Midlife career crises are more and more common in our fast-paced world. Such crises may manifest in the loss of a job, being passed over for promotion, or in simple dissatisfaction with a career. A Midlife career crisis can not only cause problems in your work life, but in your home life, too. Fortunately, with a little work, you don't have to have a midlife career crisis. By taking steps to make sure you're fulfilled in your job, by building connections, and preparing yourself for the future, you'll make sure to avoid a midlife career crisis.
If your work life, family life, and social life are not balanced, you'll likely wind up in a career crisis. In order to avoid this, ask yourself several questions:
• Do you find yourself regularly sacrificing family time for work time? If so, you should question your career.
• Does your work hurt your social life (and will it forever - not just because of a temporary situation)? If so, you should question your career.
• Are there elements of your work or the organization you work for that contradict your values or priorities? If so, consider another organization.
Does Your Career Provides Enough Compensation and Satisfaction?
You may find yourself on the road to a career crisis if your work does not provide enough compensation or personal satisfaction. Ultimately, it will be very difficult to be happy if you don't feel rewarded - monetarily or personally. In order to gauge your satisfaction, ask yourself:
• Will your career provide better (or adequate) compensation in the future? If not, consider another career.
• Are you intellectually or personally fulfilled at work? Do you feel like finishing a project or completing day-to-day tasks makes you feel satisfied? If not, consider another career.
• Do you feel overworked or burnt out on a daily basis? If so, chances are you're not fulfilled or satisfied. Perhaps you should look for another line of work.
Find a Career You Love
The best way to avoiding a midlife career crisis is making sure you have a job that fulfills you. Without a career or job that makes you happy, you'll eventually wind up in some sort of career crisis. When looking for a career you love:
• Make sure you're interested in a particular line of work. If you're not interested in the nuts and bolts of a career, you won't be fulfilled.
• Make sure you enjoy performing whatever role you perform. While you may be interested in a given job, you might not actually enjoy doing the job. Consider this when finding a career you love.
• Make sure you like the culture of the company or organization you'll work at. If you don't like the culture of a given organization, you may wind up hating a particular job - even if you love doing it.
Meet with a Career Counselor or Coach
A few meetings with a career counselor or coach can help you determine if you're in the right line of work and if you need to make some changes when it comes to your job. Be honest and open with your counselor about your struggles and how you feel about your career so they can help you determine your next steps.
A career counselor or coach can administer tests and assessments that may help determine your personality type and work that best suits you. Tests like the Holland Code Assessment or the Strong Interest Inventory can help you identify a career that fits your strengths, abilities, an interests.
You may find you know what you need to do, but you just need a little help building up the courage to make a big change. Your counselor can support and encourage you to move forward.
Have Realistic Expectations
Another important thing to remember when avoiding a midlife career crisis is also setting realistic expectations. For a lot of people, career crises develop out of either unhappiness or unrealistic expectations. This is especially true if you think you're underpaid, overworked, or deserve a promotion. Always remember:
• Set appropriate expectations in terms of pay. If you love your career, your compensation expectations should be based on what other people in a similar job are making at the same time. If you're paid well relative to your peers, you're doing well.
• Have realistic expectation of the amount of time you'll have to work. Some jobs, like those in the law or medical professions, may demand more than forty hours a week. Depending on the job, you may have to work sixty or more hours.
• Don't expect promotions when they're uncalled for. Chances are, when you have the experience and skill set, you'll be considered for promotion.
Change Your Career If You Are Unfulfilled
Sometimes midlife career crises develop because people are unhappy or unfulfilled in their job or career path. If you're unfulfilled, consider changing your career; however, remember:
• Consider whether it's your job that you hate or if it is your workplace or coworkers. Sometimes an organization can have a toxic culture. Make sure to make the right change before making any change. If the organizational culture is a problem, look for a new job. If the job is the problem, think about switching careers. In addition, if the organization is the problem, you may just want to put more effort into making friends.
• Make sure to plan a career change appropriately. Line up a new job before you quit your old one.
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