#79. Changing Careers in Mid-Life

At age 42, I decided to leave a career in teaching to become a full-time Unity minister. This transitional process was eight years in the making. I had acquired the necessary education and ordination before making the ‘plunge’ into a different field of work.

 In today’s society, many have lost their jobs; for others, their working hours have been reduced to part-time, due to the Affordable Care Act. Of course, there are also those who simply hate their jobs. Consequently, it may very well be to one’s advantage to make a career change for any number of reasons -- even in mid-life.

However, seeking a different line of work or starting a small business may seem unrealistic. Many do not believe it is possible. They lack the training, the confidence, the motivation, as well as the opportunity.

Quite a while back, I had talked with a lawyer practicing family law. He told me he hated his work and was impressed with the fact that I had made a mid-life change. So I encouraged him to find another field in which he would enjoy working and, when he felt the time was right, dare to take the risk.

Although for some, entering another field of endeavor can be frightful and difficult, I believe that most people have the where-with-all to make a mid-life change. Actually, for some, it is, for the most part, smooth and easy. For such as these, changing careers in midstream was found to be a cake walk.

For example, I’m thinking of another lawyer who decided to enter a different profession in mid-life and discovered there was really nothing to it! Although he was applying for the CEO position of a large company, he had never run a business and, fortunately for him, was not required to provide any work related experience.

I know you’re thinking that this is too good to be true, but this is for real! His educational training was simply not a matter of concern to his would-be employer. Though he was required to provide important credentials, which he had apparently lost or misplaced, he was welcomed with open arms into the nation-wide firm anyway.

Of course, he did have the gift of gab and said all the right things they wanted to hear, promising them he would bring about a big change in their state of affairs. So the gentleman was voted in with high expectations – and, indeed, he found the job to be a most lucrative move.

And if Barry can do it, by golly, you can do it too!

   
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