Maybe you're thinking about shifting careers right now but you're hesitant to do so.
Mid-life changes are quite difficult especially after you've built your current career for several years and you're at your peak. According to a report from KUOW, only 33% of seasoned employees are actually engaged in their careers.
Are you in your 30s, 40s or 50s and did you just wake up one day and felt despair because you realized you're not as happy as you thought you'd be by now? That was the question Beverly Jones, a career coach, asked when she was sitting down with Barbara Bradley Haggerty, a former NPR reporter.
It's not weird to see or hear some employees hitting a midlife career rut. There are stories out there of people making it after quitting their jobs in a whim.
Haggerty has experienced the same when she re-examined her radio reporting career after developing chronic vocal chord pains. While other people have reasons for shifting careers (such as lack of job satisfaction, personal satisfaction or necessities), Haggerty's was medical and has affected her personally.
Haggerty explains that people should change careers within the boundaries of natural talents, skills and personality. Before you decide to quit your job, she cautions everyone against "Fantasies of reinvention" which means that intense introspection must be considered when shifting careers. For example, you're a mechanic but want to shift to a culinary career. Have you thought about taking classes? Or are you a natural cook in the kitchen?
She goes on to explain that career changes may be a solution in the middle of a career, "You see, I'm asking myself the same questions, for different reasons. I'm not bored, but at that time, I've developed chronic pain in my vocal cords, and under stress or deadlines, the pain is nearly unbearable."
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