I worked at a Profession that was a Family Tradition my entire working career.
I started out working after class got out, every day through High School, while a Teen.
After that, I went to College during the Mid - Seventies.
Through the years, I was simply too caught up making a living to realize what else I would enjoy doing.
The money and benefits were good, so I stuck with it until I retired.
I have always had an interest in Psychology and Writing.
There was this prevailing Feeling within, constantly reminding me to follow my Heart and choose a different Profession.
I never knew what that would be, until recently.
Do any of the above Ring true for You?
I decided that if I were to do a Midlife Career Change, my Career Choice would have to be one that not only inspired me, but could be worked at directly from home.
I was able to take an early retirement at age 55. I desperately wanted a change in career. I was searching for something I would have a passion for doing. I wanted to do something on the Internet, but did not know what I wanted to do, or how to go about doing it.
I searched and searched, and ended up confused and completely frustrated with the information overload I absorbed from the Web.
I recalled all those Career Assessment Tests I took way back in College. I remember one test told me I had the personality traits of a Bus Driver and College Professor. Interesting... I had forgotten what the other tests told me about me.
I was looking for something I could do on the internet as a business. I went to various Career Test Websites and took some of their practice tests to see what my aptitudes were.
I did not come up with any suggestions I favored. These Tests were free tests I took, but each one told me something different about myself. There did not seem to be any consistencies I could recognize.
So, maybe you want a Second Career too. But, This time around, you want to do something you are Passionate about. Why do it any other way - Especially, if you did not like your previous profession that much? You do not want to choose something to do you will not like doing again, right? You want to Love doing it this time. Now is your chance to do it right.
Maybe you are a bit UNSURE about what it is you would fit into as a brand new career. No problem. There are Career Assessment Tests you can take that can help you. There are also Free Tests, but you have to be careful. If they are not researched and Scientifically validated tests, the test results may not be as reliable as you would like.
You could end up choosing the wrong education and training for a career you really don't have the interest or aptitude for. The Test may say you are more of an Artist type, when in fact you love Public Speaking and are an Extrovert. This potential Career Mismatch could mean a lot of wasted time, effort, money and one big disappointment and heartache.
Teens looking for their first job, and someone making a Midlife Career Change may have something in common. They may be both unsure about what it is their passion resides in. If you are middle aged, you have an advantage, that you at least have had a career or two under your belt. A teen may not have even been employed once.
If you already know what your passion is, fine. But, if you do not, you will have to search yourself for it. Discovering Mine came late. But, Better late than never. Find your passion and Verify it through the Sounding Board of a Career Test. This will Make Certain you have the Career Aptitude and Working Personality for doing the Career Choice you have in mind. You can always receive training and the schooling to fit your passion and make it into a Career Reality.
You Do Have Options...
Find out what you Love to do or are Passionate about, be it a Hobby or any Special Interest.
Then take a couple Career Aptitude and Personality Assessments to reality check the possibility of turning it into a Career.
Study the list of compatible careers in the printable read out which they will give you after you take the Career Test.
If the tests you take are Scientifically Validated and Reliable tests, the suggestions and results from the various tests will collectively parallel each other.
In other words, you will start to hear the same things ringing true about your skills, abilities and interests over and over, as they pertain to certain repeated Career Recommendations.
Do the research about what the Job Duties are for your Dream Job, and judge for yourself if you are going to like to do them or not.
Visit and talk to those people within those jobs. Get it first hand from those who know the best.
Weigh all outward Data received against your inner Personal Core Values.
Know How much all the training costs, where it is and how long it will take to complete.
Figure out how you are going to put your plan together. Make a strategy with small doable goal steps to pull the entire plan into one big clear picture.
Will you work at your old job and train for the another in your spare time? It has been done, and it still can be. You can do it if you make it one of your personal priority career goals.
You can also create a budget plan, if times will be on the lean side while financing your new career training.
To Change Careers or Not
You don not have to make a Mid Life Career Change at all. You do not have to do anything but what you want to do. You can keep things just the way they are. It's your life, live it your way. Chances are that if you are here now, you want another career.
But, You do have options. All we need to do is examine them. The most important thing to do is to examine you and question how you feel about you, your life, the world and where it is you think you want to fit.
