You’ve probably heard the saying, “Cold hands, warm heart.” It’s a nonsense thing people say when you shake hands and yours are cold.

When it comes to midlife career change, I’d add a comment: “Cold feet = empty wallet.”

After years of working with mid-life professionals and executives seeking a career change (and handling my own career changes along the way), I’ve begun to sense when someone will really change careers and when they just want to talk about it. A big clue is what they say when they call me.

Someone who is committed to finding a new career will ask a few questions and make a decision fast. Usually I hear within a few days. They don’t call back with a list of new questions. They are willing to take a chance. They are ready to take action and follow suggestions that may seem counter-intuitive.

And they don’t wait for me to fire them up. They take initiative beyond what I suggest and keep coming up with new ideas.

Those who are not committed to changing careers will express doubts before we begin. They want to know every detail of the coaching process. They say, “If I work with you, are you sure I will get results?” And they may even say, “I haven’t done anything yet; I was waiting for a coach to tell me what to do.”

To be honest, this advice is somewhat self-serving as the first group is infinitely easier to work with. They’re also more likely to appreciate what I do. They read between the lines of our conversation and they trust their intuition.

However, I can find logical explanations for the success of the first group.

First,  successful career changers realize they’re in free fall. There’s no guarantee of a soft landing, no matter what they do or who they work with.

If you’ve been following me awhile, you know I like to draw a parallel with sports. Corporate career success is like pro football. it’s all about following the rules and being in the right place at the right time. Career change is more like playground basketball. You have to be comfortable playing without rules. If you need referees, lines and tradition, you’ll have trouble here.

Second, many years ago, psychiatrist Alan Wheelis wrote a book called How People Change. He wrote that people who change will do so with or without a therapist. If they depend on the therapy for change, he says, the process will crash under the heavy pressure. A coach, counselor or consultant can help but they help most when you decide you’re going to make things work no matter what.

Are my services right for you? I don’t know. But they’re definitely not right if you want lots of assurance and a gilt-edged guarantee.  No reputable consultant will promise results, let alone guarantee outcomes. Your sessions are like raw material; it’s up to you to decide how they will turnout. You can learn about my services at http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/services.html

You tell yourself you need a career change. Maybe you’re forced out by a layoff or your industry has moved in a new direction, where they’re going east and you’re facing west or vice versa. Or maybe you just wake up every day, thinking, “I absolutely DREAD going to work.”

The most common ways I’ve seen clients sabotage their moves are crawling when you need to run, flying when you need to take a bus, and going native when you’re supposed to be a tourist.

Crawling When You Need To Run:

When you’re making a career move, time operates like a 747 flying over the wide expanse of a prairie. You feel like you’re not moving but in fact you’re plunging ahead at 600 mph. If you aren’t aware of your speed, you make mistakes and crash.

Some career changers take charge of their future as soon as they feel a quiet inkling. Others ignore the warning signs till they feel the pain: emotional stress, layoffs or financial loss.

Once you realize time has flown by, it’s easy to panic. You think, “Oh no! I’ve got to make up for the past 6 months (or 2 years … or 5 years) right now.” So you start …

Flying When You Need To Take A Bus:

When you’re feeling under extreme pressure, it’s easy to reach for short cuts and work arounds.

Sometimes that’s a good idea: you turn the corner and unexpectedly find a doorway to your dream.

But flying off (literally or metaphorically) comes with hazards too. I’ve seen frustrated workers move to a small town because they anticipate living cheaply. Or they move to a bigger city, anticipating more opportunities.

Sometimes these moves work miraculously; at other times, you’ve taken 2 steps back instead of 1 leap forward.

Even worse, it’s easy to sign up for one of those expensive programs that promise to find you a job, tell you exactly what you should do with your life, introduce you to prospective employers, or help you get a job overseas. I’m safe in saying, “These services will take your money and leave you stranded at least 99% of the time.”

Going Native:

You know you need time to find your dream career (or at least a job you won’t hate so much). So you take a job to pay the bills. It seems sensible and, frankly, it is.

