I probably am too old, but hey!
I'm going to chime in here, if for no other reason than to make all you "young'uns" feel a bit better...
I'm 53 and having previously passed all ATPL exams in 2001, I went on to gain a JAA CPL(A), ME-IR, FI(A), Examiner, DA, blah blah... My career intentions back then were to hour-build as an instructor, then go airline flying. Then 911 happened and I was lured into the world of instructing, being a CFI, examining, some display flying, and some corporate/comms flying.
For 15 years I accrued around 6000 hours having a great time doing just about everything in aviation other than flying an airliner.
I effectively quit flying back in 2013 to be a hands-on dad but only intended to be away for a couple of years before returning to the skies. Anyway, life events overtook me and I let everything expire.
Fast forward 12 years and an "unforeseen" event has forced me to re-evaluate my life options. Put plainly, I've been miserable from the day I stopped flying as it really was my only ambition in life. It very much came to define me and I achieved it and did pretty bloody well at it. Stopping placed an enormous and persistent "monkey" on my back that I haven't been able to shake off. Whereas I expected the passing of time would make it easier to deal with, the opposite has been true. So, here I am...
I'm going to go back to ground school, do the ATPLs, the ME-IR and all of that stuff again with the aim of somehow getting to fly commercially again in some capacity and hopefully, take care of this unfinished business.
It'll probably take me a year to complete everything and then, at the age of 54, the challenge of getting a proper flying job is likely to be extremely tough. However, I do believe it is possible. I'm ok with commercial ME-IR instructing if that becomes a thing. I'm ok with a little regional turbo-prop job. I won't own my own house anymore but that's just a detail! It's going to be very tough indeed but if there's one thing I have learned, it's a lot easier wishing your flying job was a bit more glamourous, rather than wishing you'd never quit in the first place!
Currently, I'm in the process of untangling exactly what I will and won't have to repeat or re-do. I'm optimistic that I'll receive some dispensation, but not banking on it. If I don't try, I will go to my grave never knowing. :-)