Author: Ami Au-Yeung / Source: Lifehack
I remember when I turned 30, I felt a new sense of maturity, confidence, and purpose. I had developed a solid reputation at work and achieved two promotions. I was also blessed to marry my best friend and travel the world. This was also the same year that I felt the pressures of increasing responsibilities as I was supporting my parents with my mom’s cancer treatments and being a caregiver to my grandmother.
I was exposed to many life events that offered me the opportunity to reflect on making a career change at 30 and consider how a career impacts my quality of life. And since we spend over 90,000 hours at work in our lives, it was time that I re-evaluated the career decisions that I was making.[1]
At 30, you still have about 35 more working years left until retirement and a career change is inevitable in our fast paced changing world of work.
Common Triggers For a Career Change
1. Life Events
Whether you’re getting married (or some may get divorced), seeking home ownership, raising a family, caring for aging parents, developing your career, or building your nest egg — you’re bound to experience life events that will change your perspective.
The spark to change careers comes in different forms for everyone. For some, it’s a big fire; and for others, it’s a small lit birthday candle leading them to take the first step like recognizing that a career change is needed.
These life events will likely surface some questions for reflection:
- Why do I feel like I need a change?
- What is most important to me right now?
- How can I create a more flexible work schedule?
- What can I do to spend more time with my family?
- What if I could include my desires into my life and work? How could I go about doing that?
- What trends are having the most impact on my career? Which of my existing skills are more adaptable and which new skills do I need to add?
Fear of the unknown can be paralyzing and when you’re able to pass through the transition of a career change, the outcomes of making informed decisions can be quite exciting. Keep an open mind and renew your mindset.
2. You’re on Autopilot
Many of us take work for granted when it becomes comfortable and routine. This is a very common scenario for a majority of people in the workplace.[2]
You may be on autopilot from the moment you get out of bed to the end of your work day. You stroll through the sea of cubicles and finally arrive at your own. Maybe you can’t remember how you’re already idle at your computer, logging into your email, and checking your calendar.
Here are some cues that you’re on autopilot:
- You feel stuck and can’t quite put your finger on what needs to change.
- You make decisions without thinking. Your decisions are mindless and unintentional.
- You dread each day. Every morning feels empty because you have nothing to look forward to.
- You’re bored. When you’re completing a task, your mind wanders aimlessly about other things.
- Your routine is predictable and familiar. You know exactly what’s going to happen each day, month and quarter. Nothing will change.
- You say ‘yes’ more than you say ‘no’ because you don’t want to let others down, but regret the decision because you’ve said ‘yes’ to something you really don’t want to do.
Adults make about 35,000 decisions a day according to some research.[3] There are many times that we do things without thinking.
Being on autopilot does help us manage our compounding choices, however, if we rely too much on our default setting we will likely not make conscious decisions.
You want to be fully present and intentional when you’re making decisions about how you want to shape your work and live your life.
Good news, small actions can help you be more aware of the impact autopilot has on your life and this will be different for everyone.
First, noticing your own autopilot behaviors is essential as you will start to recognize and change your habits so that you can make mindful decisions.
3. You’ve Been Overlooked for a Promotion
You may be eyeing a career change at 30 if you’re frustrated because you’ve been passed over for a promotion. You are skilled, have close to 10 years of work experience, and achieved many career milestones. However, the problem is that you still don’t have that management job title and can’t understand why.
You dread going into work each day and your mind is flooded with negative emotions from your inner critic that you can’t seem to silence:
- You’re likely fuming, wanting to knock down your boss’s door to demand answers, walk out and hit the job postings.
- You resent the new employees who have come into the company and moved onto other roles with increasingly responsibility, and yet your job description has remained the same.
- You feel stuck and can’t seem to understand why she/he was promoted and not you. You’re constantly comparing yourself to others. You believe you have the same skills and you have been with the company longer than her/him.
Here are some tips to consider before you bury your head under the sand:
- Stay professional. You’ve spent a lot of effort building the trust of your colleagues. Don’t let your impulses spoil the reputation you’ve built. Take a deep breath, maintain your grace and congratulate the incumbent.
- Look inward. It’s easy to point your fingers at others when…
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