Have you become bored of your current career?

As in all stages of life there are many reasons for changing careers but at the 40 and 50 plus age group many people find they've been in their current occupation for many years. It has become easy, maybe boring and fails to give the same satisfaction and acheivement it once did. The realisation sets in that this isn't perhaps what you'd dreamt of doing forever. Sometimes changing career at this stage can feel tough. There seems to be more reasons for staying where you are than changing your career. Don't let financial reasons , potential age discrimination, fear or any other factor be a reason for keeping you in a career which doesn't challenge you, teach you, expand your mind and enhance your life. Listed below are tips for overcoming some of the common obstacles preventing a career change at midlife.

The midlife pay packet

You may have worked up the career ladder and have a pay packet to match which of course you don't want too loose. However, your job and career should be more than just a remuneration. If your career is no longer teaching you new things and expanding your experience and mind you are paying a huge price in terms of life experience and enjoyment staying there. If money is important to you can you start your own business with the skills and experience you have? Have you specialist skills in a certain profession so you could work freelance or as a consultant? This may provide you with the challenge you are seeking. You may also find you need to take an inital paycut to change your career but with good career planning in a few years you may be able to surpass your previous earning potential.

I'm too old or other people think I am

Don't let age be a factor in your career change. If you're fifty, you still have at least 15 years of your working life left. Do you really want to spend it in a career you don't enjoy? Life is for experiencing new things, undertaking new challenges and if you'restill breathing you aren't done. Enjoy it and grab life with both hands.

However, it is naive to think that age discrimination doesn't exist because it does. But there are steps you can take to overcome it. Firstly, you need to understand what people's misunderstandings about the older worker are. There are misconceptions that youger people tend to be more innovative and more enthusiastic. Of course this isn't true, some young people do have these qualities, some don't, some older people do, some don't. But by understanding the prejudices that exist, you can take action to overcome them. For example, make sure your CV emphasises innovation .

Don't be somebody who is being self discriminative because of age. If you tell yourself "I'm too old", you probably are because you are putting limitations on yourself. If you tell yourself "age ain't nothing but a number" the world will be your oyster.

I lack the skills needed to change career

Don't be afraid to go back into education to get the skills you need to move forward in a new career. Education should be an ongoing process throughout our lives. Colleges and universities are now full with more mature students looking to learn new skills and you'll find that you'll learn so much more than when you may not have appreciated educational opportunites at school. Just take a small step and check out your local college website to see what they offer, you may be intruigued enough to apply for a course.

Remember the extra things you have to offer

Career changers at midlife have extra things to offer that you may not have considered. Don't forget you have learned a lot of new skills throughout your life that most twenty year olds simply won't have had the time to accumulate. Or if your family has grown up you may be more flexible in terms of the hours you can work or the location.