Career change planning after 50-serendipity, chance, fate, dumb luck or do You Have a Plan?
Planning career change after 50 in tough enough so how about adding some luck to the equation? We all know people that seem to constantly have good things happen to them. A business opportunity, a promotion, a new job just seems to come into their lives by chance.
But is it chance or luck? Or is it perhaps something else that you can plan for and have some measure of control?
First, in your after 50 career planning, in fact in any type of plan, you have to write out where you want to go and how you are going to do it. This increases your chance of success, some have estimated by over ten times. Just by reading your plan several times a day will also increase your chance of success.
Included in your career planning after 50 is a financial plan. It’s unlikely you’ll have success if your career change involves taking a step or two backward before you again move forward.
In the interim you income will be reduced and if you do not have a financial plan to either reduce your expenses or sufficient savings to bridge the gap you will not be able to take advantage of the opportunity. Or worse you’ll be under so much stress with the reduced income that your job performance will suffer.
Here are some additional things you can add to your career plan after 50 so your career change seems like serendipity but really it’s your plan doing its job:
1. Work your personal contacts. Help others whenever possible. Add people in your planned career to your list. Let others know of your career plans. Stay in contact with your network with frequent updates and with face-to-face meetings.
2. Increase your knowledge base and skill set. Attend seminars and workshops. Add contacts to your network. Plan to read two or more books a month. Use your commute time to listen to books on CD’s. Find mentors that can direct you to added learning-self study or through internet programs.
3. Take on challenges at work. Lead a project that requires you to work beyond your comfort zone. Look for ways to become more efficient. Coach others, their improvement will reflect favorably on you.
4. If you plan on changing careers, look, act and operate like you already have the job. Join career related groups and associations. Volunteer to help on committees. Write papers for their newsletter or journal. Study and learn the jargon of the planned career.
With all of the above and more added to your career plan do you think it will be a coincidence that you will become aware of a job in your planned new career? Do you thing you can get recommendations from others in the field? Yes on both counts.
With your added study and experience it won’t be an accident that you qualified for the new career. Chance didn’t smile down on you. You build a career plan after 50 and worked the plan. Others may call it luck but you know you planned for the luck to happen.
Serendipity you now know happens to those that are prepared for the opportunity. Isn’t it time you began working on your career change plan after 50?