How to change profession: even in 30 + 40 years
How to change profession at any age? After all, they say that changing a profession is not as easy as it seems at first glance. But sometimes it is the only way to deal with constant stress, professional burnout and endless feelings of dissatisfaction.
In order to fully realize yourself, improve your financial situation, find your favorite job and become a happy person, you need to seriously approach the choice of a new specialty.
Change career and don't regret it
Before you change your profession, you need to undergo training to determine the causes, assess the possibilities and predict the consequences.
- Occupational fatigue
A person is irritated by the team, the demands of the authorities, the working conditions are irritated, the feeling of insurmountable inner emptiness is haunted, chronic depression develops. Such symptoms are caused by a violation of the work regime, the lack of proper rest, an endless routine, and monotony. In this case, do not rush, it is better to stop, pause, take a vacation, seriously analyze the current situation.
- Career
If the job suits you, but there are problems with career growth, then you should remind the authorities about yourself and ask about the prospects for getting a promotion. Do not be afraid of your own ambitions. The first step towards the dream will help you understand whether it is worth continuing to work in this place.
- Revision of skills and experience
The decision has been made, the field of activity has been defined, it is time to take an inventory of work baggage. To do this, it is recommended to study the offered vacancies, analyze how the requests correspond to current skills and experience.
- Job market
To keep abreast of current changes in the labor market, it is important to regularly monitor new offers. You can also collect statistical data on what professions are in demand at the moment and where you can earn decent money. This analysis will help determine the future profession.
Reason for wanting to change career
Before changing a profession, it is important to honestly answer the question why and why:
- small income;
- conflict team;
- lack of career growth;
- dislike for leadership;
- inconvenient geography of the workplace;
- poor working conditions;
- reaching a career ceiling;
- work – dangerous to health, life;
- great physical activity;
- gray wages;
- no social package.
Also, the upcoming move to a new place of residence, the emergence of a new goal, dreams can affect the desire to change a specialty. Approaching unsuitable age is also a worthy reason to start looking for something suitable for age and health. There are times when it's time to realize the accumulated potential and discover new talents. In any case, you need to correctly evaluate all the pros and cons. Compare the negative and positive aspects of such a serious act.
The limiting factor is time that an adult does not have.
Most often, people who decide to change their specialty are burdened with family, domestic problems, the need to earn money and a whole bunch of different obligations, so there is simply no time for full-fledged education at a university and for unpaid internships.
Statistics, life experience and expert opinion confirm that obtaining a second higher education and a master's degree is one of the expensive, difficult and not always effective ways to get a new profession. Most often, overage students drop out of school due to various life situations, and when there is not enough strength to gain knowledge.
A more productive option is online or offline courses that help save time, money, effort and nerves. A person in a short period acquires theoretical, practical and other knowledge and skills necessary for work.
Choosing the right courses
Often, teachers are practitioners who are able to share a lot of useful information in a short period of time. By attending classes, you can meet people with useful connections, find friends with the same interests.
To make the right choice of a training program, it is best to first consult with knowledgeable people in this field, ask for the opinion of competent experts and pay attention to factors such as:
- reviews;
- cost and terms of payment;
- teaching staff;
- the place of the lesson;
- design of the official website.
Complete information about the institution, organization, company that offers the service must be provided.
Where to get experience
Most employers require applicants to have experience, and here the question arises: where to get it? Previously working person already has some professional skills. For example, a sales manager can easily solve personnel issues, establish relationships with partners, suppliers, and customers.
Before changing a profession, the main thing is to immediately decide how radical it will be. In any case, you can always start with a low-paid job, gradually climbing the career ladder or show your abilities by providing free services: creating a website for a friend, compiling an accounting report, organizing an event. Altruism, the desire to change something and noticeable abilities can positively affect the image of the applicant, and perhaps the employer will choose in favor of someone who is not afraid to try, is ready to learn and shows a serious zeal for work.
Real experience will help you understand how ready a person is to change their specialty, whether the chosen direction meets expectations and whether it is worth continuing along this path. A short-term internship will help you get acquainted with the “inner kitchen", assess the difficulties, workloads, and perspectives.
For the position of an employee, most often you have to fight with students who have just graduated from a university, and this is the main advantage. A working employee knows what discipline is and is able to quickly, efficiently organize the labor process with the achievement of the required result. What is not yet given to yesterday's graduates of colleges, technical schools, universities, institutes. This is the experience that will definitely come in handy.
