Steps for a Midlife Career Change
Posted in Changing Career
Switching careers is not a common thing for a professional. People all over do it all the time. The cause for concern happens when you have already established a career in your twenties and thirties and then you want to try something different.
A mid-life career change is quite difficult to handle and take in simply because in our midlife, we have time against us. It is in this stage of our lives that we recognize that our humanity simply reduces the status that we have or the success and money we have attained during the beginning phase of our professional lives.
Because we want our contributions to count, we ponder over the second half of our lives because after this, there are no second chances.
Do you really need a change?
Since there is no turning back, you should honestly ask yourself if you need a career change. Are you bored with what you are doing right now? Do you wake up and feel uninspired, maybe even dreadful? Have you lost an interest in things that excited you before?
Of course, shifting careers is not the only answer to such a diminished interest in things but if you have answered "Yes" to all of those questions, then a career change could be the exact thing that you need.
Create a Mission Statement
Work should be seen as an exact representation of what we value in life and how our talents contribute to a meaningful life. Try to think about the person who you most envy. What is it about this person that you would like to have?
A good exercise is to think about what someone would say if you were being eulogized. What contributions would people remember in the life that you've made in this world?
These are the things that you could consider when writing a mission statement. Once you have yours, go out there and see that it becomes accomplished.
List down your accomplishments
It's best that you take this activity as something that will affirm you in the long run. It's really not about bragging but more of letting yourself know what valuable things you are able to give to any employer.
Doing this is simply a way for you to look back and say that you have been able to accomplish a lot during your tenure in a company.
Record your core competencies
It's very imperative that you know where you're good at. Doing your 20-25 years as a professional, simply list down the things you know you're good at. If you have persuasive skills, then jot it down. If you are able to organize big events, then by all means, put it on the list.
These are just but a few things that you can think about before deciding to finally shift to a new and better career. Always remember that you should think things through before deciding to shift careers because this is the part of your life which means there's no turning back. So think about what you really want to do, assess yourself and do it if it's a good fit.
