A Career Change After 30 Is Easier Than You Think

Photo Courtesy: Suez

You may have heard that changing careers after a certain age is the toughest thing to do. At the very least, your friends, neighbors or relatives have all, in a way, brainwashed you with stories of how hard it is in this economy to start all over again.

A brand new field of work can seem daunting indeed, but fear not – it is actually easier than you think. You have completely missed looking at the positive factors that are working so much in your favor and hence you might tend to believe that your current career is all there is.

The Fortunate Ones

First of all, those of us in America are blessed with virtually infinite opportunities and freedom to succeed in life. Most of the world, especially the poorer nations, cannot afford even a small fraction of such opportunities to its citizens. So for us to complain about a career change is morally wrong right off the bat. Now, once we all agree that we are blessed with opportunities like nobody else is, it is time to grab the bull by the horns and charge ahead full force (or with baby steps if you so please).

Only Do What You Enjoy Doing

Make a list of what you really enjoy doing. Do not let that list be tainted by financial rewards that may or may not be in it. What is it that you really enjoy doing? It can be the weirdest thing that nobody ever thought about, but it can evolve into a career.

Look no further than the guy who enjoyed bringing about millions of people together online to simply tell each other simple things, such as what they are all having for breakfast. It was something he enjoyed doing, and it just evolved into something called Facebook. The point is that what you enjoy doing does not have to follow traditional patterns or expected behavior. Of course, it only has to be legal, safe and fun. Hopefully, that is not too much to ask for when changing careers.

The Engineer Who Became a Rock Star

Let’s say that you are an electrical engineer working to maintain a large city’s power grid, and you have done that for almost a decade now. At say 32 years of age, you are forced to change careers in life. Most people would start out by looking for jobs with similar pay as before, and that is a wrong way for the career change to commence. It leads to disappointment, fear and worries and all too often makes career change seem like a thing to dread.

Getting back to our engineer, we now find out that he really enjoys listening to the latest music beats produced by aspiring musicians and while listening to those beats, he can compose new catchy songs and write great lyrics that can possibly enthrall millions. It also happens that he has a small recording home studio. So he now decides to make his own songs, collaborate with the beat makers online, and perform live music shows at the local community events and public places.

In Conclusion, It Has Been Done and You Could Do It Again

Now our engineer friend has a complete career change and he actually enjoys what he is doing and even though the money part is not the same as before, he is growing daily in terms of his clients and audience. He is sharpening his skills at his new career, which is now more than just a hobby for him. He sells his own CDs online and keeps those new songs coming along. That is the spirit of a true career change.

Ask yourself, which career is right for me? Find out what you truly enjoy doing and if there is no market for it, then create it and make the world realize that they cannot live without it any longer. Nobody needed Facebook a decade ago, but can you live without it now?

This post was written by Milos B., blogger and career advisor. Looking to change careers? At Career Relay, they supply you with the tools to help you choose the perfect career.