You probably have established your career by now. If you’re lucky, you might already be comfortable with what you have and quite content with what you’ve made of yourself and perhaps giving yourself a pat on the back. However it can be at this time that one reviews your life goals and passions, and rather than dismissing those previous thoughts of a change towards pursuits of happiness, you take them more seriously. When this time comes, you must make another difficult decision in your life. Midlife career change is a common story. It’s natural for people to be stuck in a career-related dilemma about shifting gears. But, it’s okay to make that change. You just have to take note of these five factors that’ll be your keys to a successful mid-life career change.

1. Know where you want to go.

Self-awareness is essential. Knowing yourself, knowing what you really want and understanding how much you want this change, does matter. Your will is your game changer. Your advantage at this point in your life is, you know yourself better than you did ten years ago. You understand yourself better. You have the capacity to gauge every aspect of you. Therefore, questions like, “What’s my passion?” or “What will make me happy?” or “What do I really want to do?” or “What gives me a sense of fulfillment?” are questions a lot easier to answer more than ever. Once these questions have been answered, you can say that you’ve officially unlocked the next door that’ll bring you closer to your career change goal.

2. Identify the requirements you need to get there.

Now that you already know your destination, it’s time to collect the things you’ll need to get to your endpoint. Because you already know where you want to go, it’ll be a lot easier for you to identify the things you’ll need to be successful. More questions must be answered. What skills set would you need for you to make that career change possible? Amongst those requirements, which are the ones you already have? Which are the ones you still need to acquire? Imagine yourself venturing to a new adventure. It’s time for you to make a list.

3. Assess your status.

The moment you have made your list, the path towards your goal gets clearer. This is the moment of realisation. Looking at your list now, you might even end up aborting the plan. Your list might show you that you have more things to acquire versus the things that you already have. And this might pull your hopes down. Again, your will is your game changer. Your determination to get there will discard all doubts. It will also help you, together with your list, to be more objective. Focus on the ones that you don’t have. Assess your capacity. More questions will need to be answered at this point. What are the things that you really need to acquire these other requirements? Will it involve time, money, and/or effort?

4. Acquire the requirements.

If you’ve reached this fourth key, your will is clearly much stronger than the hurdles you’ve faced in this journey of yours. You are getting closer. Now that you know the steps you need to take so you can acquire the other requirements, it’s time to take the plunge. Is it enrolling for a new course? Is it reaching out to someone for a mentorship program? Is it time to learn a new language? Take action and push yourself to get there. Your journey has started, and the fruit of your labour awaits.

5. Let the world know.

Luckily for you, another advantage that you have is the network you’ve built over the years. These connections are important in ensuring the success of your mid-life career change. Inform the people you trust and might be of help within your network about your career change plans. Update your LinkedIn profile. Openly talk about the new skills you’re learning in the courses you are taking. Share over dinner or even during meetings the mentorship program you are in. Let the world know and attract the possibilities.

You already know this. It takes time, energy, and effort to achieve something. It’s not any different for your plan of a career change. These steps are the smart moves that will help you succeed. It won’t be easy. There will be roadblocks. This too, you already know. Again, your will is your game changer and the exciting prospect of doing something that you love will drive you forward.

Need guidance in a career change? Get in touch with MRS V today.