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Coping with a Mid-life Career
Crisis
by Jim Owen |
For many American
workers, a career crisis is all too real.
These days the concept of a "mid-life crisis" has become a bit of a cliché. Yet
to millions of American workers in their 40s and 50s, a career crisis, often characterized
by a lingering "dead" sensation or the sudden realization that "things
aren't working anymore," is all too real.
The crisis, according to experts, can be triggered by many things, including a layoff,
a divorce, loss of a loved one, or pent-up frustrations.
"At certain ages, we get wake-up calls," says Valerie Young of The Changing Course Newsletter, which covers mid-career
transitions. "It's important to heed those calls, but also to do it in a way that
makes sense for the individual."
For some people that means making an immediate, dramatic change; for others, it means
slower, incremental change. For Young herself, the process began four years ago when her
61 year old mother died suddenly of a heart attack. Young realized that her own job at a
Fortune 500 insurance company wasn't working out, and wanted something different. She soon
took a new job with a smaller company but quickly discovered that the new job, too,
wouldn't work.
"It was the career equivalent of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," she
recalls.
Eventually, she crafted a new career for herself in writing and training. Ironically, one
of her big clients is the same Fortune 500 firm, which illustrates one of her lessons:
"Don't burn bridges when you do leave your current job."
If you have no clue where to turn next, Young says, "You should listen to yourself
and others for ideas."
For example, analyze compliments people make about you. Think about who you envy, and
brainstorm about "what you want your world to look like in the morning when you wake
up."
To get out of a rut, "You need to explore, talk and dream bigger," Young says.
She counsels, however, against rash decisions. "This is not the time to leap without
looking at all. It's not all about jobs or skills. It's really about your life."
Still, there are other avenues, says Mike Bellah, a college instructor and columnist from
Amarillo, Texas, who writes frequently about mid-life issues.
"Some people may want to just stay in their current jobs and make their outside lives
more meaningful," he says. Mentoring, volunteering and other community activities are
among his suggestions.
Bellah warns against "wanting too much from your job in the first place," a
danger that can trigger a mid-life career crisis.
"Not everyone's going to get the corner office," he says. "You can be
ambitious, but if your life is your job, you're going to hit a crisis sooner or
later."
What's the worst thing you can do?
"Doing nothing at all is the most dangerous path," Young says. "It's risky
to make changes, but it's even riskier not to.
Reprinted with permission
of CareerBuilder.com. CareerBuilder, Inc. has emerged
as the leading provider of E-cruiting (electronic recruiting) services with the
CareerBuilder Network, its pioneering model to provide employers with a choice of the best
career sites on the Web from a single vendor. The CareerBuilder Network is made up of over
25 leading professional, broad appeal, diversity, and industry career centers.
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