In everyone’s life, there’s a point when you look back at your old dreams and compare them to your current situation. With marriages, children and grandchildren coming as they please, life can never be fully planned. You accept some job thinking you’ll stay just a couple of months and spend 20 years of your life there. And when this wake-up call happens, is it too late?
Many people stepping into middle age feel that they’re too old to make a career change, but we live in times when an average person changes up to 12 jobs in a lifetime. The only condition to make a transition into the career that will meet your schedule and satisfy your creative and financial needs is simply – to be alive. Let’s see why that is and how to prepare for this change.
That Thing Called Happiness
When talking about careers and work in general, there’s a constant circulation of the same terms such as professionalism, productivity and success. Happiness is something reserved for the rest of your life, as a kind of reward for all the years of hard work. But, the same way the traditional model of the 9 to 5 office job is disappearing, so the threshold of retirement is shifting and is expected to reach beyond 74 years of age by 2024. Reasons for working later in life are numerous, from longer life expectancy, across employee retirement plans, to changes to social security benefits.
A study paper revealed that our emotions during the weekend have a great impact on our workweek experience, showing that work can’t be separated from the rest of our lives when it comes to our well-being. Happiness is crucial for work-life balance, so without it, we can’t be professional, productive, nor successful.
This is why changing your career later in life is not only possible, but mandatory if your current one doesn’t fulfill you emotionally. There’s always the question of income, but you should equally focus on your personal satisfaction. To make the right decision, you need to introspect and identify what it is that makes you happy. Just make sure to set realistic goals you’ll be able to achieve and reap the rewards.
You’re Still Here
The biggest obstacle for mid-life job searchers is age discrimination. You need to work on the further development of your skills and knowledge since you’re the only one that can show the employees you’re still here and not run over by time.
Your biggest advantage lies in positions that entirely rely on learned skill sets that can be done remotely and offer a lot of flexibility. There are many freelance jobs such as copywriters, web developers, and social media marketers that show how artificial the constraints are that are keeping people stuck in their current jobs. Some of them may require certain credentials, but there are online courses where you can get them in a matter of months. You may think you’re far behind all those young entrepreneurs to be looking for a career in social media marketing and that it may take years of training and experience, but all you need to do is find the right certified course, with the correct balance between theory and practice. Not only will you gain the necessary skills to begin afresh, you’ll also have a built-up portfolio as you graduate.
You’re Not Alone
Just think of how many times your experience in your current career has proved to be valuable to less-experienced colleagues. This plainly shows the advantage you can gain by seeking help from others experienced in the field you’re aiming at. You shouldn’t limit yourself only to career counselors since you’ve certainly acquired many connections over your lifetime – colleagues, acquaintances, friends, relatives. All these people may hold valuable insight regarding your future vocation and all you need to do is ask around. Even if your family members and friends can’t provide you with insight, change always carries a certain portion of anxiety and stress so it’s important to surround yourself with people you can talk to and receive their support and assistance.
Adjustment is in our code. We’ve all juggled different roles and adapted to advancing age successfully. We are made to shift focus as we progress through life, and career change is no exception. Find the roles that make you fulfilled, conquer age prejudice by learning new skills and never hesitate to ask for advice or help of others.
Jim Raychrudhury is a freelance writer and passionate blogger who likes writing articles that cover career, education and learning related topics. He has written numerous articles and contributed to several other blogs. When he is not writing, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
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How to Make a Career Change Later in Life - BioSpace
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