What things do you want out of life at this point? You could have made a name for yourself in your last career and made your money, raised a family and now you wonder what to do next?
You may not even need to work. Maybe you want to work and find that last career that represents who you are. You want a career change for what it will mean to you. You seek meaningful employment more than the money.
Chances are that you continue to need the extra income, but either want to retire or quit what you've been doing for the last 20 or so years because you have had enough of it and it's time to move on. Maybe you want a part time job. Maybe you don't even know exactly what you want, but you want to explore and see if there is anything out there for you or not.
So, Why even Change Careers to begin with?
Is it because Your Job is Not YOU anymore?
In other words, has what you value in a job changed?
Did you choose your profession a long time ago, and the job became a career mismatch?
Maybe the job doesn't do it for you anymore. Maybe it's a boring, not challenging, tedious, energy draining job, etc.
Maybe there Is there no single reason other than you simply want a change. That's OK. Maybe you are just tired of doing the same thing for over twenty years. This is OK.
You could be going through a Midlife Crisis where you are beginning to question a few things about your past and present life.
Statistics show that it is not uncommon for people change careers at least three times in their working years.
Why not change careers, what's the problem?
It's not like you are Married to it, right? There are similarities though, like familiarity, security and predictability. You know what you have to deal with on a daily basis and there are usually no surprises. On second thought, Maybe in a way, we have become Married to our Jobs. But the question is, is it a happy or unhappy Job Marriage?
There is a lot to making a Midlife Career Transition happen. It's harder adjusting and doing everything related to changing your career than when you were young. Everything is harder now. Maybe you don't even feel as good as you did and do not have the energy you had. That's probably why some don't do it. The new Career takes researching, job interviews, training, returning to school, or possibly working part time in your newly chosen field to see if you like it or not. You may even be worried about age discrimination, finances for training and living expenses. It takes a lot of effort and energy. Maybe you would rather not. All this is even making me tired.
Nevertheless, How do you take an inventory of YOU if you would like to make a Career Change in Midlife, but are afraid to do so. Start Thinking about those skills or jobs you like doing. Also, think about those jobs or duties that you don't like to do so you know what to avoid. What Hobbies or special interests draw out the passion in you. Who says you can't turn a hobby into a full time job? Did you have any part time jobs you liked in the past? You can even go so far as to try to remember what it was you wanted to do when you were a kid - A Doctor, a Lawyer?
If you are over 55, you have to admit that some professions are probably unattainable, because you don't have enough time left to live. You may not want to go to school again for another ten or so years and then build up your business or practice through time - Which is another story in itself.
Thankfully, There are Careers in between - Some that require technical school training, or certification. These Careers don't take near as long to master. Again, it depends on what you are willing to do in order to get the new career you want. It is never too late to go to school for ten years if you want to, and it is your life to spend any way you wish.
Remember - The older you get, the wiser you have to be about where and how you spend your remaining years.
I am sure someone has decided to become a Doctor or a Lawyer when he was 55 and then began his education. Maybe by 65 he had served his internship and residence and got his degree and started his practice in his own home town. It's possible.
The question to ask yourself is this - If you really want to do something, and it takes four or more years to get there and you do not start to do it now, where will You be in four years? You guessed it, you will be right where you are right now. And, You will be wondering why you did not do it, and may regret not doing it, because you would have been done with the training and starting in the career by now.
But, if you look back and are glad you did not do it because you changed your mind about it in the meantime, then passing it up was a good thing.
If you would love to do a certain occupation, why not start training for it? What else are you doing that is better? Will you Stay in a Soul Killing Job that you are in presently, or making an attempt to get out of it through training for something else? Isn't it better to train for something new that you'll love rather than keep the same Status?
As long as you are alive, you have a Future.
Questions to ask Yourself
Are you a people person, or would you rather work with things?
Do you like working with Statistics and Data?
Do like to Lead? Do you like instructing others, or Teaching?
Are you a natural born Salesman?
Are you mechanical? Do you like working with your hands? Fixing things?
Are You Artistic?
Do you like working outside?
Can You See You in the Job Picture?
