Jaime Lanniste
Middle age seems like a bad time to think about a career change. A lot of people want to do their job and then retire. However, many people have no choice. For various reasons, they are forced to change careers. While changing careers in middle age can be stressful, it isn’t impossible to achieve. Many middle-aged people still have many good years of work ahead of them.
It is essential to be realistic about a career change in midlife. This can be a difficult time to pursue an entirely different type of job. By the age of 55, you may or may not want to return to school for several years for an advanced degree. Having worked for many years means you can add a lot of experience to a new profession.
It’s essential to understand the transitions you may need to go through. Make sure you know the difference between dislike your career and wanting not to work. If it’s your career that bothers you for any reason, you might consider taking a step. However, if you are overwhelmed, feel whether this will improve by moving to a new field.
What kind of career changes can you make without sacrificing a significant investment in retraining? Can you find a new job that requires some of your previous work experience?
For example, I know a lot of technical staff who have switched to teaching. A quote from some former teachers who think they can learn to be good managers. If a teacher can lead a class of unruly middle school students, you shouldn’t have a problem supervising adult workers!
Your job will be to convince hiring managers that your previous skills and experience will enable you to do well in a new job. You may need to do one thing before you can even speak to the hiring manager is creating an updated resume and cover letter. Hiring managers are looking for different things than they did a few years ago. Were you at your old job decades ago? If so, you might want to know how to create a resume that will impress current employers.
Communication is a great way to find out about new careers. Many older workers do not do well on large job boards or with recruiting companies. Using your networks to find opportunities is perhaps the most effective way to go. You don’t have to meet many new people in person to do this. May you have good luck with online social networks. If you want to grow your network quickly, these websites are great tools. Letting your offline and online friends know that you are looking for a job can be a great resource.
It is not impossible to make a career change in middle age. If you have many commitments, you may want to approach your job search with a realistic situation.
