One of the first questions that adults ask children is "What do you want to be when you grow up?" This is often the first time a child begins to think about what he/she will do in their adult life. The child's choice may be amusing or outlandish, but often it contains a kernel of wisdom about who the child really is.

This question, asked of children by adults, is one that many adults also revisit for themselves as they begin to enter mid-life -- with a greater knowledge of their skills, talents, desires, hopes and fears.

Adults at mid-life also have a fuller appreciation for the facts that:
(1) their time is not unlimited, and
(2) if they are not on the path they want to be on, there is still time to make any necessary mid-course corrections.

Often individuals make career choices for reasons that are not entirely rational or well-suited for them as individuals. Career decisions can be made with the scantiest of evidence and often as a result of the fads of the day (remember how applications to law school went up when the television program "L.A. Law" was popular?).

The hopes and dreams of parents also dramatically influence the career choices of their children. Career planning at the secondary school and college levels is often minimal and, in many cases, depends on the initiative of the student or on the presence of talented, motivated counselors.

But, by and large, career planning in the early years is very spotty. So, it is easy for young adults, who may not know themselves well, to end up in jobs or careers that are not a good "fit."

When adults begin to enter mid-life, there can be an increasing shift in perspective which involves reevaluating where one has been and where one wants to be going.

With the wisdom of age comes increased insight, increased self-awareness, a growing sense of one's likes and dislikes, talents, capabilities and an understanding of when work is satisfying and when it is not. It is also a time when long put off desires and distanced parts of oneself begin to yearn for expression.

It is often at this point that individuals begin asking themselves questions such as

• "Am I enjoying what I'm doing?"
  
• Can I stick it out with my employer until I reach retirement age (or early retirement age)? "
  
• "Am I doing with my life what I'm meant to be doing?"
  
• "Where did all the time go -- I thought I would have accomplished much more by now?"

Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger pose six powerful questions in their book "Do What You Are" which are useful in assessing one's current level of career satisfaction. (If you can answer "yes" to all six, you are in great shape!).

They are:
1) Do you look forward to going to work?
2) Do you feel energized (most of the time) by what you do?
3) Do you feel your contribution is respected and appreciated?
4) Do you feel proud when describing your work to others?
5) Do you enjoy and respect the people you work with?
6) Do you feel optimistic about your future?

The more "no's" that you get from answering these questions, the more likely it is that a job or career change would be beneficial for you.

GATHERING DATA ABOUT YOU

If you're experiencing dissatisfaction with your job or career, it may be time to step back and do an assessment of where you stand. This can take the form of spending some time with yourself (on a personal retreat, for instance) or seeking input from friends, family and colleagues who know you well.

Keeping a journal on a regular basis (more easily said than done, but well worth the effort!) can help you see patterns in the way you think and do things, as well as give you the opportunity to express yourself regularly and to discover new aspects of yourself.

Utilizing the services of a solid career counselor -- who can administer tests that will assess your aptitudes and interests -- can be extremely helpful.

In addition, knowing one's Myers-Briggs (MBTI) type can foster increased self-insight and be helpful in targeting those kinds of careers that could be a good fit for you. Many career counselors are certified to administer the MBTI. You can get a general overview of the MBTI by reading Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger's book, "Do What You Are".

While the information you gather about yourself from these exercises is helpful, there are no automatic answers. You need to apply the data you obtain in light of your own unique history and personality. Moreover, the most challenging part of finding a good "career fit" is that of looking deep within yourself to explore and discover what truly makes sense for you.

BEING WILLING TO DREAM (WHILE WIDE AWAKE!)

People tend to give up on their dreams too soon -- before they ever really give them a try. But the key to knowing "what you really want to be when you grow up" is to be in touch with your dreams, hopes and aspirations.

Barbara Sher's book, "I Could Do Anything If Only I Knew What It Was -- How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It", contains a series of powerful exercises that help ferret out your dreams and get you moving toward accomplishing them.

This book is extremely useful for individuals who may know that they need to do something other than what they are presently doing, but are uncertain about what they want to do. It is well-written, easy- to-understand and contains a great deal of wisdom and insight.

EXPERIMENTING

If you are contemplating a career change or redirection, you can minimize risks by gathering information from people who are doing what you want to do (via "information interviewing," for instance) or by "testing the waters" before "jumping in."

An example of this would be someone who believes that a career as a therapist is where he/she belongs. In this case, it would be fairly easy to "test the waters" by volunteering to assist with a telephone "hot line." The advantage of experimenting like this is that it gives you a "feel" for what it would be like to be doing something similar as a career.

SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Many people feel that they should be able to accomplish significant personal change on their own -- completely independently. The fact of the matter is that this kind of change is best done with the help and support of others.

When making any kind of significant change, it is important to make sure that you have real, reliable support systems in place. It helps to have areas of stability in your life (e.g., family, friends, and other connections). It also helps to have someone who will help to keep you on course as you go through what may be a demanding transition.

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

In her book "Wishcraft", Barbara Sher introduces the concept of the "buddy system." This is a formal arrangement in which two people keep each other on track by strategizing, brainstorming, planning and offering moral support to each other on a regular, pre-scheduled basis. It is an extremely effective method for keeping on track and it is surprising that more people do not take advantage of such an easily available technique!

COACHING

Another type of support system, recently profiled in Money magazine, Fast Company magazine, the New Age Journal, the Washington Post and the New York Times, is that of the personal/executive coach.

Under this arrangement, an individual hires his/her own personal coach to assist in accomplishing goals such as making a career change, improving one's performance on the job, or simply having a knowledgeable person who will act as a sounding board for the individual's ideas and plans.

One of the reasons this kind of arrangement works so well is that meetings (often -- though not necessarily -- by phone ) occur on a regular, pre-scheduled basis. The continuity and regularity of coaching sessions builds momentum and helps to prevent procrastination from taking over.

DECIDING ON A COURSE OF ACTION.

It is not enough to explore. At some point a decision has to be made about which course to follow.

There is always some degree of risk in making a decision. Making a decision to do one thing eliminates all the other possibilities (at least for the time being, but possibly forever).

It can be difficult to commit to a course of action for people who like to "keep their options open," but when mid-life arrives, there may be just as many risks involved with "keeping the options open" as there are with making a decision to take a specific course of action.

The information and insights obtained from the research and exploration stages of career transition can serve to raise your comfort level at this point and offer reassurance that it is reasonable for you to make a decision to proceed.

The feedback provided by your support system can help in sorting through options and helping make sure your decision is well-informed and makes sense.

PLANNING

Planning needs to be an important part of any career transition. The trick here is to make sure that the most important bases are covered (such as health insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, etc.), while not getting bogged down in planning which is too detailed (such as intricate financial planning based on multitudinous assumptions that could change at any time).

However, it is useful to project on a monthly basis where income will come from and what expenses will be like. Also, it is useful to outline any assumptions that are built into your plan for transition (e.g., that you will be admitted into a state school program that has lower tuition).

At this stage, having a strong support system (such as a Wishcraft buddy or a coach) is invaluable.

MONEY

Money is a reality that cannot be ignored, yet many people get stuck by not being willing to take risks which may impact their bottom line. It is important to realize that, by changing one's assumptions or allowing time to adjust to new circumstances, significant changes can be made in one's material requirements.

A creative, flexible attitude -- one in which solutions are actively sought -- can help minimize financial risks. For an intriguing perspective on money, "Your Money or Your Life" written by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin is a must-read.

SATISFACTION

Is it worth it? Is all of the energy, research, planning, evaluation, and inward-directed focus worth the results? There is no way to know in advance if it will be, but if you are answering "no" to more than two of the career satisfaction questions listed above, you have the potential to significantly improve your life by considering job or career changes.

Imagine waking up each morning, jumping out of bed with enthusiasm, and loving every moment (even the tough ones) of your career. The prospect of having your life be like that may excite you so much that you will consider career changes and job options that would have been astounding to you before you reached age 35!

© Copyright 1998 Bill Roche. All rights reserved. Distribution Rights: The above material is copyright, but you may retransmit or distribute it to whomever you wish as long as you do not charge a fee and not a single word is changed, added or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site.