However, what they often overlook is asking the fundamental question: What do I want to do when I grow up? While it’s the kind of question we were asked early in life, it’s also relevant in midlife. A recent study by Generation.org, “The MidCareer Opportunity,” shows that 40% of the developed world workforce falls within the 45-64 age group. This is a notable increase from the 28% recorded in 1990. Additionally, there’s a growing trend among Baby Boomers to extend their careers beyond the traditional retirement age of 65. For instance, you might find yourself at a mid-career point around age 50. This is especially true if you went to college and graduate school and didn’t start your career until you were 25 (50 is halfway between 25 and 75).
I recently asked two questions to an MEA workshop cohort of two dozen mid-lifers: “What would be your dream career?” and “Till what age would you do this job?” We had the most interesting conversation with the following collection of dream jobs floating to the surface: mentor to inner-city teens, pastry chef, volunteer firefighter, Mayor of a small city, TV newscaster, YouTube influencer (okay, this was one of the Millennials in the workshop), MEA facilitator (we get a lot of those), executive coach, Airbnb host, sports agent, philosophy professor, entrepreneur, memoir author, and so many more. On average, people thought they would do this dream job until they were 78. The average age in the workshop was 54. Wow, that’s two-dozen years of runway!
So, what’s stopping these mid-career searchers from pursuing these dream jobs? If I were to identify the top three reasons, it would be these:
- “Too much comfort in what I’m currently doing and too much fear that I’ll fail in something new.”
- “Lack of clarity of the first steps I should take to pursue this dream career.”
- “A feeling that there wasn’t a supportive community to help me on this journey.”
If this speaks to you, I suggest you consider joining my two co-founders, Jeff Hamaoui and Christine Sperber (they only teach together once or twice a year), in their Navigating Transitions workshop in Baja from January 29-February 3. You will learn about The Anatomy of a Transition and how to find the courage and tools to pursue your dream.
-Chip
P.S. Here’s a holiday gift opportunity. Buy a copy of my new book “Learning to Love Midlife: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better With Age” for a friend and you’ll receive a free copy yourself by buying it here. The book doesn’t come out till January 16, so your friend (and you) will have to remember that patience is a virtue when it comes to what we want in life.