Mid-Career Transitions: Refuse to Settle
by Hayli Morrison
A mid-career transition is most often the result of corporate downsizing or a gnawing discontent with one’s chosen career path. No matter how the prospect emerges, it can be very frustrating to find a job. But keep in mind that a mid-career transition also presents a golden opportunity to pursue lifelong dreams.
Take for example, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who used his Merrill Lynch severance package to embark on an entrepreneurial path that eventually made him a billionaire. Whether the motivation is financial, self-employment, better work-life balance, or simply a more fulfilling job, mid-career transitions can present wonderful opportunities.
New York City attorney Alan L. Sklover has seen many clients through mid-career transitions; helping them into sculpting non-profit work or self-employment. “They tell me, ‘I don’t know how many years I have left on this earth. I want them to be meaningful ones,” he said. “They look and act younger and seem healthier than I’ve ever known them before; because all that weight is off their shoulders and because now they’re doing what they want to do.”
Settling into an unfulfilling career is an all too common occurrence. It can happen quite easily, as Donna*, a marketing professional in the Midwest, is aware. After working in magazine journalism for years in Europe, Donna found herself adrift career-wise when she married and moved to the United States. With English skills too weak to find a job at a U.S. publication, Donna continued to write for European magazines on a freelance basis. Then came a tempting offer from a large marketing department that caused Donna to turn away from the journalism world she loved.
“I thought it would be temporary,” she said. “Then it turned into full-time employment and I kept getting promoted. Now it’s been almost seven years. You can just kind of slip into something. Then, all of a sudden, you realize you’ve been doing it for too long for it to be temporary and for you to go back.”
Now in a rut, Donna has interviewed for journalism jobs only to be asked repeatedly for recent clips. Furthermore, the journalism salary would be nowhere near her current pay, which leaves her feeling like an entry-level candidate all over again. Career counselor Hallie Crawford, MA, CPCC, has heard the same story repeatedly from clients. In her upcoming book,
Flying Solo: Career Transition Tips for Singles, Crawford points out that such a change can actually be easier than expected with a series of steps.
Act sooner rather than later. A mid-career transition is often spurred by one event that makes a professional realize they’ve been unhappy, yet complacent, for a while. Sometimes the denial and complacency has persisted until the breaking point, making a mid-career transition more challenging – though not impossible. “If you wait until the point where you are miserable, it can feel more desperate and you can put more pressure on yourself because you’re so unhappy.”
Think outside the box. Consider other alternatives than the traditional time clock-punching, ladder-climbing approach. Be open to new concepts and avoid pigeonholing yourself into one niche. In Crawford’s case, classroom teaching proved to be the wrong niche, but she spun that experience into being a career counselor – a highly rewarding job she never even considered previously.
Be practical, but not too practical. Especially if you have a family to support, practicality is the name of the game. Have a transition plan, which may mean staying at your current job while developing your other interest on the side for an interim period of time. Do online research and informational interviews with professionals in your desired field. However, Crawford is quick to point out that being
too practical can be equally harmful. Any idea, if analyzed enough, could eventually be dismissed as impossible. “If people have an idea and they shoot it down right away, they don’t pursue it,” Crawford said. “If they did pursue it, they might learn they
can do it, even if it’s not the way they expected.”
Consider all the factors. Think about skills that could be applicable in a new career field. What are your natural talents and abilities, and what do you enjoy doing? These kinds of questions can help you find a job that is more enjoyable, fulfilling, and still preserves your financial, mental and emotional health. “I think the enjoyment component and the fulfillment component are the two that people overlook the most,” Crawford said. “Don’t just look at money and past skills – look at all the components.”
Persevere. Negativity can certainly break down a person’s will. As 28-year-old Somy Rhee learned, negative thoughts can gradually get more persistent until a person becomes their own worst enemy. Rhee moved from the east coast to the west coast in 2003 for a promotion within the publishing industry. After one year, she became so dissatisfied with her career that she started exploring other options. She applied to pharmacy school and was accepted, but postponed it after learning she and her husband were expecting their first child. She completed her final prerequisite classes, and then reapplied to pharmacy school shortly after giving birth. She is now completing her first year of education toward becoming a pharmacy technician.
“There were so many times I wanted to quit and just continue on doing what I was doing, because that was what I knew,” Rhee said, adding that the exhaustion she now feels after classes is “a good tired.” There is no denying that mid-career transitions can be exhausting, but the feeling is balanced with exhilaration and a sense of pride in taking the reigns of life and refusing to settle.
*Surname withheld by request.
