Considering a Career Change at 40?
Reasons you may want to make a career change in your 40s
1. Hate What You Do.
Why are career transitions at 40 a popular topic for those who want to make a change? It is extremely common to feel this urge at 40. This can be due to many reasons, but the most common reason is a lack of job satisfaction. Throughout your time in your position, a variety of factors such as aging, changing of team members, feeling of being left behind or promotions can occur.
When you do not have any joy from your current job- it may be time to make a change. This can be difficult because it usually takes 10 years to build up an expertise before considering a career change and the readiness of many organizations to hire depends on the need at that time.
People who are unhappy with their current work should switch careers. A job seeker's personal experience, skills, and networks can help them find the right position at a company they enjoy. Job seekers will likely find happiness in a career they never would have considered at their age. Pursuing happiness is valid and should be an exciting reason to search for a new job.
2. Your outlook on how you spend your time has changed.
There are many things to consider when making a change as important as switching your career. As you enter your 40s, you might have a spouse, children and perhaps even grandchildren in your life-- or you may be close with your extended family or your circle of friends. You may also be committed to a church, club or other community group that takes up a few hours of each week. We begin to be more drawn to those things that make us feel significant more than successful.
We are all willing to cut out some things in our life for a big change. If you would like to start highly paid freelance work, and have spare time to do more in-person hobbies you love, after hours, and more dinner times with your family rather than the dinner meeting; then now might be a great time for you to make a career transition in your 40s
It's hard to balance personal and professional responsibilities as they evolve with age, if it feels like your time belongs in one more than the other. If you're unhappy at work or in your current lifestyle and can obtain a job that has better hours availability, doesn't overwhelm you to average too many days per week, then it's worth considering a career change.
3. Goals Change
Possibly, you decided to pursue your current career 20 years ago for a variety of reasons, like professional goals or personal aspirations. Recent advancements in various fields have made the advantages and disadvantages of your job unclear. Stuck with augmented realities or becoming incapacitated by Virtual Reality, you may be feeling as if you never made progress towards any of these goals. This can be frustrating and time-consuming for the average worker.
Goals change and so can your path. It's never too late to make a career change. If you want to prepare for your desired future, take some unfulfilled goals and use them to guide your career change. Think about the professional recognition you deserve or the amount of impact on society that you would like to produce. There are many paths that can lead you back to where you want to be such as continuing on a graduate school track or looking into jobs in civil service. It doesn't matter how old you are when pursuing this opportunity.
Foundations for Changing Careers at 40
It’s not a decision to be taken lightly, but it can enrich your outlook on life, and the world in many ways. If you stop to think about it, you probably have more wisdom than when you had just started out. Here are our suggestions for a successful mid-life career change:
Check out our 7 Steps to Start a Career Change Webinar
1. Why you want to make a career change?
One of the first steps when considering a career change is to understand why you want a new job. Is it because your workload is heavy, that your work environment isn't amicable with your coworkers, or because your tasks are unpleasant and draining? If so, then figure out what you need in your new position to have goals for what you want from it. Always start with Why. Maybe it is just the company and not the career?
Actually knowing why you might be unhappy with your current job can guide your search for a career change around age 40. Knowing what the perfect trade-off might be will inform decisions on what path to take-- one that suits your schedule, skills, and personal needs. Setting goals and understanding your own needs will direct the search.
2. Do the homework
You can make a career change at 40 with the appropriate research. Knowing the why of your decision, and having research for your next move will help keep you informed about future career opportunities. When interviewing jobs or researching employers, be sure to inquire about education requirements, skill expectations, and desired experience level. The way we recommend tackling the research is to do all your internet research, generate a list of questions you have about your new career and then find someone to talk through your questions. It is critical to talk withs someone in that career.
Use online tools to help you focus. You might not have any potential career paths in mind. A simple career aptitude test could narrow down some potential options, so you don't feel stuck in a dead end job.
3. Make a plan and execute the plan
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Making a mid-life career change is absolutely attainable, but it might mean facing your fears and taking action. Avoiding taking action will result in increased fear and paralysis. If you want to make a career change at 40, know that success contains risk but in this situation the risk is manageable and only deliberating results in a worsening of the problem. Fear and risks can be managed by having a plan. Your plan should include a vision for the new career, an assessment of your skills, what motivates you, goals and the people you need to network.
When you're ready to start applying for jobs, send your updated resume and cover letter to relevant companies in your desired industry. You can also hire a career coach or seek help from a job agency, network with friends through a Twitter chat, or ask your coworkers if they've heard of any openings at their company.
If you wait for the perfect moment to make a change, you will never make it. Pursue your goals and face your fears head on to find a new career that allows you to take control of your future.
4. Do not limit yourself
Someone in their 20 or 30s may seem to have advantages when it comes to change, and have the ability to constantly adjust to new information and changing circumstances. Those in their 40s may think they can't change with the times, but they've got use advantages that provide more skills in handling unexpected situations, as well as increased mental fortitude and experience. When looking for a higher-paying career or just a career change, keep an open mind while you're searching. To maximize your own abilities to adapt, you need to expand your career searching range.
Dream. You have earned it by the time you are 40 to dream a bit about taking some risks and going for that new career. Once you hit the big four-O, it is not uncommon to find yourself struggling with a career change. Perhaps your current position has too many expectations that don't match your personal interests or skill sets. While it's tempting to stay in the same industry and just change employers, you owe it to yourself to at least explore a sweeping career change. By expanding both the industries and types of positions you're considering, you'll be surprised by how satisfied you are with a totally new job choice!
5. Invest in yourself again
Make a priority investing in you with the new skills to your new career, even if you are not ready to make the change. You can start now with the new skills. You've compiled a shortlist of potential careers.
At some point, you will need to start applying to jobs - this is difficult if you are switching to an industry with new requirements for education history or skill sets. So, in this case, you'll need to invest in some self-improvement to meet the industry standards. You can do this by pursuing a new degree, taking an online course, finding a low-level internship - anything can make you more qualified and prepare you for your new role. Do not wait till the interview process to invest in yourself with the skills you will need.
A course, training, or all-around education can be a difficult, but rewarding choice for those looking to change jobs. But start now. I have seen it time and again and even for myself...Securing a rewarding and exciting new career reaps benefits from an investment of time, effort and persistence. With a willingness to invest in your own education and improvement, you can increase your chances of finding the job you want. But start now
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