I'm 40 too and this is why I left the software engineering field and went into medicine. Just started interning in fact ("co-schappen", which in the Netherlands takes about 3 years, after which you can call yourself doctor but don't have a specialism yet). I'm loving both the experience of learning an entirely new field with its own quirks and ways of looking at the world, as well as the technical challenges.

I realise it isn't for everyone, but there's no shame in acknowledging that software engineering is sadly structured to be a field for mostly young people, and moving on to greener pastures. I mean, I can still enjoy programming, just as a hobby instead (which is what it started out as anyway).