Changing gears to gain speed

Usha Albuquerque

Sundar was in the merchant navy but a sick father at home made him look at an alternative career that did not require him to be away for such long periods of time. He had once been interested in law, and so now decided on doing an LLB degree specialising in marine law, which enabled him to start a new career as well as utilise the knowledge and experience of his shipping industry background.

In today's dynamic working world, no career lasts a lifetime. You pick up a variety of skills, different experiences and opportunities come your way and soon many find that making a change, for whatever reason, often proves to be a blessing in disguise.

Chetan Bhagat and Harsha Bhogle are good examples of change artists. A banker with an engineering background, Bhagat has found his métier writing books and conducting motivational talks. Harsha Bhogle  moved from business management to cricket commentary, and despite not being a cricketer of any standing has carved a sizable niche for himself in the game.

So can one, or should one change a career? Can one make good in something you have not actually trained for? Will you have to take a drop in salary or curtail your financial position? How can one go about making a change? And if so, when? These are often questions one thinks about when faced with such a dilemma. 

Whether you're an executive, professional, technical specialist, artist, or someone who has never found their niche, you can always dream of another career or move into a field that fits in with everything important to you. You may already be successful financially but still not be fulfilled by your work. Conversely, you may feel the career you've chosen or fallen into has adversely affected your income-earning potential. Sometimes personal priorities need to be factored in - you get posted to a location where your family cannot join you, so you may need to find another job, or another career. Perhaps your deepest ambition is to make a positive difference in the world. Or you're simply tired of  jumping from one thing to another without ever feeling your work is more than just a job. In other words, a midlife career change may be just what the doctor ordered.

Whatever be the reason, or the season for making the change, there are some factors you need to keep in mind when changing your career in mid-life.  

1. Figure out first where you want to go next. Often deciding on a second career is not as painful as the first one. In mid-life you would have tried and tested some options, and have a pretty good idea of what you want from your career - more often, what you don't want.  The best way to start now is to look at your current job/career and place it in the perspective of what you really do, and where you do it. In other words, the actual job, or title, and the field in which you are working, and therefore which do you wish to change. Let's say you are a lawyer working for an IT company, and you want a change. You could stay with your job as a lawyer and change the field, move to a corporate house, a media company, or law firm, which would be a simple job change. Alternatively, you may want to make a dramatic career - change trying to change both work and field at the same time, say, a journalist with a media house.  Without any prior training or experience, this could mean additional years/ months of study, along with the cost and time this changeover could take. 

2. Be realistic. Seriously consider your personal position from all relevant angles. Ensure you are not viewing your new career through rose tinted glasses; talk to those already in the field, research it widely, and be quite sure you have a genuine passion for the journey you are about to embark on. One less painful way to do this is to identify that sweet spot between what you currently do and what you love doing, so your acquired skills and competencies can meet your passion. For instance, if you're a full-time sales person and your hobby is video gaming, you could consider a career in the sales department of a gaming company. The insights you have, as a customer, will prove valuable and who can better sell a game than an ardent player. Also be sure to assess your financial situation and other practicalities, like time-line, location, working environment etc.

3. Leverage your experience. Experience is your major advantage when changing a career. It is one thing that cannot be bought or learned out of a college textbook. Experience can often make up for lack of formal training, particularly if you can cite specific examples of accomplishments that relate to the opportunity at hand. For example, Sundar's merchant navy experience in his new career as a marine lawyer.

4. Networking is important. The more time and effort you put into nurturing your social networks, the more successful you are likely to be. Study after study confirms that social networks are vital to our success. In fact, the most successful people tend to have the broadest and most diverse social networks. Attend meetings of relevant institutes and associations, and keep in touch with contacts -  interacting with people within your target industry 

5. Identify your interests and evaluate your skills Putting your interests and special skills together often helps you identify a career you'll like. Find a pattern in what you enjoy and love. Explore if it can be integrated in your job. What is it that you do well? Are you good at problem solving, communicating and persuading other people? Or do you enjoy creating computer games, writing codes, testing gaming apps? Prospective employers look for skills and personal attributes that can contribute to a company's growth. Good communication skills, teamwork, as well as decision making and problem solving skills are possibly the most sought after qualities that an employer looks for. These skills are "transferable skills" meaning they are portable from one job to the next, or one career to the next. 

6. Never stop learning. With the rate at which technologies are changing today, if you decide that you are "done" learning, you will be left behind within a matter of years, if not sooner. Hand in hand with learning, if you stick to only doing what you know, or what you are good at, you may quickly find that you're only good at one thing. We need to be agile, nimble, and interested in many different things. Otherwise, you could get stuck in a job or career you don't love, or at odds with the times. 

People who change jobs or careers usually do so because they expect to gain greater independence, authority, challenge, and income. Change can also be driven by issues of having a good lifestyle and a sense of greater control over one’s destiny.

Whatever may be the reason, it is important to find the perfect career — one that fits you perfectly. People in careers that fit them are happier, healthier and much more satisfied - not just with their jobs, but with their entire lives. 

People who feel negatively or at best neutral toward their current jobs are compromising one of the most important foundations of a great life. An ill-fitting career isn't only stifling and oppressive, it is hazardous to your health.

— The writer is Director, Career Smart Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi