When Is It
Too Late to Change Careers? NEVER!
Consider a few of the following points.
Work for yourself for a change!
Eighty
percent of people end up in the wrong job, therefore changing your career could
be the best decision you ever make. If
you don’t become the person you were meant to be now, when will you? No matter how advanced your age, you've
gained an impressive array of skills, plus you have professional wisdom and
perspective, acquired only through time. Put
them to work to your advantage!
Life is short!
Do you
really want to spend the rest of your working years doing anything other than
the work you’d love to do? David Thomas,
chief executive of CRAC, the Careers Research and Advisory Centre, states “For
most people, a major career change is a very positive experience and nearly
always a success story. If you can find a role that you love, the change will
be totally invigorating.”
Base your confidence on reality.
Never let
your confidence in yourself, hinge on other people’s lack of confidence or
doubt. Other people’s opinions are just
that, opinions, and hold no power over us what so ever, unless we choose so. If you are going to take advice, seek advice
from someone who has done it, and already taken that leap of faith to a career
change. They will better know what they
are talking about than those who have never even tried it.
Have no fear.
While change
generates fear in most people, you already have within you the experiences of
tens of thousands of changes. Why should
you fear change? You already possess the
mental skills and incredible resources of inner strength for managing
change. Once you set fear aside, you the
individual are actually among the best equipped in the world to successfully manage
changes, to your full advantage.
It’s not starting over.
It’s
starting with your strengths, and you have many! The more years you have worked, lived, and
interacted in society, the more impressive will be your array of skills in
general and specific knowledge. Plus,
you have wisdom and perspective acquired only through time, with the lion’s
share of it, specific to your profession or work that you love.
Rely on your strengths.
When
deciding on a new career path, don’t dwell on your weaknesses but rather your
strengths. Doing what you are best at
and love, is the best recipe for success known to mankind. Where motivation and ability meet in a
focused effort, you can’t be stopped.
What loyalty?
While
loyalty was once appreciated by employers, that is no longer the case, and most don’t even give it in return for
employee loyalty. If you are an older
worker, then very likely you are under paid, under-utilized, and
under-developed at your current job. Would
a younger person settle for this? Why
should you? Fact check: There's no reason why you have to!
What does it take?
It takes your
personal commitment and having the confidence to take a low risk, and make a big
change. If you are finally ready to go
do the work that you really love, do it. Making excuses does not make a career. As E.E. Cummings said so well, “It takes
courage to grow up and become who you really are.” And, as the lotto motto says, "You can’t win if you
don’t play.” The question is not, "Am I too old for a career change?" but, "Am I old enough for a career change?". Go for the gold!
Suggested readings: Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson,
Who Do You Think You Are? by Nick
Isbister, and
What Colour is Your Parachute? by
Richard Bolles
The Holstee Manifesto;
Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you
love, and a cause that you believe in.
Your comments, "likes", "twitters" and "pins"
are welcome! Follow me on twitter
@earlefowler