There’s just one problem.

Temporary day jobs ultimately will drive you nuts and drain your energies. I’ve met so many people who took a job “just to tide me over.”

They were tired after a day of work. So they said, “OK, just today I will relax and watch some television.”

A few months later: “This job isn’t so bad.”

That’s like visiting a country as a tourist or anthropologist. It’s fun to visit so you decide to stay and live like the locals. You may find a new home and never want to leave. But if you do want to return, you’ve got a hard road ahead.

Sometimes you start a day job and realize you’ve stumbled into a career you actually enjoy. I just met a dog-walker who told me, “I make more money now than I did as a teacher. And I had a masters degree.”

Sometimes you enjoy the career while you’re young and energetic. Serving up burgers and fries can feel like a lark … until it doesn’t. Working as an adjunct professor can be challenging … until the years go by with no salary increase and no opportunities when your college faces cutbacks.

It’s all to easy to get detoured by company passions and politics. You get involved with projects that don’t deserve your attention. You turn down a job with breakthrough potential because, “It’s not exactly what I want.”

Almost always, it is better to have a job than not have one. In some ways, it’s harder to manage an interim job. The key is to do just enough to get by. Get known for being friendly and cooperative. And never forget you’re a tourist, not a resident.

Want to assess where you are and get some new ideas? Sign up for a Midlife Career Strategy Session.

Yesterday’s New York Times included an article on midlife career change. The guest author is an attorney who “switched” from being a prosecutor, working for the state, to being a defense lawyer in a private law firm. He is quite candid about his reasons: he wanted more money and a better work-life balance.

This type of midlife career switch isn’t really uncommon. I can see the advantage of hiring a former prosecutor as a defense attorney, because she would know how the other side thinks.

The author shared some stories about his friends who made career changes. My favorite quote is:

“A friend of mine went from working in counterintelligence for the military to working in the real estate field. In his last job, he checked government buildings for recording devices and worked long periods alone. As a real estate agent, he shows houses to prospective buyers and constantly interacts with the public.”

It’s helpful to read about career changes, even if they seem far removed from our own. We get a handle on what motivates people to make these changes and we realize that it’s not impossible or far-fetched to dream of a new life. We can also get creative ideas about the kinds of changes that people make. Sometimes they build on what went before and sometimes they seem to be heading in a totally new direction.

If you don’t know anyone who’s been through a career change, and you want an objective sounding board, you may want to consider hiring a coach or consultant. To learn about my career change services, visit http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/services.html

Today’s Guest Post comes from best-selling author Barbara Winter.

When funnyman Steve Martin’s book Pure Drivel came out it enjoyed critical raves and enthusiastic sales. Although the author has long been recognized for his fertile comic mind, he told the Today Show’s Matt Lauer that the book would not have happened if he hadn’t taken time off. His sabbatical unleashed, Martin said, an avalanche of creative ideas.

Martin is not alone in discovering that taking time away can reap enormous benefits. Nicola Freegard was a successful (and frazzled) Hollywood music production executive. After a particularly stressful project, she decided to spend a year driving around the United States with her cocker spaniels as companions. Eventually, she settled in Tucson and began to clarify her goals. She decided she wanted to combine design and textile production with her concern for the environment. Furthermore, she wanted to work with great people and travel to exotic places. Today she heads Earth Works, a company that markets environmentally sensitive products for the home.

Despite numerous stories extolling the profound rewards of taking time away, it’s an idea that is not being as heartily embraced as it might be. In fact, many people find the whole notion downright terrifying. Not surprisingly, I’ve noticed, these are people with the least to lose.

Because the notion of regular sabbaticals throughout our lifetime has been so ignored in recent times, there’s some confusion over what constitutes a true sabbatical. People often claim to have taken a sabbatical when they actually took a sidetrip — usually not one of their own choosing. Divorce or a job loss frequently sends people into a tailspin, causing them to drift until they get their bearings. Calling such times a sabbatical diminishes the true objective of time off.

