Career Planning After 50 – Mid-Life Career Change Tips

By FredrickHobbs

Here are five mid-life career change tips and career planning ideas. These tips are central to a successful career transition or job hunt with the integration of work, financial and life goals.

If in your mid-life career change you neglect considering any of these important personal goals your career change could suffer.

By not doing due diligence and in-depth research on your newly planned career you may find yourself in worse shape than in your old job.

Successful career planning after 50 must consider all the financial aspects of the new career. Will you replace all of your old income? If not, when can you expect to reach the former levels of income? What do you need to do to adjust your budget to reflect the newer lower income levels? Are you prepared to take the necessary steps to make it happen?

Is the new career in harmony with your life goals? For example, if you plan on retiring early and perhaps working part time; will your new career support this decision? If you plan on moving and living in a different area are there sufficient jobs in your new career in that area? Does your prospective new employer engage in activity that you do not look at favorably? Tobacco, alcohol, etc.

Here are the five career change tips to get you started in career planning after 50:

Change Tip #1: Anytime you current career is not meeting your financial goals, and your future financial objectives, is just another day that you push your financial freedom farther into the future.

Moreover, a career change after 50 if fraught with hazards. You’ve got a lot of time and effort invested in the current career. You financial obligations are greater than when you were starting out.

Don’t settle for a career that is satisfactory. Start your career planning now-overall it’s not something that can be done overnight. You don’t build a house in days; it takes time and effort and most of all planning to achieve long term career and financial objectives.

Change Tip #2: Many times loving what you’re doing does not equal meeting your financial goals. Although doing what you love is important make sure in your career research that if your become an expert in your new career that the financial rewards will follow.

Change Tip #3: Get the financial issues resolved and you substantially increase your chances of success in your new career.

To many times in a career change after 50 the individual quits the current job before having a clear picture of their financial future in the new career. Although, you can’t anticipate everything, make sure the financial aspects of the new career after 50 are nailed down.

You do not want to make the move to a new career and then find that down the road you are just older without a proper level of financial resources to make a move to a more desirable career.

Change Tip #4: Dissatisfaction with a job or career can arrive in many forms. A bad boss, a business with a caustic work environment, a business with a bleak future, a bad overall area economy all are reasons for dissatisfaction. Perhaps the reason is that you are just ready for a career change.

Just be clear on your reasons for a career change. The last thing you want is a mid-life career change with a good boss, in a great company with a rising future and you are still dissatisfied. Not a good position to be in.

Change Tip #5: Don’t be in a hurry. A career change after 50 is a big step, full of financial and career pitfalls. Don’t expect all you job frustrations will magically disappear.

In your self-analysis if you find you need to change your attitude on job related issues-correcting them may take some time. Build them into your career plan after 50, gage your progress and work toward your overall career goals.

Financial planning combined with robust career plan are both keys to a successful after 50 career change experience. Although financial planning is usually not enough by itself to guarantee a successful career change it ensures a smoother transition to the new opportunity.

If your financial plan is working and you have a high degree of financial freedom you will have more career options.