Are you considering a mid-life career change? If so, you are not alone. People go into different careers at different points in their life for many reasons. Perhaps your were encouraged or pressured to go into a certain career as it would make you a lot of money, and now you are so miserable that it is not worth the money. Here are some common reasons why people stay in careers:
Golden Handcuffs. Perhaps you are in a job where you make a lot of money, you have many nice things, and now feel that you have to maintain that life style. I have worked with many lawyers in top law firms working their way to partner and who are miserable. Perhaps your job takes too much of your time and does not allow you to have a personal life. For most people, at some point in time, it is not worth the money.
Expectations of others. Perhaps your parents or partner expect that you will continue to make all the money that you did in the past, and will not be happy if they have to cut back. It is important to consider who may be affected by your decision, but not to let it keep you stuck in a job that you hate. Perhaps it’s time to look at your own expectations and what you want life to look like. It will probably look different at mid-life than when you first started out. You may need to set some boundaries or new expectations. It is just human nature to want more than you already have, so does it really matter what the salary amount is-as long as you can support your needs (vs. wants).
Fear. What is holding you back? If there were no negative consequences or fear holding you back, what would you do? For many people it is the fear of the unknown. They would rather be unhappy than venture out there and explore. The only thing holding you back is YOU. Perhaps you want to go back to school? If so, would your company pay for it? Would this put you in a better position career-wise or in a job that you would be happier in?
Not knowing what else is out there. Do you want to do a little exploration to see if there is a career you’d be happier in? There is an online career test that I recommend to many clients, called the Self Directed Search, http://www.self-directed-search.com. The great thing about this test is that it matches you with others who are in a specific career and happy. It takes into account all different types of personality factors such as high vs. low risk, liking to work alone or with a team, introversion and extraversion. These are all qualities that affect career satisfaction. There is no harm in trying to see what might come up for you.
I work with many clients struggling with deciding on a career, or a career change. If this is something you’d like to explore, give me a call at 713-304-6554.
Take care,
Debbie