My definition of sabbatical is time away with a purpose. The purpose of such a time is not to abandon your life, but to enrich it. In the original concept, first defined in the Old Testament book of Hebrews, a sabbatical was to be taken by everyone, every seven years. During this year off, fields were to lie fallow, debts were to be forgiven, relationships were to be repaired and introspection was encouraged. Over time, of course, the notion disappeared and today many people don’t even observe a weekly Sabbath, much less consider taking an entire year of restoration.

After taking my sabbatical seminar a few years ago, Veneta Masson wrote an inspiring article about it for a health care magazine. In the article she said, “In 1998, I will have been an RN for 35 years. I should be coming up on my fifth sabbatical. …What if nurses, especially nurses in clinical practice, were granted time away from the physical, mental and emotional intensity of patient care for personal renewal? Wouldn’t nurses nurse more effectively if they themselves are well cared for?”

Obviously, my answer to the questions, “Who me? Take a sabbatical?” is a hearty, “Yes. Why not you?” And I’m not alone in singing the praises of such an adventure. The authors of Six Months Off interviewed over 200 people who had done so and without exception they all found that doing so enhanced their lives and careers. I have never met any sabbatical-taker who doesn’t rank it as a top life experience.

Like every worthwhile undertaking, a sabbatical requires thoughtful planning plus a creative approach to shifting gears for a while. Just like starting a business, taking time off seems fraught with obstacles until the right idea occurs. Then enthusiasm for the envisioned project begins to create momentum and attract necessary resources.

A good starting point for thinking about your own sabbatical can be as simple as this little exercise. Start writing down your own thoughts by completing this sentence:

I want time away in order to accomplish  __________________.

Once you have the big picture in sight, begin to list all ideas — both tame and wild — about how you might fulfill the mission. Then get busy carrying out the logistics.

Whether you want to see the world, find time to complete a project without interruption, study a new language or jumpstart your creative spirit, a sabbatical is an old idea that deserves to be rediscovered and put to use by those serious about discovering their biggest selves.

Is It Time for Time Away?

Here are several signs that it is the perfect time to consider a sabbatical:

You can’t remember the last time you had a new idea that you were excited about.

You’ve reached all of your goals.

You’ve reached none of your goals.

Your kids think you’re a nerd and you suspect they’re right.

You have a nagging suspicion that you’d be really good at something if you only had time to learn how.

You get wistful every time a plane flies overhead.

Nobody ever asks you what’s new.

A longterm relationship or job has come to an end. It’s time to write a new chapter.

You’re tired of being an armchair traveler and want to see distant lands for yourself.

You’re ready to find a new hometown.

You feel drawn to donate your time and talents to a humanitarian cause.

You need time to do research or start a long-term project.

Your soul is weary.

Barbara Winter, author of the bestselling book, Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love, is also a business owner, itinerant teacher, and self-employment advocate who found her own right livelihood after overcoming her early notions that work was meant to be drudgery. Be sure to check out her Winning Ways newsletter publication and various Teleclasses and Workshops at www.JoyfullyJobless.com or www.BarbaraWinter.com

In the last post we looked at 5 mistakes from an article in Monster.com. Read the original article here.

Tip #6 was,”Don’t Keep Your Dissatisfaction to Yourself or Try to Make the Switch Alone.”

This tip is on the right track. They make a good point: don’t talk to your boss “just yet.” I’d say, keep your boss out of the loop on this one! Be very careful about talking to friends and family. Most of them will put you down and many will say things like, “It’s just a job – what’s the big deal?”

Here’s where a lot of people (including the author of this article) confuse job search with career change. they say, “Friends, family and colleagues need to know what’s going on so they can help you tap into that large percentage of jobs that aren’t advertised.”

That’s true – if you are looking for a new job. But for career change, this step is premature. You need to tap into sources for informational interviews and fact-finding. These days, you need contacts. The halcyon days of the Parachute book are long gone. you won’t find many bored executives who are eager to talk to strangers.

Most people won’t take your call unless you come with a recommendation: “Anne Jones gave me your name.” If possible, get Anne Jones to call ahead so you won’t come as a surprise out of nowhere.

