With enough preparation, courage, and support, yes is the simple answer. Especially for women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who are seeking a positive change in their careers.
As a midlife career changer myself, I understand the unique challenges and opportunities that come with navigating a career change at this stage of life. Most of us have lives filled with responsibilities; mortgages to pay, families to support, reputations to uphold. At 38, I made the leap to becoming a first time female entrepreneur, setting up my own online career coaching business, after 15+ years in corporate.
Why did I make that change? Well, to paraphrase a podcast guest I interviewed, I loved my job, until I just didn't any more. The years of commuting, the weight of incessant responsibility and pressure, the never ending expectations (and soul crushing workload) from the companies I worked for, the lack of flexibility inherent in the Monday - Friday 9 - 5 world, the years of my needs, boundaries and wellbeing being blurred and ignored, both by me and my employers. A bout of burnout, and a diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder sealed the deal, and I knew making a change could no longer be a "I wish" thought , but rather was a necessity to living the happy, healthy and fulfilling life I desired. I wanted "eudaimonia: a flourishing life", that Aristotle had talked about! Many women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s similarly find themselves yearning for more wellbeing and fulfillment in their lives. I needed to get unstuck, and be brave enough to retire from a career that no longer suited the person I had become.
"I loved my job, until I just didn't any more".
It's sort of mad really when you think about it, that we are so committed to a career path that we choose as a naive and clueless 18 year old. I mean, do you still dress, act and think like you did as an eighteen year old? Unlikely, and yet we're so reluctant to move on work wise from the decisions we made at that age. I think it's really important to normalise this idea of having numerous careers in our lifetimes, it seems much more natural, and it gives us the room to grow and evolve our careers, alongside as we grow as people.
Whether you're feeling stagnant in your current role, seeking greater fulfillment, or pursuing new opportunities, making a career change in your 30, 40s or 50s is a significant but rewarding endeavor.
In this article, I'll share five strategies from my own personal experience, in the hope it will help you successfully make the positive change in your work that you truly desire.
1. Self-Reflection and Assessment
Before embarking on any journey of change, it's important to understand the motivation behind it. Why do you want to change? What sort of life do you actually want to be living? How can you make the change? What challenges could you experience in making the desired change?
Understanding yourself is the path to success. (I did a whole podcast season about this on my "Recipes for Success" podcast - check out Season Three! Start by taking the time to evaluate your skills, strengths, passions, and values. Consider what motivates and energises you, as well as what you aspire to achieve in your career. Reflecting on your past experiences, successes, and challenges will provide valuable insights into the direction you want to take in your next career move.
1-1 Client Success Story: "Heather gave me the tools to really think deeply about what I wanted and why I wanted it. She would ask 'why do you think that' or 'what do you think you can do next' and they are simple questions but ones that force you to really think about things and come up with an answer. This, paired with Heather's insightful observations of different areas I was talking about then led to me feeling confident about taking the next step in my career." - SJ
Once you understand yourself and your goals, the next steps are to cultivate the right mindset and create a solid exit strategy to navigate your career change successfully.
2. Mindset Matters
Whether you think you can, or you can't, you're right. - Henry Ford
Our mindset is one of the most critical elements to making a successful change. Change demands courage, bravery, confidence, resilience, curiosity, self-belief and self-compassion. We need to embrace our edges, stretching our comfort zone and welcoming in and embracing nearly constant change for a period. We have to shed past identities, that person we were before.
When we are going through a period of change, it's very normal, and human, to focus on what we are losing. For me, it was the identity I'd formed during my corporate career, of being a kick-ass, ambitious, seasoned senior leader, earning a 6 figure salary and bucket loads of respect and respectability when I discussed what I worked at.
I had to go from that, to earning zero income in a brand new business, trying to explain to people at functions what I did now, when I was just figuring it out myself! It's frightening, scary, confusing, even at times I felt a lot of shame about it.
Here's the thing though: When you let things go, it makes space for something new to come in.
