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Key points
- Changing jobs at midlife, whether by choice or by force, can be intimidating.
- But you can successfully pivot in midlife and have success with a second career.
- Preparing yourself as much as possible financially and emotionally is key to a smooth transition.
It was once common practice that you got a job and held it for your whole life. There was a commemorative pin, watch, or some other token showing you'd reached 25 or 30 years at a job. That isn't the case anymore. The more common practice is to try things out and move around within the career you set out to have, or even switch entirely to follow a passion or focus on finances and long-term goals.
Midlife is a time when changing jobs can be particularly frightening. There is so much riding on the income: homes, kids, spouse, health insurance, retirement accounts, and accrued vacation time. Jobs aren't just about "you" anymore. This makes a job change, whether by choice or by force, really anxiety-provoking in midlife.
There isn't a foolproof way to go about pivoting to something new, but some ways to protect yourself in any pivot are to:
1. Make sure you can "float" for a while. Can you make your payments while you take the plunge into something new? Will you have insurance coverage? You should cover basic life if you plan to make a pivot.
2. Get as much support as possible. Change isn't easy, but it is more manageable with help from colleagues, friends, and family. I often suggest a person connect with a coach or therapist for the transition so you can be as supported as possible while plunging into new waters.
3. Prepare to invest emotional time to make it happen. Expect bumps in the road, hoops to jump through, and roadblocks along the way. Think of them as opportunities rather than challenges. It is easy to get overwhelmed looking at a hectic path forward when there may be red tape and other obstacles, but by breaking them down into digestible bits, the journey becomes a series of small "wins" on the road to success.
Case Example: Joseph Marney
Joseph Marney is an example of someone making a midlife pivot. This husband and father of five turned 40 and decided to make a career change.
Joseph started working for his family business as a production artist, learning the company from the ground up since grade school. He honed his skills as more and more work became computer reliant and expanded his expertise to include design and marketing in ways that changed with the industry and world. He did this work for his family and then on his own.
Everything on paper was great. He'd honed his artistic and computing skills from a very young age, but that required he give up other things he was interested in while he focused on his job. He found less joy sitting in front of a computer desk, and he also wanted to give back in some way and engage with people in organizations in need of help, with missions he believes in, that he knows he can help grow. As an expert in his trade, he was ready to leave behind the restrictive work environment to pursue a new creative path.
The job move Joseph made was a pivot. He didn't embark on a brand-new field; instead, he started defy/Design and, in doing so, recreated his job to lose the negative aspects and add the parts he enjoyed. In his words, "It was probably one of the best decisions that I have made in my life. I did find a lot more self-confidence, and there are multiple ways in which I feel that I can give back. The relationships that I've made have been beyond fruitful. I have not had to advertise myself or seek customers really since the last couple of years and, and I'm honestly now getting to the point where I can't even take on all of the work that comes to me, which is a great place to be in."
We don't have to lock ourselves into the same career for life. We can make a pivot at any age.
"I think that the mindset, especially around 40, has changed a lot over the past several decades where we still see a lot of opportunity for change. It's interesting, folks not having the benefit of being locked into the same career for life. People aren't walking away with the retirements and pensions that they used to. And so, in a way, that's difficult, but in another, I think it does make people like myself feel not locked into a career path and that we do have the opportunity to change. Suddenly change is something that excites me. And I like the idea that in 10 years, I might be doing something completely different."
Ready to make a change? Maybe it's time to make a midlife pivot!
