I regularly get approached by women in their forties and fifties who think that it is too late for them to change their career and pursue something that they are passionate about. My response to them is always the same, you are not too old to make a career change and to find something more fulfilling. For many women making a mid-life career change is something that they would love to do but don’t have the courage to do it.
According to the Labour Force Survey Q4 2012, 40% of public sector workers are women aged 40 or older. We are all aware that there have been significant cuts in public sector employment over the past 3 years with considerable more to come.
A recent article on the BBC News talked about women finding success in their forties by starting out as entrepreneurs. The article talks about how once women reach their forties, they are confident to find their own path. The full article can be read here.
This is really encouraging to see as choosing to work for yourself can be very rewarding and fulfilling…
Women struggle more than men with life after retirement according to an article in the Daily Mail. Women are more likely to worry about lack of income and social life and 80% feel they have no purpose in life after quitting work.
An 88 year old employee of the supermarket chain Asda is quoted this week as saying that she returned to work after retiring “so that she had something with purpose to do”. I think that this is incredible and it just goes to show that no matter what your age, it is never too late to find purpose in your life.
Making a career change in their forties can be daunting, frightening, and even stressful for some women. Some women lack the confidence to make such a move because of their fears. With the current level of job cuts, many women are being forced to make career changes where they probably previously would not have.
Below are 5 common fears that women in their forties face when making a career change and ways in which these fears can be overcome.
In November 2011 the Office for Budget Responsibility predicted that there will be 710,000 public sector redundancies by 2017.
In February of this year, the Institute of Fiscal Studies predicted this to be over 1 million which is 300,000 more than originally predicted by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
The public sector that was once considered a secure place to work has seen considerable cuts resulting in significant numbers of job losses over recent times…
Low, unhappy, no energy, bored, restless, unfulfilled… These are just some of the words that some of my clients describe themselves when they come to me for coaching.
Have you ever found yourself pondering over what to do about a situation, taken advice from others around you, only to find that you are then even more fearful of making that change?
Quite often, other people may think they have your best interest at heart but they are actually projecting their fears on to you. This can then make you doubt whether you should make that change.
As the dulcet tones of Auld Langs Syne came to an end and the last clinks of the champagne glasses ceased, it suddenly dawned on me that there is only 3 more New Year’s Eve celebrations before I am 50 years old…
