I keep getting
a lot of calls of friends, professionals, peers, consultants, journalists,
professors, training & placement officers, conference organisers and many
more. Purpose of calling varies from asking career advice, asking views to
selling their products or services. After a few interactions, they become
comfortable with me to share their personal achievement and sometimes ask for
some help in career development. At a certain point, most of them mention that
they are working hard, they are doing good in their current job, but they feel
they are stuck and they are not enjoying what they are doing today.
Have you experienced a similar feeling sometimes in life? You are successful, you are earning a good salary, you have everything with you but still you are unhappy and looking for something different in life. You are unhappy because you feel that opportunities you should get in the organizations are given to somebody else. This happens typically when you are at mid- career at the age of 40-50.
There are 5 stages in career development:
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| 5 stages in career development |
Exploration: Your initial period where you decide about your career.
Establishment: You gain the experience and you settle in the career you choose,
Mid-career: this is the stage where your struggle starts. You are established but
you are not enjoying the job. You don’t want to change the job because now you
are comfortable doing what you are doing and scared to take the risk.
Late career and decline are the different stages of career and most of the people are at these 2 stages accept the fact of life and don’t do much.
However mid -career is the stage where the mind-career crisis starts popping up in your life.
Mind career crisis is defined by a sensation of feeling stuck, specifically in your career. People going through a rough patch in their professional development will commonly perceive a lack of growth and opportunities in their current work environment. Further at this stage life seems to settle, but you feel that nobody in the family, spouse, children etc or peers and superiors understand you. And you feel that nobody values your contribution. This is a strange situation.
This stage is a normal phenomenon but can lead to disappointment, self-destructive behaviours and depression. It may also lead to making wrong decisions about the career like changing the job desperately without thinking much or starting your own venture.
How do you deal with mid-career crisis?
First recognise the situation and face that. Believe that this is a temporary situation.
There are two strategies to deal with this. Quit or Cope.
If you quit, there is no guarantee of solution. Your career crisis may go worse. People who are trapped in mid-career crisis mostly go for their own business, consultancy or alternate career. Before doing so, please review your situation and take a calculated risk.
In our careers
one of the issues is we are known for the position or title we hold and not
really who we are. We have an identity which is associated with the job and
company we work. Nobody knows us except for family, relatives and few
co-workers. Ideally this should not be the case. This happens because we miss
the larger purpose of the job and career and are held in the trap of the
competition.
So, find out the purpose. Go for the self -reflection journey.
Invest in yourself. Learn new skills, read a lot of books, upgrade yourself.
Network strongly, there are a lot of people who may help and support you in your career journey. If you don’t share with them, how will they know that you need their support. It is reciprocal. Keep investing in building relations.
Find a Mentor or coach. Not necessarily we have all the knowledge and awareness about life. Get the mentor and if required Life Coach. You may have to invest some money here but consider this as an investment.
Pursue your hobby, your “me time” is very important to reflect. Give some time to yourself and work on your hobbies.
Finally, patience is the key. You have to learn to take the ownership of your career and life. Opportunities come silently, grab them.
Please read the print replica of my latest book written for leaders on amazon kindle; Vitality in Human Resource
