Making a Career Change: What You Need to Know Midlife

Regardless of your age, it’s always possible to make profound changes to your life, including your career. Even though you might experience fear around creating this change, switching careers during your mid-life years actually works in your favour in so many ways! 

In this post today, I’m going to show you how to change career, how to enjoy the process and what exactly you need to know.

The Shift in the Job Landscape

I can assure you that you’re certainly not alone if you have an inner desire for a midlife career change and I have seen so many people make it happen and experience such joy and fulfilment from doing so! What will work to your advantage in particular, is understanding that the job and career landscape has shifted significantly. The emphasis isn’t so much on staying in one career and climbing the ladder. With the turn in the economy and world events, more and more people at every age now have multiple streams of income, are delving into the ‘gig economy’, have started businesses from scratch and have found dream jobs that didn’t even exist ten or twenty years ago!

This means that there is a huge opportunity for you. No longer do you have to feel pigeon-holed into a career box, regardless of your age.

Create Clarity on your Dream Career

Perhaps you’re unsure on not only how to change career but what it is you want to do. This is where it’s time to create a vision that you can use to guide you. You’ve already had life experience. You probably know - to an extent at least, what brings you joy, what truly speaks to your soul and what you’re good at and this is another advantage you have at your disposal. 

Now it’s time to be brave and commit to your vision!

So let me ask you; what do you want to create not only in terms of your career but how this will ripple into other areas of your life? This is where you need to disconnect from the noise and truly tap into your heart. Remove all logic and ‘should’ out of the equation. 

Do you know what you want to do? If not, do you want to do something that enables you to pursue your creative talent? What are you good at? What comes naturally to you? What kind of hours would you like to work? In what kind of environment? When would you like to retire, or would this be something you couldn't imagine yourself ever wanting to retire from? How many vacations would you like to take a year? How much would you like to earn in your new role or pursuit? How would you choose for your career to impact your family time? How would it enable you to thrive in your health and wellbeing?

These are all questions you can ask yourself that will help create clarity on the overall vision of your career change and how it will serve you across all pillars of your life. This is of course something that’s particularly important when it comes to a midlife career change. 

Shift the Focus Away from Money

Whilst I understand that of course, money is a factor, but remember, money is quantum - its energy. When you find that perfect alignment and do something in your career that speaks to your heart and soul, brings you immense joy, purpose and satisfaction - whatever that looks like, the money will flow and often in the most unexpected of ways! Trust me, I have seen this countless times not only in my own life but with so many clients!

When you commit to yourself, to your dream and create a safe financial container for that to occur by setting up your finances accordingly whilst you’re making the transition into your new career, everything will fall into place. You just have to trust. 

When you focus solely on money and do something purely for the paycheck, this will create a disconnection from what the most authentic version of you desires. It’s now time at the age you are, to truly tap back into that and allow it to guide you!

Take Small Steps

Whilst the dreaming part is necessary to create your vision, the momentum comes by doing. So, what can you do right now, today? This part doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It doesn’t mean handing your notice in immediately (it could if you feel called to and able to of course!), but taking small action steps is a fantastic way to guide your midlife career change and to allow you to begin to experience those feelings of what it would be like right now. You don’t have to wait! 

If you know what you want to do, how could you start making that step today? Would it mean applying for new roles, updating your CV or if it’s your own endeavour, telling people that you’re offering a specific service or product and spending 1 hour per day working on that alongside your current job?

If you’re unsure, now is the time to experiment! Try things out and find what brings you joy. What makes you giggle? Attend classes, read books, listen to podcasts on those topics, attend events and see what lands with you. 

The more you do, the more clarity will come and the more you’re creating that energetic shift for the expansion and change to materialize!

Live Your Life for You

When it comes to knowing how to change career, many of us actually have all the answers inside of us. We know what we want and what we need to do. The biggest barrier comes with the inner fear or what others around us might think. We fear the criticism and judgement from our family, friends and co-workers.

I understand that a midlife career change can be incredibly daunting, and of course you probably will be factoring in how it will impact the people around you. But ultimately, if you allow their roadmap or expectations to guide you, you’ll be stuck in a career – and life you don’t love. You’ll be allowing them to remain in the driving seat of your life. 

You’ve worked hard and now, you deserve to spend your time doing what you know you came here to do. The beautiful thing is, when you do, everything will shift too! Your relationships will thrive as will your finances, health and wellbeing. There is so much for you to look forward to! You just have to commit to what you want to create and follow that wise heart of yours all along the way. When you do, all will align.