And here’s a key point of etiquette. If Anne says, “I see you’re interested in information technology. I don’t know IT people but I know someone in information science who uses IT in a library. Would you like to talk to her?”

Your answer should be, “Yes – I really would!” Then you absolutely, positively follow up with a call. If Anne’s gone to the trouble to set something up, you need to make those calls, even if you are 99% sure you are not interested. Almost always, if you have a good script for informational interviews, you will get information that will prove useful in unexpected ways.”

Tip #7 reads, “Don’t Go Back to School Unless You’ve Done Some Test-Drives in the New Field.”

Generally I would agree. However, be aware that internships (which I don’t recommend for mid-career executives) and volunteer jobs won’t give you an accurate perspective on life as a paid professional. You can do some rehearsing, shadowing and interviewing.

I would suggest doing a ton of research on programs before investing significant time and money. My report on “Back To School For A Mid-career Transition,” focuses on MBA programs but has advice anyone can use. Get it here.

Tip #8 recommends, “Be Careful When Using Placement Agencies or Search Firms.”

Chances are you won’t find a reputable firm to place you in a new field. Additionally you’ll need to do some research to be sure you’re working with a reputable firm. Getting your resume submitted by the “wrong” firm will block you from employment, no matter what.

Tip #9 is good: “Don’t Expect a Career Counselor to Tell You Which Field to Enter.”

These days you’re more likely to see a career coach or consultant than a counselor. Here the advice is sound: “Career counselors are facilitators, and they’ll follow your lead. They can help ferret out your long-buried dreams and talents, but you’ll have to do the research and the decision making by yourself. Anyone who promises to tell you what to do is dangerous.”

And I echo Tip #10: “Don’t Expect to Switch Overnight.”

These authors say, “A thorough career change usually will take a minimum of six months to pull off, and the time frequently stretches to a year or more.”

A year? More like 3 years! so many of my clients call because a spouse said, “It’s been six months. Haven’t you figured things out by now?”

Not hardly!

I offer services to help but, as we said earlier, don’t expect me to do more than facilitate.
Visit my services page to learn more.

One of the monster.com sites came up with these tips – 5 worst career change mistakes. Read the article here.

Here’s my take on these mistakes (which are actually written up as tips and warnings, but that’s another story):

They advise, “Don’t Look for a Job in Another Field Without Some Intense Introspection.”

Well, I don’t know what “intense introspection” is, but I’ve seen more people make a mistake the other way. Most people get so hung up on navel-gazing that they never get around to searching for info, let alone taking action steps.

Often you don’t realize you need something till you see it … or till it’s gone.

Second, they advise, “Don’t Look for Hot Fields Unless They’re a Good Fit for You.”

That’s actually good advice. They refer to fitting yourself into the right job; I’d add that there’s no such thing as a “hot” field. You can’t believe everything you read in the papers.

Similarly, they advise, “Don’t Go into a Field Because Your Friend Is Doing Well in It.”

That one’s easy: you are not your friend. Even if you have similar profiles, likes, interests, etc., you enter the field at different times with different opportunities.

Fourth, they advise, “Don’t Stick to Possibilities You Already Know About.” VERY true. I get SO frustrated when I work with clients who refuse to explore an idea I suggest to them. Of course the idea may be all wrong for them, but just the act of exploration will change you and introduce you to new possibilities.

However, I don’t recommend self-assessment “exercises” and testing. Have fun with them but let experience be your guide.

Fifth, the article says, “Don’t Let Money Be the Deciding Factor.”

Generally I agree. I’ve found that people who take pay cuts often catch up to their old salaries. They also spend less on things they used to use to relieve their stress – everything from medication to therapy to eating out.

But you have to know yourself. Living on a lower income also causes stress, especially if you have a family. How do you tell your child there’s no money to pay the vet to keep the family dog alive? How do you deal with lower health care quality? Should your kids give up music lessons?

