Your 30s are too young to change careers? Are you brave enough, experienced enough, financially secure? Is it irresponsible to change jobs at this age? What is the right age to switch careers? What does age-appropriate even mean?! These are just some of the questions you may face as you navigate a career change or wonder if you’re really living up to your purpose.
We are traditionally taught that a career change is something that happens in our 40s onward after we’ve reached a glass door in our current industry or developments in our personal lives like starting a new career. family or even moving causes us to rethink our career paths. Usually by this point we have achieved our major financial and career goals. We climbed the stairs and followed the path.
So, what happens when a career change comes your way in your 30s and how do you navigate it?
Fiona’s mission is to normalize ‘starting over’ as an adult, helping her clients create a life they love through her straight-up BS-free approach
Not your average business and career coach, Fiona Moss supporting women to discover their purpose and challenge standards, to do work that allows them to live a life beyond their wildest dreams. Her mission is to normalize ‘starting over’ as an adult, helping her clients create a life they love through her straight-up, no-BS approach – instead of just forever stuck in a career and a life they hate. For some, that means leaving the corporate world she supports through her program PURPOSE. For others, she supports them through the WILD startup program. Fiona’s vision for 2022 is to help 100 women find their purpose and enter a fulfilling career and life they love.
Here, Fiona chats with us about rewriting the career story for women and letting go of societal expectations…
Fiona was raised in a very ordinary family in Great Britain. “I got good grades in school, went to university, got a good job in London and I started my career. But despite a successful career as a retail buyer managing a £625m portfolio, I decided it wasn’t enough, I wasn’t done, I wanted to do something else. something special, something more purposeful, I want to see more, live my life than just being stuck in a city and climbing stairs. “
Fiona’s career reset came after a series of panic attacks. She’s trying to live the life she thinks she ‘should’ want, climbing stairs, ticking boxes, appearing before events she doesn’t want to be part of. Combined with her boyfriend’s illness, she feels she has lost her true nature. She was down, stressed, and exhausted.
When you were a kid, you thought that by the time you were 30, you would be together for life. Career, marriage, house, 2.5 children but reality for many people is not so.Fiona Moss
Fiona said, “When you were a kid, you thought that by the time you were 30, you were going to have a lifetime together. Career, marriage, house, 2.5 children, but the reality for many people is not so – I include. However, while many of us know the illusory nature of this ‘dream’, we still hold on to it and feel ‘failed’ if we don’t achieve it. As I was changing my career – not knowing what I was changing into – I felt like I had not only let down my family and friends, but also failed the very person this little girl expected. . If I quit my career, I have nothing to show for my life. My friends are married, have children and I am a mother of a square child. This social dream created an internal pressure that kept me from taking that step for years – until I knew I had no other choice. But to take that step was incredibly difficult, with doubts, fears, worries. Truthfully, I cried almost every day, I doubted myself and what I was doing, but deep down I knew what I was doing was right for me – I knew I had to follow the path and the goal. its destination. And, I’m so glad I did.
“Although these fears can manifest in different ways, they also come to my clients. Fear of failure, fear of disappointing others, fear of going back to the circle. All holding them back from their potential, a happier, more purposeful, more fulfilled future. But it is people who accept that these fears are normal and to be expected, who can accept that they are part of the process so that they can move forward not in spite of them but rather with them. “
Fiona is currently on a mission to normalize career change across all ages, and she believes it starts with finding your purpose.
We often put ‘life’ aside for weekends, holidays and retirement. It’s time to change the old 9-5 story, focus more on creating our work/life balance and enjoy the process. A life by design, not by default.
Fiona Moss
When Fiona went through a career change in her late 20s, she got to the point where she had to make a choice; either change something drastically or nothing will change. She spent a long time trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life and this is not an easy answer to find but only if she really finds out what brings her. For yourself, things will start to settle down.
“I clearly understand what I want in life, where to live, how to live every day. I know the details and by knowing the details the only thing that keeps me from making it happen is me. “
How to get started with creating the life you want
Ask yourself what ‘good’ would you look like?
The starting point is to consider how your career makes you feel right now and what changes you need to make. Maybe you feel disconnected from your work and goals that no longer excite you. You may be hiding from the fact that it’s time to change or turn your career around. Take a moment to think about why you are unhappy in your current career, start to consider the changes you want to make, visualize it, and start discovering what that looks like and What action do you need to take?
These questions will help you understand
What do you really want from your job?
What kind of work/life balance do you want?
What more do you want – time, freedom, money?
How do you want to feel every day?
What is draining your energy right now – what do you need to stop doing?
What excites you / What would you like to do more?
Research and planning
Most people look for a new role by first looking at their current skill set and seeing how they can translate those skills into the requirements of the role.
But this is the wrong way to do it. I want you to start thinking differently; to think outside the box. From answering the questions above, you’ll have a clearer sense of what you want your next career move to look like and then, and only then, can you decide whether to move forward. What will it be like.
Is self-employment an option?
Don’t rule out the option of becoming self-employed or working remotely. Many people get nervous at the thought of starting their own business, simply because they’ve never done it before.
Focus less on whether you are self-employed and have a clear understanding of what you want from your career. If that includes a lot of freedom, autonomy, control, then perhaps self-employment is for you. If you want more security and stability with a guaranteed monthly salary then perhaps a job will be better for you.
The most important part of this puzzle is understanding what makes you feel happiest and in line with what you want out of your life. It must be suitable for you.
What do you need assistance?
Changing careers can be extremely difficult. What, why, how – so many questions to ask not only about your career but also about yourself and your life. Your identity begins to change and this can be difficult.
Having the right support network around you is crucial in this process, whether it’s friends, family, a coach or a mentor – having people around you support you, guide you, helping you stay motivated through the final change will ensure you take the right steps for you.
Make an action plan
Obviously the first step, but nothing happens without action. Creating an action and progress plan is key to helping you navigate your next steps.
Be sure to include the milestones you need to meet whether it’s qualifying in a new industry, leaving your current job, making sure you have x amount of savings before you move out.
Planning your weekly/monthly tasks will ensure that you don’t fall into procrastination and eventually lose motivation and motivation towards your goals.
How to empower yourself to take the leap!
- Vulnerable enough to step into something new – you could say I wanted more
- Surrounding you with the right people lifts you up and helps you stay motivated
- Set boundaries with the people who make you small
- Challenge the ‘rules’ / ‘story’ that are holding you back.
- Be true to yourself – call your own BS
- Remember life is too short to sit still and be unhappy in your career
