You’ve found yourself in a rut with your job and think there’s nothing left to do but wait it out until retirement. If only you had realized this at a younger age, a time when you could’ve actually changed your career. Well, get this: you can still find a new career. These are four reasons why switching careers has no age limit.
Others Have Done It
Just because most people don’t switch careers past age 40 or so doesn’t mean it hasn’t been done. There are likely people all around you who had a bit of an urge to change careers but found themselves too worried about the potential risk. If you want to change your career and you feel reasonably prepared, you shouldn’t be concerned about what others have done.
You Can Transfer Skills
You might think that switching careers is a futile endeavor, given that you’ve spent all this time in a specific field. However, you can transfer these skills into your new career. For instance, if you work in finance but want to enter the restaurant industry, you can use your negotiation and customer service skills. Your years of experience should never be seen as though they’ve gone to waste.
You Need to Follow Your Heart
If you really want something, you should go after it. You need to be educated about the risks of a career change, but compare these to the risks of staying in a field that you don’t like. If your career change goes well, that’s great, but if it doesn’t, you can at least find solace in the fact that you tried. You can change and follow your passions. If you want to get into tech you can take a coding bootcamp. If you are wanting to see more of the US you can try CDL Truck Driver Positions. If you just stay in your current field, it’s very unlikely that you’re going to suddenly find enjoyment out of it, especially not if you’re fixated about how you want to get out of it.
You Can Do Different Things
This whole notion that you have to stick to one career path in life is highly misguided and detrimental to those with a curious mindset. Some people find their dream careers at a young age and stick with them forever. However, others need more time to find what their calling is. Even if you like your current career, you can still take a chance and explore other options.
Telling yourself that you’re “too old” to switch careers is just going to end up with a self-fulfilling prophecy where you find yourself stuck in a career that’s no longer satisfying you. Branch out and explore different options. You’ll be able to prove that dreams can be met at any age.
Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.