Author: Undre Griggs / Source: Lifehack
There are plenty of people who successfully made a career change at the age of 40 or above:
The Duncan Hines cake products you see in the grocery store are a good example. Hines did not write his first food guide until age 55 and he did not license his name for cake mixes until age 73.
Samuel L. Jackson made a career change and starred alongside John Travolta in Pulp Fiction at the age of 46.
Ray Kroc was age 59 when he bought his first McDonald’s.
And Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart at the age of 44.
I could keep going, but I think you get the point. If you have a sound mind and oxygen in your lungs, you have the ability to successfully make a career change.
Responsibilities Holding You Back
There are a flood of amazing reasons to make a career change at 40. Heck, you could argue the benefits of making a career change at any age. However, there is something a little different about making a career change at 40.
When you are 40, you probably have lots of “responsibilities” that come into the decision-making process. What do I mean by responsibilities, you ask?
Responsibilities tend to be our fears and self-doubt wrapped in a bow of logic and reason. You may say to yourself:
- I have bills to pay and a family to support. Can I afford the risk associated with a career change?
- What about the friends I have made over the years? I cannot just abandon them.
- What if I do not like my career change as much as I thought I would? I could end up miserable and stuck in a worse situation.
- My new career is so different than what I have been doing, I need additional training and certifications. Can I afford this additional expense and do I have the time recoup my investment?
- The economy is not the best and there is so much uncertainty surrounding a new career. Maybe it would be better to wait until I retire from this company in 15 years, and then I can start something new.
Feeling Stagnant In Your Career
If you have experienced any of these thoughts, they will only pacify you for a short period of time. Whether that time is a few weeks, a few months, or even a few years.
Since you know that you that prefer to something else for a living, you start to feel stagnant in your current position.
Your reasons for inaction that used to work are no longer doing the trick. What used to be a small fissure in your dissatisfaction in your current position is now a chasm.
Ideally, you never stay in a situation until that point, but if you did, there is still hope.
You do not have to feel stagnant in your current role any longer. You can take steps to conquer your fears and self-doubt so you can accomplish your goal of changing your career.
The challenge of changing your career is not knowing where to begin. That feeling of overwhelm and the fear of uncertainty is what keeps most people from moving forward.
4 Tips To Change Your Career at 40
To help you successfully change your career at the age of 40, follow these four tips.
1. Value Your Time Above Money
There is nothing more valuable than your time. You are likely receiving a pay-check or two every month that is replenishing your income. Money is something you can always receive more of.
When it comes to your time, when it is gone, it is gone. That is why waiting for the perfect situation to make a career change is the wrong mindset to have.
Realistically, you will never find the perfect situation. There will always be something that could be better or a project you want to finish before you leave.
By placing your time above money, you will maximize your opportunity to succeed and avoid stagnation.
If you feel disconnected when you are at work, understand that you are not alone. According to a Gallup Poll, only 32% of U.S. employees said they were actively engaged at work.[1]
Whether you think your talents are not being properly utilized, the politics of promotion stress you out, or you feel called to do something else…
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