Thursday, October 11, 2007

Career Advice for Your Midlife Crisis: 7 Tips

By Cathy Goodwin Youve enjoyed your career for the past twenty years maybe more. And now youre
wondering: Maybe its time to switch gears. A whole new career. Work at home.
Retire. Or maybe youre forced to revise your career due to layoffs or transfers. (1) Expect midlife career change to be easier than entering the world of employment
for the first time. Most likely you enjoy a financial cushion: savings, home equity, and a retirement
fund. You also have demonstrated skills and experience. If youre employed, your
company probably offers resources for developing new skills and managing the
transition. (2) Expect midlife career change to be harder because youve invested in a career
identity way beyond skills and values. . When you introduce yourself as, Heres
what I do... you are also saying, Heres who I am. (3) Expect to change your appearance as you change careers. Sadly, many individuals and organizations really do judge a book by its cover.
Clients who want to start a business often are surprised by the increased need to
dress up for presentations. An Armani label on a suit? A good start. But are yu
wearing this years suit? Colors that your target market deems appropriate? Many career changes have opted for lower income in exchange for the opportunity
to stay home and work in sweats or shorts and, for women, say good-by to high
heels and pantyhose forever. (4) Recognize that career change often requires a geographic move. Lets face it: Some places are just better for some careers. Your cost of living may be
lower in a small city, but your opportunities to network will be limited. On the other
hand, the lower cost of living may allow you to experiment with riskier ventures. Often your own business doesnt depend on geography. Examples include Internet
businesses, mail order shipment, and free lance writing. But you may need to keep
on top of mainstream trends and where you live can influence your credibility. (5) Expect to change your roles in all aspects of your life. Family and community will view you differently. Some community groups assign You
may have more or less time for your family (and they will view you differently). Board
members based on the prestige of their day job. Some volunteer activities require
you to be available on certain weekdays. (6) Plan for a new social support system. Lunch with coworkers. Drinks after work. Dinner with old friends on Friday night.
You dont realize how much you enjoyed this support until its gone. Friendships change. When you leave a career, former colleagues can regard you
with envy or suspicion. They wont understand your new world and the new
challenges you face. (7) Forget the myth, If you cant be happy here, you wont be happy anywhere. Many of my clients experienced career change following what seemed to be a
midlife crisis. They were surprised to find their whole world looked different. And thats why I say, Career breakdown can be the first step to your major career
breakthrough. Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., works with corporate executives,
business-owners and professionals who want to transform
career breakdowns to career breakthroughs. Cathy has created the 21-Day Extreme Career Makeover and authored
Making the Big Move: Transforming Relocation into a Creative Life
Transition. Fr*e Download: Why most career change fails (and how
you can write your own success story).
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/21days.html
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