subject: Midlife Career Change-What Do I Do Now? [print this page] Midlife Career Change-What Do I Do Now? Midlife Career Change-What Do I Do Now?
Why Am I Going Through a Mid Life Career Change?
You're reading this article because you currently find yourself in a midlife career change, or you're looking for information to help someone you know who is in this situation, right? In the current job market we find ourselves in, career changes are really not all that surprising. So being prepared for how to respond to them is clearly a logical step to take.
Unemployment numbers are absolutely through the roof, and this is one involuntary reason you may be looking to make a career switch. On the flip side of the coin, when companies downsize their workforce, the remaining employees are left behind to try and accomplish a 5 person job with a 2 person team, and no increase in pay. This can lead to job dissatisfaction, and could be a reason you're looking at making a midlife career change today. Of course, there are some people who would be frustrated with their choice of career in ANY market economy, and a career change for them would be inevitable.
Many people who find themselves caught in the middle of a midlife career change panic immediately. For most people, their job is what defines them as a person. When someone asks you to tell a little about yourself, it usuaully ends up sounding a lot like a job description. As a society, that's how we've been conditioned. This terror, though, can lead to some severe lapses in judgment.
The person may jump on the first opportunity that presents itself, without really taking any time to evaluate whether that position will be a good move for them or not. This is a horrible way to make any decision, and especially one that can have as critical an impact on a person's life as a career move. So, what factors should a person consider in making a midlife career change?
Factors to Consider In Your Midlife Career Change
The absolute most important factor in making a midlife career change is your attitude towards the situation, without question. So many people hold onto fear of the unknown, and have tremendous feelings of doubt about making any significant changes in their life. We can all be surrounded by people who, no matter how well meaning, will attempt to convince us that we should go along with the status quo, and not make any changes. But ask yourself, if nothing changes will anything really change?
A midlife career change is an opportunity to recreate yourself in any way you see fit. If you've been unhappy with your career direction up to this point, here's a chance for you to turn it around in the direction that you want it to go.
The next thing to focus on in making a midlife career change is what you actually want out of your next position. If you've been unhappy in your career to this point, another job at a different company won't make it better. Actually, that would be the definition of insanity. Maybe you don't even want to be an employee anymore, you may want to try your hand at being self employed, or buying a business. The important thing is to figure out what what it is that you want to do, and then build a plan of action around that.
Someone in the midst of a midlife career change must be very aware of their financial situation as well. Reaching retirement age is an awesome thing, but reaching retirement age without the available funds to retire is not as awesome. Retirement is a dollar figure, not an age, and there are many items that need to be factored into that equeation. Debt, educational funding for children, and of course income must all be accounted for to paint a true picture of what will be needed to retire without having to downsize and live on cat food.
Final Thoughts On Making a Midlife Career Change
Making a midlife career change can be an unpleasant experience, or it can be the best thing that ever happened to you, the choice is entirely yours. Your career doesn't define who you are, but since you will spend so much of your time every day involved in it, shouldn't it be something which you enjoy? I'm not at midlife yet, but in my short time in this world, I experienced enough in the world of corporate recruiting to realize that was absolutely not the place for me.
I suffered enough layoff situations in 11 years to force me to make a midlife career change prior to midlife! There's been ups and downs in between, but every night I go to sleep knowing that I love what I do, and that I'm impacting people's lives in a positive way.
