Comments for The Careersafterforty Network

Comment on 12 Crafty Ways To Tell If You’re Ready For Career Change by Michal Ciers

Michal Ciers — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:40:25 +0000

I admire your work , thankyou for all the great blog posts.

Comment on 12 Crafty Ways To Tell If You’re Ready For Career Change by ADP

ADP — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:46:29 +0000

Nice read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he actually bought me lunch because I found it for him smile So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!

Comment on 12 Crafty Ways To Tell If You’re Ready For Career Change by Mike Rawlins

Mike Rawlins — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:53:09 +0000

As an acolyte of Angela’s for about a year now I am happy to add my thoughts to this forum – I am a great believer in the power of support networks to help individuals make lasting changes.
As always with any coaching scenario the most important step is to work out what the goal is – and to feel able to take the time to do so.
What is it then about the ‘over forty’ bit that is relevant and that will help us to work out what we are aspiring towards?
This may seem like an odd diversion but trust me. As an afficionado of the type of programme that now seems to make up most of the scheduling for ITV3 – Morse, Lewis, Midsummer Murders, etc. – I know that in any detection process the two key factors are opportunity and motive.
Now, I am no Morse, but I understand that being (well) over forty was a big factor in both those aspects of my own crime against my previous career. And in both cases there is an obvious and a more subtle aspect.
Motive – the obvious one for me was that I had been with the same company for 30 years and, while moderately successful, I knew I had gone as far as I was going to go both in terms of my capabilities and also, legislation not withstanding, age profile. So I could sit out the next 10-15 years and sulk or go and do something different. But it turned out there was a further angle, and one that I could not have become aware of without taking the plunge. Through all the self reflection that developing as a coach requires I have become aware that there were other things working within me that would drive – which continue to drive – my life and career and it is the maturity and capacity to reflect that seems to come with being of a certain age that helped kick start that process – the urgency created by a sense of time passing that was able to unlock doors long closed.
Opportunity – there is a practical side to this. My age and years of service meant that I was able to take advantage of yet another reorganisation to leave with a bit of capital behind me and I would be the first to admit that I would be a good deal less gung ho about my career change without that security. But again, age, experience, whatever, these factors conspired to create a foundation on which I could start to build something new. 30 year old Mike would have done something very different – and much less exciting – with a pot of money and some spare time.
So – my advice is to recognise the extraordinary capacity for change that comes with the energy and experience we all retain after 40 – to work out what drives you (and to recognise that takes time and you may have to start the process before it really kicks in) and go for that career over forty – whatever it is.

Comment on 12 Crafty Ways To Tell If You’re Ready For Career Change by Sue Burt

Sue Burt — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:14:51 +0000

My top tip when starting something new would be to do exactly as Christine is doing: get experience.

As someone who tends to dive right in, I have learnt that it is best to think about the direction I want to go in and find the best place to start the journey. Testing the water first, making sure that the conditions are right for me, checking I can float, swim and keep my head above water means that I can then push forward and, with my eyes set on the horizon, let the movement of the tide help me.

…And the tide has been kind enough to bring me to Angela, allowing us the opportunities to support each other on our journeys.

Comment on 12 Crafty Ways To Tell If You’re Ready For Career Change by Angela Watson

Angela Watson — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:10:21 +0000

Great contributions. Thank you, Angela