The Mid-Career Crisis & How To Overcome It.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
Are you feeling stuck in your current career, yearning for something more fulfilling? Are you getting the fear on a Sunday night knowing you have to go back to a job you hate the next day? You're not alone. Many of us reach a point where we question our career choices and wonder if it's time for a change. But, making a career change can be daunting, and it's natural to feel uncertain about where to start.
My Personal Experience
Almost ten years ago, when I was working in a recruitment agency, one of my clients came to me with a new job to fill. It was a dream job for me, in a company I already knew and loved. But putting myself forward was a big risk. I could have lost my job over it and therefore my visa to stay in Australia. The stakes were high.
I put together my application and nervously asked my client for a coffee…
Getting the job at that company changed my life, in more ways than one. I was sponsored through permanent residency and then citizenship to stay in Australia. I grew my career in a direction I felt passionate about and was afforded multiple training opportunities. And perhaps most importantly, I met my husband.
It was a real sliding doors moment, who knows where I would be now if I had not taken that risk and put myself forward. Probably still in a job I hated, fearing every Monday morning and anxiously waiting for them to support my permanent residency application.
Career Change.
Research shows around 57% of adults will look to change their career at some point in their lives. This is usually for personal development but can also be because work is no longer fulfilling. Perhaps you want to have more impact on the world? Perhaps you want to step out of an office and work with something more tangible? It is not like the old days where you stay in one job for your whole life, we now have the opportunity and ability to change careers.
But Where Do I Start?
I have been helping people change their careers for almost 15 years now and whenever we go through the necessary steps to take a leap of faith, there are three recurring elements that are essential:
Mindset - it sounds simple and one that is easily forgotten but if you are not in the right mindset, feeling motivated and confident about the decisions you are about to make, it will make the process incredibly trying.
Clarity - in order to move into a career you are passionate about and one that supports your hopes and dreams, you need to ensure you get super clear on what is driving you. Your values, purpose, strengths, skills and passions.
Strategy - Once you are crystal clear on who you are and what you want to do, you then need to put some strategy in place; a career plan, building out a resume, networking your little socks off and sharpening your interview skills.
Career Change Program
If you are still feeling stuck and need some step by step guidance through the stages mentioned above then you are in luck! I have put together an online career change program full of educational videos, templates, questionnaires, exercises and downloadable materials to get you on the right track and help you take that giant leap of faith!
Check out the career change program page for more information.