When we feel the need for growth our inner voice is telling us we are ready for change ~ Cin Di Lo
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As a seasoned professional, growth is essential to our career, and our mental health. For most of us it is a very scary thought to think about change and changing jobs, and changing careers is even more frightening. That is why it is more imperative at this time in our lives to focus and gain some clarity to transform your career in midlife.
After 2020 we are all reeling from uncertainty. You may have lost your job, or are now ready to make the move you wanted to since 2019. Whatever the case, there’s encouraging information specific to our generation that continue to make strides and make sh!t happen!
As a business instructor and career counselor, I’ve guided my students with specific steps to attain the future they prepared for. I will share with you here how to assess your choices, make a decision that’s right for you, gain clarity, plan, prepare, and execute.
Does change mean to walk out on your job, get another job, or move to a different city? Sometimes. But not necessarily. It can simply mean making the most of your current situation and taking baby steps toward making a change that will get you one step closer to your career goals.
I want you to understand that it is perfectly okay to want a change at this point in your life. At 50 years old, most of us still have another 15-25 years to contribute in the workforce.
We are living longer and thriving longer, so more and more Midlifers are choosing second acts, continuing their education, or finally making that leap for more fulfilling work.
Midlife is the most common time of life that people are looking for a career change. We now know who we are and what we want. And we now know, we deserve it ~ Cin Di Lo
At this point in your life what served you or your family for 20+ years, is probably no longer beneficial or compatible with you or your current lifestyle. In our early years we often took jobs to get our foot in the door, with the promise of working hard and promotion down the road. However, times have changed and so have employers. The mind-set from our parents’ work ethic was to work hard and get ahead, and back In their day loyalty to an employer paid off.
Our generation has witnessed that the employment game has changed as fast as the technology ~ Cin Di Lo
In employment, too, we find ourselves stressed and squeezed in the sandwich generation. We are sandwiched between our children who have not yet left the nest, who often expect great jobs, at great salaries, while working in their life’s passion and our parents who were raised by Depression parents, they worked hard often for the same company for several decades, and often chose their profession by the first job they were able to get.
We Midlifers are Generation-X. Born after the Baby Boomers between 1965-1979. We were children during a time of shifting societal values and as children were sometimes called the “latchkey generation” due to reduced adult supervision as children compared to previous generations, a result of increasing divorce rates and increased maternal participation in the workforce. Many women in our generation were the first in their family to attend college.
What I find most exciting is that in Midlife, research describes our generation as active, happy, and achieving a work–life balance and Generation-X has been credited with entrepreneurial tendencies outside of the 9-5 traditional employment.
With that encouraging information, the time has never been more right to become proactive in making your dreams a reality and follow that “calling” that’s been gnawing at you since you were 17.
Midlife: when the Universe grabs your shoulders and tells you “I’m not f-ing around, use the gifts you were given ~ Brene’ Brown, Author
Ready? Let’s talk the talk and walk the walk! You know you’re ready for a change and the way I see it you have 4 choices at this point:
1. Grow Where You’re Planted
Sometimes staying in your current position is the most logical option and just takes a shift in your perspective. Why don’t you freshen your position by sharpening your skills, offering to take on a new project, becoming a mentee to newer employees? Sharing what we know can be very satisfying work, and it benefits you, the mentee, and your company.
2. Think Outside The Cubical
If you know your current position will go no where, seriously think about moving within your company. Seek positions in-house that can offer you a promotion, move you to another department, or even another location. Applying to your firm’s office in Boston may finally be your chance to work and live in a city! Many Midlifers are completely starting over and doing this at a surprising rate.
3. Change Companies/Organizations
Change jobs, but stay in your industry. This could even mean a lateral position of you really want out of your current company. You could also go a bit out of your comfort zone and pursue positions related to your industry, but not exactly the same. Going from a law firm to a government position, or from a hospital setting to a private practice are some examples of how to bring your years of experience and skills to a whole new branch of the industry.
4. Second Act
Create your Second Act. Change fields and embark on a whole, new territory. This, of course, would be a longer, stronger commitment. However, the higher the mountain, the higher the view. If this is something you’ve always dreamed of doing, do it. Decide. Plan. Don’t look back.
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been ~ David Bowie
Now, let’s brainstorm ways you can get your new life started today:
For Opportunity Hunting, Always Start with Your Network
To begin your job search, start in the typical places: search job search engines local and national; target specific company’s sites and look for their ‘Careers’ or ‘Work for Us’ link; get back on to LinkedIn, and finally email your former boss back who has been hounding you to come follow them to their new company. And if they haven’t been hounding you, reach out to them to feel out how they like their new company and if they think you’d be a good match there as well. Keep the lines of communication open with former co-workers and as you never know what may be available.
Consulting For Entrepreneurial Spirits
Consulting is a great way to combine lifelong skills, experiences and being your own boss. Again, you would start with your network, and include prior vendors, contractors, clients/customers to retain you for your services. There are many certifications for consultants in many industries. You get start-up information and the support of other consultants. For example there’s an organization ‘Institute of Management Consultants’ and there is also a need for expert witnesses to write reports and give testimony in litigation matters. There are needs for many different specialized areas: property or business valuation; construction; software technology; medical; legal; dental; agricultural; precious metals; heavy machinery. And there are even sub-categories within each of those. The pros are you get paid large sums of money with half up front; and can work for yourself. The cons, are that it’s up to you to find clients, schedule your time, and report your taxes properly.
For Updating Your Skills & Knowledge, Start Googling
Research ways to sharpen your skills and knowledge. If there is a specific resource for your industry to obtain continuing education, look into what they’re offering in the coming months. You may want to register for seminars, higher educational classes, or maybe a certification so you are more marketable in your industry. I do want to stress, however, to not stress about ‘having to’ get another degree or certification. If you feel that committing yourself to something like this would be a hardship on your time, family, or finances, don’t get caught up in that you ‘need’ more education. If you feel that without it, this would be a hardship on your time, family, or finances, do it!
Start A Second Career
This may be the perfect time and last time you are able to change your career. There are now many options for people doing this combining two careers and skill sets. I’ve had students that are now Nurse-Paralegals. Nurses, who, after decades of nursing, get their paralegal certification and work for law firms reviewing medical charts to see if a case is viable or for any inconsistencies in the medical standard of care. There also is a rising need for finance professionals who have strong backgrounds in technology; frankly there is a need for any field, combined with a strong technology background.
You will need to do some soul-searching and internet searching here. Plenty of experiences and skill sets can segway into new opportunities. And these hybrid positions are growing each year. your prior experiences and skills. My advice here is learn all you can and what exactly you need to make the cross-over into another field.
Are we ready? A lot to think about, huh? I hope you are excited at all the opportunities actually available when we think outside the box. I know, I know, a half-second later, our head says “don’t be ridiculous! We’ve been content in this stagnant place for quite sometime now. No need for any changes.”
1. Get out of your head, 2. Get into your heart, 3. Get on the computer. Open dialogue with your colleagues, peers, friends and find out how you can create opportunities for yourself and your future.
If you find you, or your group/organization need specific guidance with goal setting,; resume/cv writing; job searching, please email me at: CinDiLo0611@gmail.com
Author’s Notes: 
Take some time to think about what lights you up and makes you come alive. If it’s been too long ago to remember, go back to the creative days in your childhood and explore how you can incorporate that into your life right now. Baby steps…Comment below, I’d love to hear about your new adventures.
~ CinDiLo
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