If you are thinking about a
midlife career change, this site will help you find the information
you need, from careers advice to
jobsearch technique, from student loans to starting a business.
And free
software to track your job applications.
More than ever, you need to
recession proof your career, so why not sign up for our free minicourse,
How to Thrive In the Recession
There is a lot
more to career decision making than simply watching occupational trends
and we can help you get the career you want by looking at the career planning
process, showing you how to identify your preferred skills and where you
can find career information. You can also take a look at
top career choices.
As technology
advances, it's impossible to keep up with new job opportunities - even
for a careers advisor! But we'll provide you with the resources you need
to overcome the obstacles.
If you are over 40 career change can seem a daunting prospect,
but our Over 40s section is designed to give you a step by step guide
to career change, as well as giving you some new ideas.
And it isn't just those over
40 who need to think about potential job change - it is estimated that
young people today will change careers seven times during their working
lifetime.
And that means retraining for
a completely new career, not just moving to a slightly different job.
And of course, as the population gets older and there are less younger
workers available, the number of years we can expect to spend in work
is increasing. Instead of looking forward to an early retirement at 50
or 55, many people will have to work until they are 70 or 75. So
you could well find yourself contemplating a career change in your 60s
or 70s!
With the prospect of all that
extra work, it is more important than ever that we enjoy what we do for
a living. To find out how you can maximize your chances of moving to a
career which you really enjoy, sign up for our free
newsletter and get a free overview of the Jobseekers' Success Kit.
If you are facing unemployment
or redundancy or simply can't manage on your current salary, we'll introduce
you to the concept of portfolio careers and show you how to set up a small
business on a limited budget.
Get Ready for Your Career
Change Now
Whatever age
you are now, let's start by considering how you feel about your present
job. Do you leap out
of bed enthusiastically on Monday morning, excited by
the prospect of another
week at work? Or do you crawl back under the duvet and long for oblivion?
If you want to find your dream job or just get more out of work -
more fun
more money
more job satisfaction
This site will get you started
on the right track.
Regardless of whether
your idea of the perfect job is working at home, having several part-time
jobs or turning you passion for sport or travel into a new career, there
issomething you could do today to take you closer to your
ideal.
Whatever your dream job,
the problem is often: "How do I get from where I am now to where
I want to be?" And within that question are many more, such as: Do
I need career training before I can make a career change? Should I get
a temp job? I'd
like to become my own boss, but what could I do? The aim of this site
is to help you find the answers, whatever your current situation.
Finding
a new career is a big task and so you need to spend time researching
your options.
So, if you feel trapped
in a job, long to set up your own business, are desperate to make money,
or need a change but have no idea what you really want to do, stay with
us and we'll help you find a way forward.
One of the great myths of our
society is that human beings know what they want to do when they grow
up. With a very few exceptions, this just isn't true. How can you know
what a job is like until you try it? And then it's often too late,
or feels that way, if you've spent years and thousands of pounds studying
or training.
Although some people may
get the job title right, the dream job turns out to be a nightmare.They
would love the work, if only they were doing what they were trained to
do.
There are countless examples:
teachers spending more time discipling pupils and doing admin than teaching;
GPs with only a couple of minutes per patient; and jobs in caring and
advice-related fields, which are driven by targets, rather than meaningful
outcomes.
Often we just drift into a
job, under pressure from parents or teachers to "do something sensible"
or "get a real job", in the absence of any real careers advice,
or we take anything we can find just to pay the bills and before we know
it, we've been there for 20 years. And after so long in a boring job,
making a career change can be a scary prospect, even though we really
want to do it.
On the other hand, many people
start out in a career which challenges and inspires them, but have a change
of heart in midlife because they wish to create a better work life balance.
The desire for career change can also be the result of outgrowing your
original passion. After all, you probably don't wear the same type of
clothes your wore in your 20s once you reach your 40s or 50s. So your
taste in careers could well have changed as well.
But career change is possible,
whatever age you are!
Before considering the alternatives
open to you, you need to take a close look at your present situation and
do you r own mini career assessment, by asking yourself:
How did I get here?
What has kept me in this
job?
So grab a coffee, pen and
paper.
Starting from when you left
school,
make a list of the steps that
led to your present job
and note why you took them.
Be honest - no-one else is
going to read this. So don't kid yourself with "it was a great opportunity
to learn new skills" if the truth is "I
needed the money!". Don't beat yourself up if you have taken jobs
just because you needed money and then lived to regret your decision.
Simply notice the fact that you did it. (Of course, the job may well have
been presented as a great opportunity, but turned out to be a huge disappointment.)
On this site, we'll help you
to identify the right kind of work to bring you job satisfaction and help
you find the route to take you there. We'll look at setting up a home
business, making money online, flexible ways of working and different
fields of employment.
Ok, you want a career change
- what's the next step? Click define your
dream job, for career change at any age, this will give you helpful
tips to enable you to decide what you want to do. Or if you'd like some
ideas, try New Careers. Alternative options
which might appeal to you are Telecommuting
Careers, which allow you to remain employed, but to work at home and
Self-Employment where you set up
your own small business, working either at home or in your own commercial
premises. And click this link Home
Business Ideas if you need some inspiration. If you want a ready made
plan, try our 6 steps to Midlife
Career Change.
