35-plus and thinking of a career change? 5 golden rules to follow

Many people are no longer passionate about their jobs by the time they’ve been in it for a decade or so. They are not as ‘engaged’ to it as they were when they joined the industry fresh out of college; yet, they keep doing it to pay the bills at the end of each month.

Daunting as it may seem, opting for a career switch 10 or even 15 years into it may not be a bad idea after all. If you’ve lost passion for your line of work, chances are that you will get even more bored as months pass and your job wears you down, making you seem the most disengaged employee at work and of course the last one in the queue to climb up the career ladder.

The first and most logical fear that any employee will have about a career switch is that they will have to start right from the very beginning in a fresh career stream. This is not necessarily true. Many times, hiring managers are much more focused and inclined to consider the particular skills and background experience that you will bring rather than following a set trajectory.

There can be some career lines where this switch can be difficult but it’s not a universal rule and employees can go on to become very successful and happy in their newfound jobs. Here are 5 golden rules to keep in mind while taking that all-important decision:

#1 Get Inspired. To begin with, get inspired by those who actually did and thrived in their new careers. There have been several cases when even high paying investment bankers quit their jobs to venture out into their own business.

#2 Know your calibre. You could look at jobs that do not require specific technical expertise. You could be an engineer by profession, but a writer at heart. All you need to make the change is start blogging, get a few articles published and if they get enough readers, you could well become a full-time writer to make a living.

#3 Explore related industries. Look at industries that are not very different from yours. One example here is that of media and public relations. Many people make a switch from one to the other. Or, you could have been involved in the sales industry but you can easily translate these skills to property management. If you love to communicate, have been a successful manager and can hold on people’s attention for a long time, why not become a motivational speaker? You could be in any industry and if you know it well enough, you could become a business consultant. But, it’s difficult to break into something very different, for example the science industry. Be realistic about what you should do and can do.

#4 Bet on outperformers. Look at industries that are outperforming others the most right now and will do so for the foreseeable future. For example, real estate in Dubai is one where many people have made their fortunes. You’ll need connections and the knowledge to sell. You’ll be surprised to see people coming from all walks of life to become a real estate agent. A booming industry may hire the most and will have more jobs to offer.

#5 Don’t ignore the SMEs. You should also seek out openings at smaller companies rather than big ones as the former may be more flexible in their hiring guidelines. A smaller organisation may value your skills and experience more and may promote you even faster if you are good enough at the job.

Intimidating it may be, but if you decide to do it, you can make it. It’s all about mustering the courage and going ahead. It will increase your personal satisfaction and ability and still be able to pay the bills on time.

(Home page image courtesy Shutterstock)

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.