Midlife Career Change Can Mean Midlife Culture Shock
Posted: Thu Jan 23, 2025 4:34 am
One reason midlife career change is so hard is that you move into a new culture, with new values and expectations. My client was used to corporate life. Every day he knew exactly what he had to do to keep his job and to move to the next level. There was no ambiguity.
Now, he had to figure out the new landscape. The next step wasn’t clear to him and he certainly didn’t have a game plan.
Two Culture Shifts Of Career Change
In a career change you get two culture shifts. First, you experience a shift from the act south korea phone number resource of changing careers, especially if you come from a structured corporate environment.
Corporate success is like NFL football: you play a position and you don’t make spontaneous moves, even if they seem better at the time. You get rewarded for doing your job and being in the right place at the right time.
Midlife career change is like playground basketball. You improvise the rules, you have to find your own coach, and success comes from reacting spontaneously and “playing well with others.”
Career Change Is Toughest In The Early Stages
I can relate to these challenges. My former life was totally different than the one I live now. As an academic, I made statements and claims very carefully. It was a point of pride to say, “That’s outside my expertise.” Smart people said things like, “It could be this or it could be that.”
Now, he had to figure out the new landscape. The next step wasn’t clear to him and he certainly didn’t have a game plan.
Two Culture Shifts Of Career Change
In a career change you get two culture shifts. First, you experience a shift from the act south korea phone number resource of changing careers, especially if you come from a structured corporate environment.
Corporate success is like NFL football: you play a position and you don’t make spontaneous moves, even if they seem better at the time. You get rewarded for doing your job and being in the right place at the right time.
Midlife career change is like playground basketball. You improvise the rules, you have to find your own coach, and success comes from reacting spontaneously and “playing well with others.”
Career Change Is Toughest In The Early Stages
I can relate to these challenges. My former life was totally different than the one I live now. As an academic, I made statements and claims very carefully. It was a point of pride to say, “That’s outside my expertise.” Smart people said things like, “It could be this or it could be that.”