Making a career change at 40 can be a daunting proposition. But with the proper preparation, it can be unlock the door to intense personal fulfillment. And maybe some nice bank-account fulfillment too.
Thinking about a career change at 40 can cause a huge instability in any person’s life. Be ready for extreme reactions from your family and friends. Some will be nervous on your behalf. Some will be jealous. It is a tough, tough thing to find your life’s calling. Not everyone gets it right on the first, second or even third try.
Some will change their careers because they have to. Many industries are still under attack from the Internet. Or rather, disruptive companies that are more adept at harnessing the power of new networks and technology. The possibilities for an exciting shift in your working life are infinite. You just need to ease your path with good planning, a clear objective and a willingness to leverage your considerable professional experience.
A midlife career change might have been an outrageous thing for some-10, 20, 30 years ago. But not today. Many have had multiple careers by the time they are 40. A job should used for fulfilling the needs that one has in life. Financial, emotional, psychological, it doesn’t matter. One average, you are spending more than a half day at your job. Your disposition needs to at least be neutral everyday, as opposed to hating every second of your job.
The desire to have an exciting and purpose-driven career in your 40s is not something that you need to hide from. Use it as motivation. Staying focused and engaged in your job is important to grow your responsibilities and your salary. As soon as you understand why you love to work a specific job, you will become more persistent in achieving a goal without fear or disappointment. In this article, you will learn about many reasons why you should be happy to start a new career at this point in your life.
Do It for the Right Reason
Making this decision isn’t easy. If you are willing to make a career change at 40 then it has to be pure. There are numerous things that can make you hate your workplace. But having a bad boss or an ugly office are not the reasons for why you need a career change. Those things can be tough to endure, but you need to be passionate about another field or completely burned out of your current job to make a switch. In fact, things might actually be worse at a new job than they are at one you have right now. It is not a pleasant thing to consider, but necessary if your career change is going to stick.
Be patient and the things that you experience in your life will be instructive. If you are a newspaper reporter, this is an excellent time to be researching new careers. Keep in mind that your writing and reporting skills, as well as attention to detail are going to be assets in almost any career you embark on next.
If you have always wanted to be on stage, keep your annoying day job and throw yourself into improv classes or acting workshops at night and on the weekends. Gain as much experience as you can without investing a great deal of money, so you can cut short your new path if you find it isn’t for you.
A midlife career change isn’t going to be difficult if you are highly motivated, persistent and patient.
Battling Stereotypes
Have you decided to quit your job and start doing what you love? Great! But, have you considered some of the fundamental difficulties that may come about when you get into the business at your age? Some people in your new field might be less than encouraging.
Try to engage with experienced, well-adjusted professionals in your new field. Do you want to go to law school? Find a lawyer willing to sit down for an informational lunch and prepare a list of questions. And pick up the check.
Once you’ve reached the age of 40, you might have invested a lot of time and effort in the job you had, which means that many of the skills that you’ve earned might not be suitable for the new profession that you have gotten yourself into. Find out what you need to know for your new job and try to adapt your current skill set for whatever lies ahead.
You have to be ready to start learning again and then build a new set of skills in order to succeed. Whether it is with free online classes or a community college investment, you will most likely need to engage in some scholastic achievement to move on to a new field.
Be prepared for interviewers to have an initial negative reaction to an older worker making a career change. It may not be fair, but it is a fact. Get ready to justify your choice with passion and a positive attitude. Emphasize your life experience and who hard you will work to make it.
But, it is achievable if you are persistent because you can make it if you love what you are doing. It will be a full-time job to switch careers and you won’t have a lot of free time.
Utilize That Particular Set of Skills
What you have done in your professional life up until this point is valuable, no matter how drastic your change may be. Having a previous set of skills for the job you had will definitely serve you quite a lot. And, from a financial point of view, the savings you can attain until you are 40 should be helpful in the transition process from one career to a completely different one.
Your people skills are going to be an asset. If you have made it as an office worker this long, that means you know how to collaborate and how to interact with difficult personalities. That is going to be a boon for any job interviewer.
Experience will always get you one step ahead of the people without it so you should use it as an advantage in every situation.
Pros & Cons
Make a list of pros and cons. Sticking with your old job may be hard, but it needs to be on the table. That way, you can know that you are making the switch for the right reasons.
Switching: Working with what you love is a blessing. It is difficult to succeed, but you will never feel as you are working a day in your life if you enjoy what you do. You will be a much better person if you know what you have to do with yourself.
Sticking: You have built up a lot of contacts in your current field. Plus, you probably have a significant amount of seniority in your current company. That is valuable. You need to be sure if you are going to give that up.
Switching: Your happiness is paramount. Financial considerations aside, clocking in 7.5 hours at a dreadful job you can’t stand will take a toll on your physical and mental health.
Sticking: Changing your profession can make drastic changes that your family may not enjoy. For example, there is a very good chance that you won’t earn as much as you do now when going somewhere else. At least at first.
These are tough choices that you need to face if you are going to make the leap.
At the start of your dream job, no one will know you and you will have to make your own way through whatever it is you want to do with your life. But, courage is essential in order to go step by step and make the best out of every situation.
The transition process needs sacrifices and when you make the decision to go somewhere new, your family’s financial stability will more than likely come into question. Make sure that you have adequate resources to fall back on.
Set your goals and start achieving them with baby steps. Slowly, you will reach the status you need in order to be successful in the business.
Do a research on the job you are interested in. The nature of humans is to explore, so a career change at 40 is not the craziest idea. Find the energy to endure every struggle and you can be sure that one day you and your family will be proud of the career change you’ve made. It is never too late to do what you love. It will make everyone around much happier because you are fulfilled with a beautiful energy that can spread from one person to another.
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