When a little over 30
At this age, there is often a desire to change something in life. There can be many reasons: there is not enough money, there is a feeling of fatigue from monotony, there is a desire for career growth, I want to start from scratch before it's too late.
Thirty years is a wonderful and productive age. At this stage of the life path, a person is already beginning to understand what he wants, realistically assesses the forces, prospects, opportunities. Rose-colored glasses disappear, conscious, analyzed, real goals appear. It is during this period that it is recommended to make a fateful decision, since changing your profession at the age of 30 is much easier and easier than doing the same at 50 or 60, even at 40 this process will be more painful.
At this age, it is still easy to learn and relearn, so with a radical change in professional direction, it is better to think about additional education. Modern technologies simplify this process as much as possible and allow you to get the necessary knowledge without leaving your work and family online.
People from 30 to 40 are more willing to be hired, since the majority already have work and life experience, a sense of responsibility has developed. Often thirty-year-olds are married, have children, which stimulates the conquest of new heights and the desire to work for results in order to increase material rewards.
40 years old, it's time to change something
Forty-year-olds are experienced people with serious life baggage. It is at this age that a desire arises to begin to realize what could not be done before. Many people, before changing their profession at the age of 40, are already thinking about old age, future pensions, and the well-being of their children and grandchildren.
Before you quit, you should understand that you will have to start from scratch and employers are not eager to hire applicants without experience over 40. Although if you look at the situation professionally, such employees are more reliable than young representatives. Experienced employees are not so quick, inspired, ambitious, but already 100% aware of what they want and in what direction they need to move. A forty-year-old will not change his specialty just like that, most often it is a well-predicted, meaningful choice, which can have a thousand objective reasons.
During this period of life, it is not recommended to rush into the pool with your head, especially if there is no decent financial pillow. Finding a new job can take a lot of time, and you will most likely have to spend time and money on training. Here, specialized courses will be the best way out. Firstly, it is relatively short, and secondly, it is effective.
Men and women, is there a difference when changing professions
Of course, there is, since it is much easier to change a profession first. According to statistics, it is much easier for representatives of the strong half of humanity to find work, part-time work and such work is better paid, even if the work has the same conditions as women.
Although psychologists note that the “weaker” sex is psychologically easier to experience changes on the professional front. This is due to the flexible female psyche and the ability to quickly adapt to new conditions. It is also worth considering that married ladies can count on additional financial support from their husband, who during the search period will become the main breadwinner of the family.
Women are more responsible, diligent, sociable, patient and in some cases more hardworking. But how you can change a profession for a man and not get a lot of stress, this is a completely different question. There are a lot of stereotypes that openly hint at the fact that it is the spouse who should earn and feed the family. Therefore, in this case, it is much more difficult to take the first step towards a meeting with your favorite business, leaving everything and starting life from scratch.
How can you change the profession of a woman and a man in fact a rhetorical question. it does not depend on gender, but on desire, ability, motivation and reason. In fact, in both cases, the problem is solved in the same way.
When is a Job Change Necessary?
There are several criteria that indicate that urgent changes are needed:
- There is nowhere to go further. If there is no opportunity to grow and the professional ceiling has been reached, but there is a desire to advance, then you must immediately look for a new employer.
- The first job is chosen according to circumstances and most often by reason. But rarely brings complete satisfaction, does not allow to realize creative potential. In such a situation, it is worth reconsidering priorities and trying yourself in a place where labor activity will not become heavy punishments, but, in addition to money, will bring pleasure.
- Big busy. As long as you are young, alert and full of energy – this is normal. But over time, a family appears, health problems, a whole list of responsibilities and domestic problems. And also the desire to meet with relatives and close people more often. If it seems that life is passing by, you need to urgently study the labor market.
- Work with unwillingness, through force. This is violence against oneself, which must stop immediately. Such an attitude over time will cause such negative consequences as: chronic stress, depression, nervous strain, diseases that have developed against a psychosomatic background.
- Having a hobby that can be easily monetized. Why go to an unloved job, communicate with unpleasant people, when there is an opportunity to do what you love, receive moral satisfaction and material benefits.
