The purpose of this study is to explore the career transition background of middle-aged men who transitioned to becoming counselors. For this purpose, eight middle-aged men who became counselors after early retirement were sampled and data were collected through interviews, and analyzed and described according to the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) procedure. As a result of the research, the following themes were derived: 「Loss of presence」, 「A turning of new direction」, and 「find a way to be a counselor」. It was found that participants who experienced identity confusion and loss of existence due to early retirement adjusted the life goals they had pursued in the first half of adulthood, designed a new direction for life, and tried to regain their lost existence through work. Furthermore, my career choice as a counselor was based on a change in perception triggered by the professional skepticism I experienced at my previous job, existential anxiety about the finiteness of life, and psychological pain caused by retirement. These results are expected to provide implications for life direction and career design to those in need of lifelong career development, including middle-aged men who are about to retire early.