New Year, New Career: Changing Careers Later in Life
It’s a new year and everyone is beginning to implement all the resolutions they have fantasized about since 2023 began. Starting is always the hardest part, but once you get the wheels rolling, these new practices quickly turn into old habits. With simple changes, implementation seems easy; challenging but doable. When it comes to large scale changes, like a career pivot, we’re more hesitant. There is so much more at stake!
Changing careers, or a second career as some call it, is more common than you think. When you first embarked on your professional lives, you were young, willing to work in most conditions and lacking experience about industry standards. Let’s be honest, you were willing to put up with more because you needed the money and the experience.
However, in your present life, so much has changed. You have developed existing relationships and created new ones. You have perhaps formed families and now place a stronger value on work life balance. As a professional woman in the world, you are mature and have a deeper understanding of what is acceptable in the workplace and what is not. You have experienced more trauma, more wins, more doubts and more challenges than your younger self ever has. With all of this growth transforming you from a young lady to an adult woman, is your career field still a match for you?
According to Anthony Klotz, a professor at Texas A&M University, in a quote reported by Michelle Fox of CNBC, “For millions of people, the pandemic changed the place of work in their lives, and for those individuals, the change is likely permanent.” With peak pandemic era forcing you to take time away from your usual routine, lots of life evaluation occurred. As women, we were able to take a step back and analyze our priorities, deciding if our current career is a match for our nervous system, mental health and new life structure.
Maria Elena Gonzalez of Career Karma shares that although a career change can be scary, “the change will be worth it in the end. You will have a chance to build a successful career doing something you love.” With a change as significant as altering your career path, it is natural to feel anxious and overwhelmed about making the right decision. However, it is also important to keep in mind that job satisfaction and higher long term salary are excellent supporting examples of why career switching is a good idea.
Most importantly, keep in mind that it is never too late to start a new career, go back to school or build your own business. As a matter of fact, it is more acceptable than ever before to ensure that your career field is a match for your physical and mental health. Online communities on social networking sites and job boards are lush with contacts to connect with and free classes to join to explore what most resonates with you career wise. Have faith in yourself, trust the process, and ask for help when needed. There are more people out there rooting for you than you think.
Zsanelle Lalani is a freelance writer, copywriter, social media manager, and major foodie. She is a mental health advocate who loves to travel and create inclusive content on @Spill_Tea_With_Z
