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Midlife Career Change
Midlife Career Change
Are you considering a midlife career change? Are you feeling discouraged and tired of going to work everyday? There is no longer any motivation to work compared to the
time when you started out. When you first started, you probably were full of enthusiasm and have complete trust in the
company and colleagues that you were working with. You wanted to make an impact to the growth of the company and everyday
was filled with tasks and activities that propelled the company to another height. However, all these enthusiasm started
to dwindle down recently after so many years of working in the company. You are now in your forties and is considering
a midlife career change. Your colleagues are all a decade or two younger than you. Many of your old colleagues have left
the company and are happily on their own now.
However, as you consider to have a change in your job, you are concerned that you will not be able to get any job as most
employer will be looking for younger people. Maybe you feel that the skills that you have now are not good enough to
help you do well in your next job. You are in computer software industry but are not able to understand the new information
technology jargon such as HTML, JAVA, C language, or CAD software. This could be due to the fact that you are a manager who
manages a big group of staff and have no time to develop or keep abreast with the changing technology.
Do not be in a hurry to do a career change. There are steps that you can take to enhance your value in the current company as well as equipping yourself to enhance your skills in your industry. You may not need a midlife career change after all.
- Learn New Skills Enhance your value in the workplace by keeping in step with the current skills and requirements
of the industry. If you already has a basic degree, talk to your boss and apply to further your studies. If this is not
possible, go for evening or weekend short courses that are relevant to your industry. Acquire new tools and skills to
help you in your work. When was the last time you change the way you do your work? Have you been using the same old DOS based
tools for the past decade. If so, it is time to consider new Windows based tools to keep abreast with the changing IT
industry.
- Keep Abreast With the Technology Always keep in step with the changing technology that are sweeping the world
everyday. The advancement of information technology has changed the way people do things. Is there any technology
breakthough that has been invented that can change the way you do things? If there is, perhaps it is time to go and propose
to your boss a new solution that will help to propel the company to another level.
- Increase Your Network Have your circle of professional friends dwindled? Always strive to keep in touch with your
professional friends and personal network. Networking is a powerful way to keep yourself visible in the industry that you
are in. Develop some close associates and friends that you can confide with. Many managed to change their job because of the
recommendation from their friends.
- Track Your Progress Once in a while, track your own personal progress. Have you gained new skills, new knowledge,
new experience and new interest? Write it down and do the necessary adjustments to ensure that you remain zealous in
doing your personal development program. Do not let complacency crept into your life.
- Lookout For Opportunity As you interact with people everyday, always be on the look out for opportunity. There
could be an opening that you can apply to. Do not be in a hurry to change. Analyse and weigh all the pros and cons before considering your next move.
After going through the steps above, you may not need a midlife career change after all. For all you know, you could be on your way up your career ladder as your boss sees the contribution that you can give to the company.
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