Making A Success Out Of Your Midlife Career Change
The Power of Hard Work and Determination
Do you want to be successful? Do you want to achieve your goals and dreams? If so, you must be willing to put in the hard work and determination. Yes, hard work and determination are essential if you want to succeed. But what exactly do these terms mean?
Hard work is defined as expending maximum effort toward achieving a goal. It’s going the extra mile; it’s doing whatever it takes to get the job done. And it’s not just about working long hours – although that can sometimes be part of it. Hard work is also about working smart, being efficient, and getting things done correctly.
On the other hand, determination is a quality of being resolved or persistent. It’s having the tenacity to see things through – even when they get tough.
So why are hard work and determination so important? Well, because they are essential ingredients for success. Without them, achieving your goals would be very difficult – if not impossible – to achieve them. Look at celebrities; they are only as successful as the amount of work they put into their careers. Look at Drake’s net worth, for example. This comes from hard work and determination.
Career progression has changed a lot in the past few decades. A job for life is a rare thing these days. Many people have portfolio careers where they collect a range of skills that allow them to work in several different areas at the same time. This is popular amongst those who work in the creative industries who may want to teach and perform or create at the same time. For others, they reach a stage in their lives when they realize that their current job is simply not making them happy anymore. Rather than choosing to make the best of it, they decide to have a complete change.
Other people are forced to change careers because their employer terminates their job. This can be because the employer is cutting back on costs or relocating or shifting the focus of their enterprise. If this happens to you, your employer can take advantage of outplacement services where you can be provided with resume and cover letter preparation, career planning and coaching, interview skills training and job market assistance and guidance. This is especially useful if you are in your mid-career stage and are struggling to decide where you should go next.
Retirement ages are rising all the time and people in midlife still have a couple of decades left in work. Now is the time to choose a job that you will love. Now that you no longer have the responsibility of raising very young children and hopefully are a little more financially secure, this could be the time to take a few risks and be adventurous!
Choosing a new career that you will love
A career change in midlife should be positive and should reflect the passions, skills, and interests that you have developed so far. If you have developed a love of creativity, a talent for working with animals or you feel you could inspire others to get fit then this could be a good place to start.
Do some research and talk to people who already work in that area. Establish if that sort of career will be both rewarding and stimulating for you without being too stressful.
Then consider the practicalities. Do you want to work regular hours and how do you feel about working at weekends? This may be a time in your life when you are no longer willing to do that. Do you want to work from home? This can give you the flexibility that you need to pursue your hobbies and other interests.
How much do you need to earn? If your kids are still teenagers then they will still be costing you quite a bit. However, if your kids are grown up and earning their own money, you may not need to earn so much. Your housing costs may have reduced if you have paid off your mortgage but you will still want to earn enough to go on holiday and eat out every now and again.
The important thing is that you learn from everything else you have done in your private life and previous jobs. Pinpoint the activities that make you feel happy and fulfilled and find the job that could provide that feeling again.