Its Never Too Late to Make a Career Change - CareerAlley

It’s Never Too Late to Make a Career Change - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. In college, I was always told that I should choose a career based on what I was passionate about. The problem was I was 18 years old and had no idea what I was passionate about. In fact, I knew very little about anything. The paradox of choosing a career based on your passion is that you may not know if you like it or not until you jump into it. Victor Frankl, an Austrian psychologist explains a different approach in his book Mans Search for Meaning. Frankl, who grew up in central Europe, was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. Spending time in that camp was not what he had expected to do with his life, nor was it his passion. However, out of that experience, he decided to become a psychologist and study human suffering. His advice was to not ask what you want from life but rather what life is offering you. Allow your experiences to shape you and lead you to a place where you can be happy. If you are unhappy with where you are working now, make a list of the things you dont like about it. As youre looking at different options make sure they dont have the same problems. Tweet This This advice can be applied to a career. It is never too late to find something better. In fact, the experiences you have had up to this point may have prepared you for your next step. Here are some things to keep in mind while searching for the right place to work. 1. What is it that you like or dont like about your career? If you are unhappy with where you are working now, make a list of the things you dont like about it. As youre looking at different options make sure they dont have the same problems. Making a career shift can be hard and you dont want to end up in another job you dont like. (Re)Defining the Goal: The True Path to Career Readiness in the 21st Century Price: $14.98 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 2. What are your hobbies or personal interests? What types of things are meaningful to you? A large reason people become dissatisfied with their work is that they feel their work is insignificant or meaningless. If you can find something you would enjoy doing every day, you will be much happier. 3. Do you believe in a product you might sell? Its always better to work for a company that sells a product you believe in. I recently did work for a start-up company that was putting out a running app for I-phones. This app allows runners to connect with their friends, as well as receive personalized training plans based on their skill level. As a runner myself, I wanted to use this product in my own training. I believed it could really help people improve their skills. As a result, I had a greater desire to go to work every day. 4. Have you talked to people who are where you want to be? Who are the people you look up to? What kinds of qualities do they have? It may even be helpful to meet with these people to learn the details of their lives. Ask them how they got where they are. Then, follow their example. Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay 5. What kind of lifestyle do you want? How do you want to live? This may change over time. Maybe when you were younger you wanted to travel, but now that you have kids you want a career that will allow you to work from home. Whatever your situation, your career will largely determine what type of lifestyle you will live. Whether you just graduated from college or have been working at the same company for 20 years, its important to remember that its never too late to make a change. We as humans are creatures of habit and change is scary. Youll never know where you could end up however if youre never willing to try. Everything Online Job Search (Everything Series) Price: $11.49 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to identify and land your dream job. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search