Success E-Letter Vol. 6/3 Fall '06
Stay or Go: The Next Step in Your (Middle-Aged) Career
Nina Ham, CPCC, LCSW
Are you counting more gray hairs than you did a year ago? Do you find yourself wondering if this job, or this career, is all there is? Or perhaps the career continues to roll along OK but circumstances in your life have changed and the fit isn't as good as it was. You may be facing a common midlife career decision: Do I stay where I am and reposition my job responsibilities, or do I leave in hopes of something better?
Elaine is a 50+ senior manager in a large social services non-profit. She's been restless for several years but was reluctant to disturb the financial security of her current position. Good fortune came her way when another senior manager retired, leaving an important development project in disarray and without a lead person. While Elaine's skill set did not immediately qualify her to step into the project, she knew herself to be a quick learner and made a proposal to the Board they couldn't refuse: Give her one year to turn the project around while she maintained all her current responsibilities without additional compensation. The vote is still out on whether she'll save the project, but in terms of career satisfaction she has already won. She's working long hours but she's re-engaged and enthusiastic, learning new skills that will enhance her marketability should she eventually decide to leave.
Elaine combined luck with strategic moxie to give new life to her career. The lesson here? Don't let resignation blind you to possibilities in your current work situation. Think about where the organization is going and see how you can position yourself, maybe with additional training, to help it get there.
Perhaps your cards don't fall as Elaine's did.
How will you make a decision to stay or leave?
A piece of advice: If you're bold or have waited all your life to become bold, or if your financial future is already in fairly good shape, take the plunge. If it's more painful to stay where you are than to take a risk, and you've already exhausted any repositioning options, jump! Now! You may find that having taken the plunge energizes you and things become possible that weren't while you were living cautiously.
If jumping isn't your style and yet, unmotivated and prone to self doubt, a decision isn't coming, here are some suggestions to move you toward clarity:
- Review the possible financial impact of a career change. If you have a
pension plan currently, read the fine print about its portability. Look
at options for reducing expenses if there's a transition period of reduced
earnings. See www.simpleliving.net for ideas. - Hire a career coach. Someone in your corner who can see possibilities not apparent to you can be more than worth the investment.
Do a life review:
- Review changes you've made: How many led to improvement? How many didn't? What is the lesson here?
- What matters most to you now? Do a values clarification inventory, or
play the Success and Me Game (See Announcement above, or go to
www.successandmegame.com) - Do something that wakes up your passion or creativity: plant a garden; travel to an unfamiliar culture; write a fantasy about a life you might have lived.
Upgrade your skills. If you're likely to remain in your current field or
industry, adding skills or training will increase your marketability and your
self confidence. A good
way to identify skills most in demand are to look for the top requirements
in job listings in your field.
Consider going out on your own. While this is a big step, an increasing number of midlife women (and men) are doing it, finding the rewards of autonomy worth the risks.
Two important questions to answer: Are my skills in demand? Can I develop marketing proficiency?
A business idea, whether it's a product or a service, can be your stand-alone work or can be one strand of a portfolio career. (See Portrait of a Portfolio Career: Answer to the 'Perfect Job'?)
Do you have the temperament for self employment?
There are a number of assessment quizzes online to help you know, including
www.successfromtheinsideout.com/goingsolo.html
I hope you've found food for thought here to move you along toward creating work that fits you. The process of creating it is in itself part of the journey, so persist, and good luck!
Nina Ham, CPCC, LCSW | Success from the Inside Out
Email Coach Nina Ham |
Telephone 510-526-7377
all contents Nina Ham © 2002
