A career change should be based on a thorough understanding of your needs and wants, and the requirements of the job market.

Why do you need to change your career?

Recognize why you want to change from you present career or job first. Name specific conditions. There are some possible reasons below. Perhaps you can think of others that are relevant to your situation.
You have skills you enjoy using, but your present job doesn’t allow you to use them.
Your current job doesn’t give you the monetary benefits that your work deserves.
You want to find a job that pays what you believe the job is worth.
You want to find work that is its own reward, that is satisfying and meaningful and that has genuine value, regardless of earnings.
You want a change of pace, to have more time for yourself, your family and the community.
You’re ready for a new challenge. You want the chance to grow and learn in a direction that your present situation won’t permit.
You want to enhance your image and prestige.
You don’t like your present schedule, the hours, the shifts, the overtime or the lack of flexibility.
You’re unemployed and you want to broaden your job search and explore new fields.
You’re employed, but things at work are not as much fun anymore.
Perhaps the company has changed hands or you have a new boss who doesn’t support your career growth.
You feel you’re ready for a change of environment and may be a new career, too.

Can you come up with creative ways to
solve your problems without changing careers?

For instance, would you be content to transfer to a different department, division or even a different company where you would have the same job in the same field?
Is your discontent related to:
The job itself?
The company environment?
Yourself or Personal Self Evaluation?
Not being able to use the skills you enjoy most.
Doesn't pay enough to support your lifestyle.
Is your position in demand or being phased out.

1-2-3- Transition Formula

Successful career transition depends on your Desire for the new career, Earnings and the Needs of the labor market.

·         Desire: How badly you want the career and how passionate
        you are about it.

·         Earnings: Will it pay what your work deserves and is it
        enough to support you?

·         Needs: What are the needs of the labor market and how
        much demand is there for this career?

Desire is the keystone concept that the formula is built on. Experts say it’s important to clarify the kind of work you find fulfilling, before worrying about earnings or the needs of the labor market. Mid-life career changers have the benefit of knowing more about their strengths, limits and preferences than those just starting out in the workforce.

·         Identifying Your knowledge. Skills and Abilities. Rank skills according to how rewarding they are and
        how much pleasure you derive in using them.

·         Create a Master List of possible careers based on transferable skills on your list.

·         Investigate each career in depth.

Once you’ve done the research, find a way to test the waters without going in too deep.

If you already have a full-time job find volunteer work, moonlight or do something part-time.

If you don’t have a job and you’ve done the research, then this might be the perfect time to
try a new career.

Reducing the Risk Related to Changing Careers At Mid-Life

You may feel you have a lot to lose if your plan to change careers doesn’t succeed.

It‘s likely that you have more family responsibilities than someone in their early 20s, who is starting their first career.
Growing children and aging parents may be depending on you.

Consider this an advantage. You are highly motivated to reduce the

risks associated with changing careers and you are, therefore, more likely to succeed.

Investigate careers before taking the plunge.

Increase your chances of finding your best career match by carrying out a thorough investigation.

Start in these areas.

1. READ as much as you can about potential careers that appears in newspapers, magazine articles, college catalogs and trade journals. Start a file of article clippings on careers that interest you.

2. VISIT job fairs, classes, trade shows and conferences.

3. CHAT with friends, neighbors, acquaintances or anyone you meet who might have information about a career that interests you. Meet people.  Collect business cards so that you can schedule information interviews at a later time. One of your goals is to seek out those whose professional outlook and interests are similar to yours and to discuss the career paths they’ve chosen.

4. SCHEDULE AND CARRY OUT information interviews. Visit people at their job site to
get close to the action.

5. SHADOW someone who is already doing what you want to do. Obtain permission to follow them around and watch them work for a day, so  that you can see the career in action. Find out what it’s like to do the job, before you spend time and money getting re-trained.

How to Answer Questions About Your Age

If you’re starting a new career at mid-life, you feel uncomfortable if asked to divulge your age on a job application or during a job interview. Although it is illegal to ask an applicant their age, you have a choice to respond or not. The issue may still arise and is usually related to concerns about your ability to do the job.

Your answer should emphasize your experience skills.

If the occupation or field is new to you, discuss how your skills are transferable and how you can apply them to the new job.

Do I really need to go back to school?

Going back to school may be the last thing you want to do. If the career you’re interested in requires a college degree or other qualification that you don’t have, find someone who is doing the job and ask them to help you develop a plan towards your goal.

Professional programs frequently offer short, intense and highly specialized courses leading to professional certificates that can sometimes serve as effective steps toward to a new career.

USE YOUR ADVANTAGE: ACTIVATE YOUR NETWORK

At mid-life, one of your biggest advantages is the vast network of acquaintances you’ve made over the years – from your child’s pediatrician to the attorney who helped your father buy his retirement condo.

The 2-Step Switching Strategy.

Career transitions typically involve:

·         Change in occupation, e.g., from clinical nurse in a hospital, to nursing instructor at the same hospital.

·         Change in the work setting, e.g. from clinical nurse in a large city hospital to a small rural practice.

The riskiest transitions try to change both the occupation and the setting in one step. Experts say you’re more likely to be successful if you make the change one step at a time.

For instance, consider a woman who wanted to change both her occupation and her work setting. She was a nurse working in a patient care and she wanted to become a microbiology instructor at a community college.

Making changes one step at a time, she had 2 different paths open to her:

Step 1: Change the occupation, from Nurse in patient care to Instructor in patient care; then Instructor at community college.

Step 2: Change the work setting.

From Nurse in patient care to Nurse in community college, then Instructor at community college.

Career changes can take a few years if you adopt the 2-step Switching Strategy. What if you’re  prepared to take the risk of simultaneously changing the occupation and the work setting? Investigate the new career. List all the skills needed to do the job. If you have all the skills, then it’s a good bet that it’s the right career for you