit ad-ready content, pitch and negotiate brand deals, find natural light when it's cloudy outside, and occasionally talk to my phone camera while hoping my husband doesn’t walk into the room singing his favorite bachata.
It’s humbling in the best way.
What’s been interesting, though, is realizing that experience absolutely matters. Brands aren’t just looking for Gen Z creators. Many are actively looking for UGC creators over 40. Why? Because we understand storytelling, we understand real audiences, and we understand real life. No filters required.
So am I an overnight UGC success story? Not even close.
I’m learning. I’m testing. I’m figuring it out as I go. And that’s exactly why I’m documenting it.
The wins. The mistakes. The awkward first attempts. The lessons that you learn from doing something before you feel fully ready.
Because if you’ve ever wondered whether it’s too late to start something new… it isn’t.
This isn’t a story about becoming internet famous. It’s about staying curious and relevant in a world that keeps changing the rules.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s about making sure decades of experience don’t go quietly unused.
So if you’ve been hearing “UGC” and quietly pretending you know what it means…stick around. I’ll break it all down.
The good.
The bad.
And the three videos I filmed and finalized before realizing I had spinach in my teeth the whole time.
NEXT IN THE SERIES
Next up: I’ll get more specific on how UGC works, how I created my first samples with zero experience, and the moment I realized I had no idea what I was doing, but started anyway.
In the meantime feel free to take a look at more sample UGC videos in my UGC Portfolio
What about you? Have you considered pivoting and pursuing Content Creation?
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Work Essentials
Great read! I've thought about creating content as a side hustle but like you thought is was only for the younger generation. Good to know that anyone can get in thr game. 💪
Beautiful 😍