Ellen Geller Kamaras
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream.”
Are you happy at your current job?
That may be a tough question to answer.
First, what does happy at your job really mean?
Here are some clues. Does your job challenge, stimulate, and fulfill you? Does it meet your financial needs? When you wake up in the morning do you feel energetic or anxious?
It’s never too late to make a career change or to go back to school!
Full-time employees spend 80,000 hours on the job over the course of their working lives. If you’re going to spend that much time working, why not do something that you are passionate about and brings you happiness and fulfillment?
Studies show that making a career change and learning new skills will keep your brain active and challenged.
Factors to Consider
Many factors go into choosing a job or career. You may have been enthusiastic about a chosen career path during college. But now you may be intrigued by a field that may not have even existed when you decided to pursue your career.
Additionally, things may have changed not only with the economy, the job market, and technology, but also concerning your personal situation, location, or financial needs. Your priorities and values may have altered. Or you realize the career you chose was not the right fit.
Life is not linear. It can be a complicated journey with ups and downs. We may feel the need to adjust our careers as our situation changes, as our values change, and as we grow older.
The Choice I Made
Around 25 years ago, I was feeling satisfied with my accounting job and work-life balance. Then my manager announced that he was moving my position from Manhattan to Princeton, New Jersy. I was floored! He gave me a choice – I could commute to Princeton or learn a new job at the company in NYC.
I decided to give the new position a try. I knew I could not manage the NJ commute. I still had children in Brooklyn yeshivot.
The hours at the new job were more demanding and I had to learn a lot of new IT skills. I sat for many hours with several people who I had to support and provide data to monthly. They taught me how to upload files to financial systems and a host of other things including conflict resolution, which have all helped me in my personal and professional life. But I was under more stress, and my new manager was tough. But I succeeded! Adversity can breed strength. I am proud to be technologically savvy and I became more marketable because of the job change.
My former manager recommended I read the book, Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson. The book is a parable about mice and it demonstrates how to handle change and how to avoid pitfalls using these principles: anticipate and prepare for change, overcome fears, envision success, and enjoy change. I resented the gesture at first, but after reading the book I agreed that someone had moved my cheese and I had to pivot to something new.
I learned that it is important to be open, flexible, and even embrace change for our personal growth, self-improvement, and so much more. Yes, change can be positive!
Try It Out
Kate Lee, an executive coach and consultant, wrote, “What makes sense for 20-year-old you is not necessarily what makes sense for the 60-year-old you.” Or for the 35- or 40-year-old you.
If you have a passion that you regret never having pursued, you owe it to yourself to revisit it.
Are you wary of taking that first step?
Imagine waking up in the morning and feeling inspired. You do not feel anxious or stressed, you are not headed to a job you dread. When your feet hit the floor, you start to smile. Feeling that way means having a career that aligns with your values and lifestyle and gives you purpose and fulfillment.
A New Trend
Millions left their jobs in 2022. Bonnie Dowling, co-author of the Great Attrition Report, published by McKinsey on Finance quarterly publication, says that this was not a passing trend or related to the pandemic labor market. “There’s been a fundamental shift in workers’ mentality, and their willingness to prioritize other things in their life beyond whatever job they hold.”
A research study conducted by the American Institute for Economic Research found that in any given year, there are between one and two million older career changers. Another finding was that 90 percent of career changers reported that once they changed careers they felt happier, less stressed, and more successful overall. And many people switch careers more than once.
In 2017, I took the leap, reinvented myself, and downsized from Flatbush to Brooklyn Heights. To promote my new career, I began writing for Community Magazine and discovered I love to write and to connect with new people.
Practical Tips
Explore the new career you are contemplating: Talk to as many people as possible who are in the career or industry that you want to move to. Do your due diligence. Network and make connections. Research the education requirements, the current job market, the opportunities, and the challenges. Google the top careers and the related education requirements, salaries, and growth opportunities.
Ideally, arrange an internship or shadow someone before you enroll in school. I was ready to sign up for a Teaching Fellows program thinking it would be a great career change for a working mom and I would have summers off with my kids. Thankfully, I wrote out pros and cons and discovered that I enjoy the one-on-one connection with kids more than teaching thirty children in a classroom.
Talk to your current supervisor or find a mentor in your organization. My dermatologist has helped send several of her medical assistants to programs to learn to be physician assistants or nurses.
Register for a non-matriculated class (meaning you are not officially enrolled as a student) or for the first course in a certificate program. That’s what I did with life/career coaching. On the first day of class, I was mesmerized by my professor and was inspired by the concept of partnering with people to make positive changes in their lives.
Find a volunteer position, especially if you are interested in a health, educational, or public health-related field. I volunteered at a hospital before applying to health advocacy graduate programs. I met career changers of all ages there.
Recognize that every career has tedious aspects. Physicians are required to input extensive amounts of patient documentation. A film producer must prepare a budget for each project. And even though lawyers can now file motions online they still have a great amount of paperwork to complete.
- Is your career making you unhappy or is it the environment, the organization, or your co-workers or your boss?
Make sure the actual work or job responsibilities are the problem before you decide to change careers. Are you just burnt out? Do you need better work-life balance or shorter hours? Consider whether you cut your hours and responsibilities or can move to another division, a different office, or another organization or industry.
- If the work itself no longer fulfills you, what would?
Think about what you want to gain from a career change and about what you will lose or leave behind.
Consider consulting with a life or career coach to get clear, intentional, and strategic about your next move or career change. There are also free career support resources in the community, such as at Sephardic Bikur Holim, Propel, OU, and the Jewish Federation.
A coach can provide a safe space to help you get in touch with what you want your career/life to look like and to help you set SMART goals and an action plan to make it happen. It is helpful to have an accountability partner when you make any significant life change. Many of us have an exercise or walking partner to keep us motivated and accountable when we want to create new healthy habits.
Take an inventory of your strengths, skills, and the factors contributing to your job satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
- Can you afford the change?
Do you have savings or a spouse or family member who can support you while you go back to school? Or can you take classes at night or on weekends? If you have children, can you afford childcare while you are in school or can family pitch in?
Many people go to school at night or on weekends. Fortunately, many programs are offered online. If you are interested in a health-related field, recognize that even if most of your learning is remote, for some of the learning you will be required to show up in person and may be required to be present at a hospital as part of the program.