Reasons for a Midlife Career Change

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Ted Behr, One of Thousands of ADD ADHD Coaches on Noomii.

For Baby Boomers the decision to make a midlife career change can come as a result of various reasons. Some of those reasons are described below:

1. For those people in midlife, a career change might be considered because of a need for earning more money. Possibly there are debts that have accrued over a period of time, and you see the impossibility of paying them off from the current salary or wages that you earn. There may be several industries which can pay better for a line of work that you are already prepared for. In case you have more than one qualification that can bring you a better paid job position, by all means go for a career change that requires that extra qualification that you already have.

2. Another reason that can cause you to think about a change in your current career is a health condition. People at midlife can be confronted with various health conditions that make it difficult for them to continue the work they have been engaged in. In a case like this, a midlife career change which can get you involved in a different line of work that you are more physically able to carry out suggests itself.

For instance, if you have worked until now on construction sites as a foreman and due to an accident, you have health problems that do not allow you to spend too many hours standing up. You can opt for a career change and start working in a construction project department. This will perhaps require some additional qualifications that create a need for evening classes. In this case, you are advised to start as soon as possible to get more information and see what is needed in order to start a career in a construction designing line of work.

3. Getting a higher degree of satisfaction from performing a job is a reason good enough to cause you to make a midlife career change. Many people belonging to the Baby Boom generation initially opted to work in a field that was satisfactory enough for their needs at the beginning of their life as young adults, but since then, times have changed bringing with them other requirements and a desire for other lifestyles. Maybe it is time now (when you are in your 50s) to understand that you really want more from a field of work than a monthly wage.

Now, that your children are also adults and have the possibility to live on their own, it is time to reconsider the terms under which you have agreed to work regardless of your level of innermost satisfaction. Thus you can think of a midlife career change that comes with the excitement that arouses your interest enabling you to keep going because you find a career or job tailored to your own dreams and desires.

So, the need for more money, a health issue or the desire for more fulfillment and meaning in a job are all reasons that a person might consider making a midlife career change. But whatever the reason, the key to success is doing whatever it takes to find the career that is the right fit for you.