Thinking about those things you like to do and the conditions you prefer on the job can determine what Career Choice is best for what you are made of. Only you can know what it is you like. If you do not already know, you can find it out through taking a Career Assessment Test and choose from a list of Career Choices the Test recommends. Matter of fact, taking the test is part of being able to set career goals and plan for your new career.
Be open to new ideas from any source. I personally like to look through Mother Earth News Magazine for business and career ideas. I like reading about the do it yourself stuff on a farm, and articles on going solar. So, Pick up your favorite magazine and page through it and check out the local classifieds for business opportunities, or even employment. These are all potential Career Choices.
Investigate what it is you are interested in and passionate about. Even if you don't know what that is, investigate anyway. You will eventually find your Dream.
You have been focusing on the Money factor most, if not all your previous career and life. But From Now on, try focusing on the Fun Factor. Look to a new Career for the enjoyment of it, not the money. You may have needed more money before, because you had a family to support. Now, it may be somewhat different financially.
If you do what you love, you will be willing to work harder at it that much longer each day. It will still seem like work, but there will be a distinct difference. It will be work you love to do. You will not have to be dishonest with yourself and cover up your distaste for a job you hate doing anymore. You may already know what working hard at a job you hate brings into your life.
This way, if you are hard working and (most importantly) true to yourself and to your own happiness, the money will come later because of all your loving toil and diligence. Think about the concept of making money at something that is fun to do - Would that not be nice doing just that?
What you love attracts the same positive vibes and material conditions, what you hate brings Negativity. Stop doing what you dislike, it will never bring Success to you nor to anyone who depends upon you. There is no Success without Fulfillment.
Why not start to Be who you want to be, and do what you want to do. If you already have not done this, Try Thinking how you want to think. Not how you think others want you to. And, start doing those duties and activities that bring you the joy and the passion you've always wanted. The focus has always been on hard work. Change the focus to enjoyable work. Would it not be great if you focused on who you wanted to be and acted that out instead of focusing on deadlines based on money and people you would rather not be around?
When you find and do what you love, you will come across like minded people...You will have something in common with and be surrounded by Your own kind.
Deadlines are dead. You are alive. Change your scene. Change your life. Change your mindset. Don't let someone else define YOU. You define YOU from now on. Who do you want to be? You can be that person, you know...Only if it is true to being YOU and to who you are.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook by the US Dept. of Labor is filled with hundreds, if not thousands of Careers. Learn about each one you are interested in. More than that, seek those Career Opportunities that make you feel Passionate. Would it not be great to be so restless at night that you could not wait to get up in the morning to go to work? Well, maybe we don't want that much excitement, do we? Maybe, maybe not. At least not right away. But, you can grow into it slowly and start liking it.
We sleep a third of our lives, and work a third of our lives. With so much time preparing for work, should not work be a Pleasure instead of a dreaded chore?
After you take a Career Assessment Test and have your Career Choices in hand and have made your choice, then it is time to put a plan together. This means where the education is located, how long it takes to complete the program, how you are going to pay for it, putting together a resume, practicing up with your job interviewing skills, possibly a part time job in your chosen profession, goals and steps to achieve the same, etc.
A way to bypass job interviews and resumes etc., is to become self employed and Work from the comfort of your own home. This is the golden opportunity for those who are Midlife Career Changers. You are older, wiser, mature and solid in those things you want. And you can still find yourself through the right second and possibly last career. You may have the savings to put you through the necessary training for that work at home job.
There are many legitimate work from home businesses to choose from. There are franchises and there is also your own knowledge of a business you have already been in that you could turn into your own. Sometimes, being your own Boss can be the key to the experience of job happiness.
You may have all the responsibility, but you can still call all the shots your way. Well, realistically not everything will be your way, but you will have much greater latitude in making business decisions without having to answer to someone.
Probably one of the most important aspects of Mid life Career Change is having a plan. Equal to that is support from family and friends. They need to be behind you on this one. Without support, you will be hard pressed to make anything happen. Sell everyone on what you are about to do. Put your finances in order. Sell your plan to them. Get the right feedback you need. Make them feel good about what you are about to do. Calm their fears while Dealing with your own.
It takes time to put a Plan of Action together. A Career Guidance Counselor can help. He/She can guide you by suggesting Career Tests and even help you plan for the education, and assist you with your own job placement.
http://www.career-test-info-guide.com
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