These points are the first five mentioned in the article. i’ll continue this discussion in the next post. To get more ideas on career change, download my FREE guide here.

When you’re relocating, a checklist can reduce moving stress considerably. In a recent blog post, one author recommended specific items for a checklist.

This article is especially valuable because the author identifies different checklists you need at different stages of the move. I’d add you also need a career planning checklist.

Moving checklist phase 1: Make a master plan. Decide what you will need and what you won’t need. It’s never too early: when you plan ahead, you can sell unwanted items on Craigslist or Amazon, getting cash to offset the investment in your move.

During this phase, round up your important papers and put them in a safe place. You will be asked to show all sorts of identification as well as documents related to your home ownership or lease agreement.

If you are moving for a job, make sure you have a written offer. Get a written clarification of the terms of the offer and of relocation. If your new company pays the move, review exactly what you are being promised. For instance, a relocation signing bonus is not the same as relocation expense reimbursement. These items may be handled differently for tax purposes and may be regulated differently by your new company.

Moving checklist phase 2: Collect phone numbers and URLs. Have a list in one place of the numbers you will need to

– turn on utilities at the new home and turn off utilities in the old home
– change addresses
– be kind to the new resident as well as the environment: Change addresses on all your catalogs (often these changes take up to 3 months to process).

For your job, know exactly where you will go on your first day. Map the directions and if you are driving, it’s not a bad idea to take a test run the day before. It’s easy to make a wrong turn that will cause you to be late on your first day. (I know: I did this once and missed an hour of orientation!)

For additional tips on relocation, visit http://www.RelocationStrategy.com
For career change tips, click here.

Today’s New York Times includes an article on career change to retirement. You can read the full article here.

Here are the article’s suggestions (with my comments):

(1) Talk to a financial planner and see if you can afford to retire.

Frankly, I don’t think it’s easy to plan. Your planner can make projections but can’t account for individual lifestyles.

I have a friend who’s pushing 70, living on $24,000 a year in Philadelphia. She’s single with no family support – not even holiday gifts. She lives in a third floor walkup, mainly because she wants a particular part of town and she has a reliable landlord. Her tastes are simple, but she doesn’t need a car. The city is filled with low-cost and no-cost entertainment. She budgets for meals out and takes taxis more than I do! She volunteers for arts organizations and she’s always busy.

However, I know many people will be totally turned off by my friend’s example. It probably won’t be applicable if you have children and grandchildren. More important, my friend didn’t have a successful executive career up till her retirement. Like many women of her generation, she had trouble using her education and admin skills to create a meaningful career.

I have other friends with a million or more in savings but claim they can’t afford to retire.

(2) Your health could go at any time.

True, but you can take some preventive steps with exercise and diet. I’d say it’s more important to have a health philosophy. What’s important to you?

(3) The biggest retirement challenge isn’t money – it’s mind.

The Times article says:

Traditional retirement may lead to a lack of intellectual engagement, which is crucial for good health, says Gary J. Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

That is SO true. I have met numerous retirees whose brains turned to mush after retirement. It was painful to watch. One wealthy man devoted his energies to building his dream house, working with an architect and construction company. While the house went up he was fully engaged. But then he had nothing to do. He began driving the neighbors bonkers because he’d go visiting and talk on and on about things nobody cared about.

Some people (like my low-income friend) stay alert and engaged through volunteer work. But for many others, volunteer work just doesn’t have the edge.

(4) If you want to stay with your company in a lesser role, start negotiating.

I would add, “Be prepared to be undervalued and overworked.” I don’t recommend this option, except as a way to keep an income going while you plan for something else. You will rarely be taken as seriously as those with full-time jobs. You’ll always be described as “Jim who used to be head of sales…” or “Sally our former marketing director.” You might consider starting your own consulting company (even if you just get a business license and a one-page web site). Let your company know you might be available. If they nibble, it’s on their initiative.

(5) Start saving for a transition to a new career.

