When is it Too Late to Change Careers?

Making the decision to change careers

When people over the age of 50 are surveyed on the happiness and fulfillment that they receive from their career, most say that they have not been able to find and work in their dream job. Many people get a job that will pay their bills, intending to work until they can get the job that they really want, but end up getting sucked into the need for a solid career. Your dream job can require more schooling, or the time to build up skills that you are lacking in order to become qualified, and life gets in the way.

But once you have reached a certain level of financial and general stability, and you do not have to worry about what ifs, as much as why nots, you may be considering going into the career path of your dreams, whether it is teaching, writing, dancing, or more.

You may ask yourself, is it too late to change my career? Can I really do this? It is a highly personal decision, and despite the fact that you may have financial stability at the moment, changing your career can risk that stability. Before you decide to change careers, there are certain things that you should take into consideration, and questions that you must ask yourself.

What is your dream job?

What exactly do you wish you were doing with your life? If you are a financial advisor, do you wish you could be a writer? Knowing what you want to be is the first step to getting there.

As much as this sounds like common sense, it is an important step in your path to a new career. You cannot have a vague sense of where you want to be, you must have a clear and concise understanding of what you want to do.

How are you going to get there?

Wherever “there” is, how are you going to get there? If you need schooling, can you easily become accepted into an accredited school? Or, do you need more hands-on experience in order to have the skills that are necessary? How are you going to get that experience?

If it is not feasible that you can reasonably obtain the skills necessary, or to make the steps that are necessary, you will need to rethink your decision to change your career. In order to ensure that you have the necessary skills (or the ability to learn them) research is vital, whether that entails going online, speaking to professionals in the field, or reaching out to schools.

Do you have what it takes?

Finally, the last question that you ask yourself is whether or not you have what it takes to accomplish this change. You will need to completely commit to the change if you want it to be successful. The willpower, time, energy, money, and more that are required to make the change must not outweigh the possible happiness that you will find. It is never too late to change your career, if you are willing to put in the work it takes to change your job.

For more inspiration about changing careers, visit our Career Paths page and see what it takes to land your dream job.

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