St.Louis Business Journal
LIFT MID-CAREER DOLDRUMS BY CHANGING IN PLACE

By Anna Navarro

March 2007  

Author's note: Client stories in this column are based on actual situations fictionalized to protect privacy and told with permission.



George had been in sales for over 20 years and was burned out, especially with the travel. He wanted to make a major career change but he had three kids who were college bound and he didn't want to risk their future by doing anything that might jeopardize his income. Despite his dissatisfaction, he knew that his job was reasonably secure and his company was stable.

Mid-career individuals, those aged 35 to 54, often find themselves in the bind George was in. Today’s flattened organizations offer few promotional opportunities. Doing the same thing for a long time can bring with it a high risk of boredom and burnout. But heavy family and financial demands at midlife can make it difficult for workers in this age group to undertake major changes that might revitalize their careers.

One way to deal with this bind is to make a lateral move or swap out some of the responsibilities in your current job for different ones. A change of this kind can recharge your batteries while maintaining your compensation and benefits.

But don’t expect much help from your employer. Many (perhaps most) employers put the responsibility for job satisfaction squarely on the shoulders of employees. They don’t provide much, if any, support for helping workers who have lost their steam figure out what might get them turned on again.

I asked George in our first meeting if he had ever considered making a career change within his company. He said he’d made a few explorations but they hadn’t gone far. Both his boss and Human Resources had listened to his concerns and asked what else he was interested in doing. When he didn’t know, the discussions dead-ended.

Our first step was to address the question of what kind of work he might enjoy doing that would also meet his family’s need for financial security. We started with an in-depth self-assessment to determine what was important to him in a work situation and what he had to offer an employer.

During the assessment, it surfaced that he had excelled in finance in college. He’d intended to go in that direction after graduating, but took a job in sales because it was the only position he could find. That had set his course for the next twenty years. He also reported he really enjoyed managing his personal finances.

Those clues prompted me to suggest he explore financial jobs within the company. As soon as I mentioned this, a light bulb went on for George. He started talking about credit management, a function that involves extending credit to customers.

His next step was to talk informally with people he knew in the credit management department. In setting up the meeting, I suggested he say he was doing some research about future career direction and that he make it very clear he was not job-hunting. He explained he was looking for information and advice to help him decide whether financially related work might be of interest to him.

During these meetings he asked about the details of what credit managers did. He also told them about his education and work experience. What he learned was very encouraging. The tasks involved intrigued him. His knowledge of the company’s products and customers would be a strong asset. The compensation might be somewhat lower to start but still within the acceptable range. The job didn’t involve travel. All in all, it seemed like a good fit.

Armed with new clarity about what he wanted to do, George returned to Human Resources and explained why he was interested in working in credit management and what he thought he had to offer. It took several months, but eventually, he was able to make the switch. He did better financially than he had originally expected because of his tenure and in-depth knowledge of the company’s products and customers. He now looks forward to going to work in the morning.

George got himself out of the mid-career doldrums without putting his family at risk by figuring out what he wanted to do within his current organization. This approach may be helpful in alleviating mid-career doldrums for many people who work in large organizations whose culture they like. But it often requires that you take the initiative in determining the direction in which you want to head.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.