Regardless of the reason, you need to seriously think and decide how to change your specialty without significant losses and where to go. Modern realities allow you to look for work and work remotely. At the interview, they will definitely ask what is the reason for such changes, and it is better to answer this question honestly.
Career Change Recommendations
To make the procedure as painless as possible:
- Make a list of wishes and requirements for a new job. It is worth remembering and writing down everything that did not suit the old place. This will help form an approximate picture, which you need to strive for.
- To give an honest assessment of one's own talents, abilities, skills, business qualities. The analysis will take into account personal characteristics and, based on the conclusions, make the right choice. If you can't independently identify your strengths and weaknesses, you can ask friends, relatives, and acquaintances to do this.
- Collection and study of relevant information. It is recommended to regularly visit websites, buy newspapers related to employment. Access portals with statistical data on popular destinations, TOPs of the most popular, well-paid specialties. Attend events where you can make useful connections and chat with future colleagues. Acquaintance with the future occupation will help create the correct image and decide whether to drop everything and start over, and also allow you to find the right direction.
It is important to think about what knowledge, skills require additional "pumping". Sometimes standard seminars, webinars are enough, in other circumstances expensive, professional courses will be needed. If you want to achieve great heights, you will have to study at a university. If there is an opportunity to improve your qualifications at your current job, it is recommended to take advantage of the offer.
People who change their profession need to remember that the transition from one place to another, in the early stages, can adversely affect the financial situation and psychological comfort. You will have to change habits, find common ground with the new team, etc.
Resume as a means of self-promotion
Writing a resume is a necessary procedure when looking for a new job. This event must be taken seriously, discarding unnecessary modesty. And remembering all the positive qualities and achievements in previous jobs.
When filling out the compendium, it is important to provide personal data. It is also necessary to enter information about previous places of work. Briefly describe your skills. List diplomas, certificates, certificates and other educational documents. It is not recommended to include parameters of the desired salary in the resume. It is also worth taking a new photo that will inspire confidence and evoke professional sympathy.
The resume template is easy to find and download on the Internet.
Benefits of changing specialty
The change of work gives the following pleasant bonuses:
- Self-realization. This is an opportunity to fully open up, realize your talents, abilities, increase self-esteem.
- Expanding personal competence. Obtaining new knowledge and skills not only in theory, but also in practice.
- New acquaintances. A person changes the circle of communication, which has a positive effect on motivation and communicative qualities.
- The acquisition of new qualities of character. Every job requires certain tasks to be completed. And the beginner tries to discover in himself that which will lead to the intended goal in the shortest way.
- A change of scenery. This is a factor that changes the lives of many. When an employee works in one place for decades, without changing the interiors, there comes a feeling of an endless "Groundhog Day". This causes a variety of psychological problems, stress, diseases. Changing the environment opens up new horizons, fills you with vital energy and awakens the desire to live.
Sometimes it's hard to take the first step for people in serious adulthood, when stability is more than just a word. But as statistics show, a change of profession for most applicants becomes the door to a happy life.
By making a choice in the direction of change, a person gives himself a chance to change hard physical labor for freelancing. Office work for creativity, meager wages for decent money.
By choosing remote work, you can spend more time with your family. And also to reduce transportation costs, minimize contacts with colleagues, and independently plan working hours. And at the same time not being under the constant control of management.
People whose lives have changed with a change of profession
For many celebrities in different areas of life, success began with a change in work. The founder of Amazon was the head of a computer company until he decided to combine his main profession with electronic trading in consumer goods. For Jeff Bezos, this step was the beginning of a new stage in the life of a businessman. And he allowed to replenish his personal fortune for a tidy sum.
A popular chef with a worldwide reputation and the author of her own recipe book, she was engaged in advertising until the age of 50. Today Julia Child is a person who does what she loves and millions of people know about a woman.
Author's wedding dresses from Vera Wang are the dream of brides from all over the world. Some time ago, the figure skater and journalist could not even think that she would become a trendsetter.
Spanx shapewear, which is included in the TOP bestsellers, was created by a seller of stationery and office supplies. But at the age of 30, Sarah Blakley decided not to hide her talents and created popular products that help people to be attractive no matter what.
If you are going to change your specialty, you need to be positive about your own decision. And be sure to develop motivation and enlist the support of loved ones, native people. The main thing is to learn to believe in yourself. For doubting people, there are special trainings that will help to gain self-confidence. And be sure to learn the rules of business communication.