From the article:
“Mr. Freedman [Marc Freedman, author of The Big Shift] recommends that you prepare for this later-life transition by saving money while in your 50s for things like additional education or unpaid apprenticeships and internships. “Reinvention sounds very romantic, but it’s also hard,” he says. “So it helps to prepare as much as you can.”

That’s excellent advice. I would support other recommendations, such as assembling your own Board of Advisors. I would recommend talking to many people, not just one or two.

I’m also leery of recommendations for a downsized career. The article refers to a retiree who was also a lover of wood working. He took a job at Home Depot, which he presumably enjoyed. My experience has been different, with myself and my own clients. Moving to a lower-level, lower-stress job can actually backfire.

For more support see

http://www.MidLifeCareerStrategy.com/services.html

Psychologist Jonathan Alpert answers a question about career change.
Read the full article here.

A 30-something man writes that he’s working long hours in a job he doesn’t like. However, he makes really good money so he’s reluctant to quit. He wants to be in a job where he can make a difference. He’s considering a career as a teacher.

Alpert says he should go for it. He makes an excellent point: “The longer you stay in [this job], the greater the dissatisfaction and likelihood of poor behavior driving you out.” I tell my own clients, “If your miserable, you’d better think about doing something; otherwise you will self-sabotage and you will be forced to make a change.”

He’s also right when he emphasizes the need to explore – to find out what new teachers earn and what their days are like.

But I’m not sure I’d agree that he’d be “well received” due to his experience. Teachers at the elementary and high school level are hired based on credentials and education credits, as far as I can tell. These days it’s not easy to get and hold a teaching job. I’m told you often need a contact who can be an intermediary.

I’d also question what’s going on. It’s not always clear what’s wrong when people feel restless or frustrated. Sometimes you think the problem is related to the job and it’s really about your family, home, location or other aspect of your personal life. You may be in the wrong job with the wrong people.

Teaching has a lot of downsides too. Check them out.

A recent New York Post article pondered 4 career risks that may (or may not) be worth taking. Read the full article here.

The author looks at 4 risks but they’re not equal.

Risk #1: Going Back to School. My question would be, “Why are you considering going back?” Even if you don’t heed a degree you may find that the experience gives you access to a new network. However, I find many professionals (especially those who have achieved success by degrees) feel lost in transition. They want the degree or piece of paper to signify, “You’re ready!”

Often you have a two-sided risk. First, you invest tuition expenses and lose salary you would have earned. Second, your educational experience may not lead to the outcome you had hoped.

When I returned for my Ph.D., academic jobs were plentiful in business schools. I earned a good living even while I was taking classes and writing my dissertation. Although I was an “older student,” I had a choice of jobs when I graduated.

Five years later, the world looked different. One of my colleagues applied to business school while jobs were plentiful; by the time he graduated, the job market had dried up. He got a job but it wasn’t one he liked.

Second Risk: Changing Careers. This option is so broad it can’t be lumped together as just one risk. Sometimes changing careers actually is less risky than staying where you are. Quitting before you have another job – well, that’s almost always risky. But embarking on a career change while you are employed may be a wise decision.

Third Risk: Saying “no” to added responsibility. Sometimes turning down a promotion just means you live with less money and prestige. But you encounter other risks. When you are overqualified, you get bored and restless. You may find it hard to follow directions that you know – from experience – are misguided. I’ve talked to many mid-life workers who accepted a lower level job to avoid stress. Inevitably, they encountered more stress as they dealt with the disparity between their skills and their recognition.

Fourth Risk: Leaving the corporate world for self-employment. Sure, this option is extremely risky – especially if you’ve never had a sales career and you lack entrepreneurial experience. But sometimes starting your business will bring you rewards faster than if you keep applying for corporate jobs.

One client was fired from a high-profile position in her city. She couldn’t land a job: she was too well known. Hiring managers were intimidated.

When she put out feelers for a new consulting business, her phone began ringing.

Bottom Line: I don’t recommend viewing choices as more or less risky. I’d recommend instead that you ask, “Does this move make sense for me at this time in my career path and in this era?” Sometimes the answer will surprise you.

To discuss your situation one on one, see http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/services.html