Earlier, people used to work at the same job throughout the span of their career. As they didn’t feel the urge to switch their careers or step out of their comfort zone for the sake of growth. But today, the things have changed dramatically as a lot of people can now be seen making a midlife career change to either draw a work-life balance or to simply enter a career that can ultimately deliver them the much-needed sense of fulfillment and personal growth.
Needless to say, making a career change at 40 is a giant leap that requires you to first trust your own abilities and have confidence in the future opportunities. But once planned and executed correctly, a midlife career change can allow you to unleash your true potential and rediscover your own self. So, if you are someone who intends to make a successful career change.
Here are a few tips that you can follow.
- Make sure that it is not just the job that you want to change, but your career altogether – A lot of times, people look for something new and feel ready to move on to a different career only because they find it difficult to survive at their current workplace. If you are doing something that you were always passionate about then probably you are in the right career but the wrong job. So, before taking a huge step like career change, it is necessary for you to analyze whether you want to simply switch to a better job or a different career altogether.
- Consider the career options that are ideal for you – When you decide that you are in the wrong career, it is the correct time to find the right career for yourself. You can start this by doing introspection or by simply approaching a career coach who can help you out in first assessing your own personality traits, strengths and interests, and then exploring the most suitable careers for you.
- Take your finances into consideration – While considering your finances is extremely important in planning your career change at 40, you must keep in mind that delving deep into your financial situation before exploring all the career possibilities may prevent you from experiencing career growth. Once you know what you want to pursue, it becomes easier to arrange the finances, but again make sure that you don’t take so much financial help that you end up trading your job stress with financial stress.
- Develop an effective plan of action – To smoothly transition into a new field of work. You have to decide what skills you already have, how much experience do you need. How much money you can afford in order to survive and taste success in the new career. In addition, you have to decide how much pay cut you can take. Given the number of responsibilities you have at the age of 40. As there are chances that you may have to start from the bottom.
Situations when you should not make a huge career move
- Having a bad week at work – Even those pursuing their dream jobs can encounter bad days, weeks and sometimes months as life is not always smooth. So, before you decide to leave your current career. Makes sure that you are not confusing a temporary issue with a permanent problem.
- You are mainly worried about the money– If you intend to change your career only to get a higher pay. You may end up in a worse situation. You may leave your job for a job that may turn out to be a bad fit. You may later on find out that the employee benefits being offered at your new job are so bad. That you have to spend a lot from your own pocket. In other words, money is a valid reason to change your career but it should not be the only reason.
Conclusion
Regardless of the reason behind your career change at 40. You should not fear from doing so as it may introduce you to the role. That you always wanted to be in. You must remember that you have a valuable amount of experience from your current career. That will undoubtedly help you later on. However, just make sure that you are not leaving your current career only for money or temporary issues. As a career change should be driven by a valid reason and most importantly, your passion.
