Mid-Career Switches

The days of staying in one career until retirement is no longer a reality as making a mid-career switch is an increasingly popular trend. Why does it happen? There is the push and pull effect. Some may be tired of working from 9 to 5 in a dead end job. Others may not have gained as much financial stability as they thought they would when entering the career field. Some may be motivated not by money but by a desire to find purpose and satisfaction in what they do, seeking a career they can be passionate about. For others there are external reasons over which they have no control, like the downsizing of their company.

Though it's a fresh start and a wonderful opportunity to learn new things and tackle a job that inspires the individual, the transition may not be an easy one. The learning curve could be steep when one is 40+. It can be a challenge attempting to acquire new skills to adapt to the ever-evolving labour market or to attaining new qualifications by going back to school to retrain. 

Challenges do not stop when one has obtained the new position. As a newbie, it can be difficult to keep up with the more experienced or younger colleagues. You may have to settle for a percentage of the salary of your previous lucrative job and on top of that, contend with the humiliation of being corrected by a boss who may be half your age. 

Still it seems that many have the hunger to learn something new and the willingness to venture out of their comfort zone into new and unexplored opportunities. Change is inevitable; having a mind-set geared to lifelong learning is the greatest asset to achieving lifelong employability.