My home has been a building site for the last several months. We are ‘Renovating” and living in the middle of it all. This means that:

1. Nothing is where it would usually be.
2. There are men in the house 6 days and 2 evenings every week, from 7.30am.
3. I have to make choices every week from an alarming range of products.
4. It is often difficult to talk on the phone because of the noise.
5. The floors and bathrooms need cleaning every day.
6. I am losing the battle with dust.

The question I am asked most often is: “How are you coping?” It is tempting to try and  generate a bit of sympathy and moan about the inconvenience. But the honest answer is that it is quite exciting to see the work happening and our dreams unfolding. I don’t mind a house full of people. The dust and noise are simply an inconvenience that can be dealt with. We still invite friends over for meals, and they know to expect the unusual e.g. beds and boxes in the lounge.

Changing careers in mid-life is a lot like renovating a home. A high degree of upheaval, disorganisation and uncertainty is normal in order to make progress forwards. Successful transitions are as much about the way we think and our attitudes, as they are about the things we actually do. Challenging our own thinking is part of this. We may need to unpack who we are and what we want, literally taking apart the life we know, and then re-packaging it. This will feel uncomfortable. It will feel messy, as if there is too much going on. But rethinking is a normal part of life in our middle years.

When renovating a house, there is always a plan. Career transitions also need a plan to be successful. Developing this plan requires two kinds of knowledge:

1.  A comprehensive and grounded knowledge of ourselves, our skills, personalities, motivators, and values.

2. A realistic knowledge about the world of work, what is available, what do employers want, and how do I navigate around and market myself effectively.

Working out the way forwards requires the successful integration of both.

Knowing your transferable skills is a useful starting point. But I usually find that clients who are seeking to change careers are actually asking much deeper questions about their lives. The change process is often driven by the question “What is really important to me now at this stage of my life?”

There is often dissatisfaction due to a mismatch at the level of their values. Digging deeper to identify career-related values is vital. If we clearly identify our values, the career decisions we make are more likely to lead to a better job/ career fit and greater overall satisfaction.
Career-related values are those things that are important to you in your working environment, literally, the things that you value there. They may include the obvious things like honesty, integrity, stability, and security. But also things like recognition, creativity, making decisions, working in a team or alone, excitement, and adventure. A Google search of ‘Work-Related Values’ will provide you with a list to think about. Try to identify your top 10.

I refer to my own list every time I am considering any kind of work related change. It provides a reference point for measuring if a new opportunity will work for me. If my values are not going to be met, I have to think very carefully about whether the change will be in my best interests. Compromising values will always bring some measure of associated personal cost. However making a transition to a place where most of my values are being met is more likely to lead to satisfaction, more significant achievements, and a life that has greater personal fulfillment.

I recently had the privilege of attending the graduation of a group of talented, young people who had completed a one year internship with the Maxim Institute. They had spent the year working alongside researchers, academics, and policy analysts, and had been immersed in studying and writing in their area of interest. They oozed confidence and charm. Each spoke of the past year and the opportunity they had had to learn and grow. Many will move on into significant leadership positions.

As I listened to their speeches and enjoyed the ease with which they presented themselves, I paused to reflect on the many advantages we women have, who are now in mid-life. We have probably experienced life in its fullness and challenges. We have matured and know how to walk well. We can cope. We have networks and connections that are wide and rich. And most importantly, we have probably developed a degree of wisdom.

These are all strengths that we can access and use as we navigate through change. We may look different and measure success differently than our younger counterparts. But the renovation work in our careers can lead to as much excitement about new possibilities and a renewed clarity and direction. Identifying our values and incorporating them into the career transition will cause us to grab hold of life and engage with it in a new way.

(Feel free to call or email me if you would like to discuss any of the things I have written about, or if you have a career story you would like to tell about your own career transition. janet@transitionz.net.nz Janet  Phone: (09) 638 9991  Mobile: 021 526 387