When I released my old version of success, my old identity, I realised that my career change held more potential, than loss. My earnings were no longer capped by a salary, my abundance widened to include more flexibility and freedom in how I lived daily, (I am just about to go meet a friend in a cafe midweek!). I could never have done that before. Now, I work on what I want, when I want, how I want.
One of my favourite quotes captures the magic of looking forward towards possibility and opportunities, rather than backwards at losses and what-ifs: "What a wonderful thought to think that the best is yet to come".
Image Copyright Dusty Boy Designs. Buy this wall art here.
3. An Exit Plan
I'm all about helping people make empowered decisions, rather than reckless ones. Creating an exit plan for yourself, will help you make the career or job transition you crave.
My exit plan covered:
Getting my finances in order. Clearing off as much debt as I could, building up a "rainy day fund", reducing unnecessary financial commitments, and getting very clear on my income and expenditure, including exact amounts and dates.
Outlining a time period. This could be anything from 3 - 18 months+. I broke it down per month, setting SMART goals for what I wanted to achieve in the career I was moving towards e.g. getting my coaching certification, how I wanted to show up in my current work e.g. stop taking on additional projects as I knew I wouldn't be going for promotion, and personal goals e.g. starting a mediation practice. I'd also recommend that you plan for "an emergency exit" , a contingency plan, so if, for whatever reason, you need to leave your current job sooner than expected, it's possible as you are prepared, rather than stuck.
Leaving Well. There is a psychological phenomenon called the "recency primacy effect", which means what we remember most, is the start and the end of something. Applying that to the job or career you are leaving, it's important that you leave well. Primarily for yourself, to honour your integrity and effort, and to give you as many options as possible in the future regarding references and collaboration opportunities etc. Don't half ass things, continue to give 100% to your job (but no more!), show up on time and engaged, hit your targets, and leave things well for those you leave behind e.g. a good handover document.
4. Small steps, big changes
Our society is obsessed with dramatic transformation (think Biggest Loser, X Factor), that we forget that small, daily actions, unsexy as they may seem, compound to create big changes over time.
Ask yourself, what is your next best step? It could be something as simple as sending a message to a friend who is in a career you're interested in, listening to a podcast, taking a free online quiz, even just admitting your desires to a trusted confidante.
Ask yourself, what habits can you cultivate to support your desired change? Maybe this is saying no more often in your current work, it could look like prioritising your wellbeing, perhaps it means stopping something (e.g. smoking), or starting something (e.g. going to bed earlier).
"What you do consistently matters more than what you do every now and again"
I'd recommend to read "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, to discover how small habit changes can lead to big results.
5. Get Help
While friends and family members are well intentioned, they also can have a knack for saying just the wrong thing. That throwaway comment about "job security", can be just enough to get under your skin, and into your head, blocking you from making the positive change in your work that you truly desire. Hire the help you need, by getting qualified support, from a certified career coach who is trained to listen, ask powerful questions and equip you with the tools, techniques and strategies to make change, in a safe, and judgment free environment. After all, life is too short to spend it doing work that makes you unhappy.
1-1 Client Success Story: "I started to believe I can do it. And realised that I can actually do it" - Kitti
Conclusion:
Changing careers in midlife is both daunting and exhilarating, but with the right strategies and support, it's entirely achievable. By engaging in self-reflection, improving our mindset, making a plan, focusing on small steps, and investing in support, you can successfully navigate your career transition and embark on a path that aligns with your passions and aspirations.
As a career coach dedicated to supporting women make positive changes in their work, I'm here to provide guidance, encouragement, and practical tools to help you achieve your career goals. Remember, your career journey is uniquely yours, so walk it with pride as you create the fulfilling and rewarding career you deserve!
Ready to change? Book your free 30-minute Discovery Call to discuss your coaching needs, and high level how I could help. Pick a slot directly in my calendar and you will receive an email with an invite to a Zoom call.
Hi, I'm Heather, a certified career coach & business mentor on a mission to help women globally make positive changes in their work.
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