Do you feel bored at your workplace? Are you finding it difficult to care about your work at the same level you once did? Do you envy your relatives or friends who love their jobs? Have you been waiting for a long time for your appraisals? Are you concerned that your job profile may become obsolete due to technological advancements, or worse, the unstable economy during COVID?
If your answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’: it might be time to change your career. Irrespective of the reason, a career change can be quite stressful for anyone, owing to multiple reasons.
Why Do People Hold Back From Changing Careers?
People are usually sceptical about taking the plunge with a career change, whether it’s India or overseas. These are some reasons why they hold back:
1. Fear of Leaving the Comfort Zone
Humans are wired not to go out of their comfort zone. When offered two options with similar outcomes, we naturally tend to select the one that involves less risk or uncertainty. The feeling of not knowing is so unsettling that we would choose to stay in our current job, no matter how uninteresting we feel it is. Further, having no experience on our resume in our planned career becomes a major cause of worry.
2. Peer Pressure
Your friends and family members think that you are on a safe career path. You also see others achieving success by following the same direction. This further adds to your dilemma of making a career change.
3. Fear of Being Too Old to Change Careers
During or after your 30s, you may have an internal fear that it is too late for a career change. You may feel like you have already wasted your time on your current career and relevant education.
Why it is Never Too Late to Change Your Career
Ultimately, it’s you who will spend 80,000 hours of your life in your job. So, there is no reason you shouldn’t go for a job that satisfies your true career aspirations. Besides the obvious increase in happiness and fulfilment, a career change can offer you so much more.
1. A Chance to Pursue Your Passion
Working in the field of your liking can transform your life. You will get that much-needed, elusive job satisfaction. Further, you will get a renewed sense of purpose, which will only boost your confidence.
2. New and Welcome Challenges
A career change will throw completely new challenges at you, which will keep your brain active. This is especially true if you’re finding your current job plain and lacking in challenges. A mix of fear, risk, and an urge to keep up and excel in your new career will do wonders for your morale.
3. Better Growth Opportunities
The skills you possess may be more valuable in other industries or companies. A career change may allow you to use all your talents and assets and offer you better growth opportunities.
4. Less Stress, More Enjoyment
When you are young, you may feel a high-pressure work environment challenging. However, once you feel like settling down in your 30s, it may become stressful. Changing your career for a less stressful job can spell bliss for your health or relationships.
5. A Better Alternative to Your Current Profile
A career change can be a boon if the job outlook of your current profile is expected to decline or diminish. During COVID, the job market in India and across the world turned upside down, resulting in significant layoffs. Your career change can offer you that perfect opportunity to shift to a stable, long-lasting career with higher job security.
6. It May Be More Suitable for Your Current Priorities
Priorities shift with a change in your age. You may feel that the current industry or work is no more suitable for you. It is then time to find the right career in line with your priorities and actual career aspirations.
What Steps Can You Take To Make a Career Change?
This is a significant decision. However, careful planning and managing the potential obstacles can simplify a career change.
1. Discover Your Career Aspirations
The most vital step while finalizing your potential career options is discovering and evaluating your career aspirations. One easy way to make this transition manageable is by breaking this significant change into multiple smaller steps, like building your skillset, updating your resume, etc. If you find it challenging to discover your career aspirations, don’t hesitate to take external help like online career counselling, which can guide you regarding your career directions.
2. Value Your Opinion Over Others
You know what is right for you! Do not get distracted by others’ opinions. Although you may not want to disappoint your loved ones, you certainly don’t want to disappoint yourself.
3. Believe in Yourself
Self-doubt is natural. Most of us get into serious periods of self-doubt sometime or the other in our lives. However, it’s important to tame your self-doubt and stay positive. One practical way to do this is by acknowledging it for what it is. Another way is to ‘doubt your doubts’. Until you refrain from second-guessing yourself, your nagging doubts will persist.
4. Acknowledge That You Have an Arsenal of Knowledge
Though you’re going for a career change, that doesn’t mean that you’re a fresher. Your resume has years of experience and a set of transferable skills that can impress your potential employers. Further, you have a solid professional network to tap into when you start your new career. Thus, even if you’re in your 30s, it’s never too late to shift your career.
Conclusion
A career of your liking can be your key to happiness and self-fulfilment. Don’t let self-doubt, peer pressure, or the inaccurate fear of being too late to change your career hold you back from your dream job. A career change is possible at any stage of your life – for better challenges, growth opportunities, and quality of life. Believe in the knowledge and network you’ve accumulated so far which will help you tide through this major change.
Besides, with Mindler, you can receive the help you deserve to choose your new career. With 97% accuracy in psychometric assessment, Mindler is India’s leading career counselling firm, helping individuals achieve career clarity. Are you thinking of changing your career? Contact us today for career counselling online!
