What You Should Know About Changing Careers in Your Forties

What You Should Know About Changing Careers in Yur FortiesWhat You Should Know About Changing Careers in Your Forties You may not have had much life experience in your twenties , but you didnt have a huge mortgage payment or the kids college tuition looming in the future, either. And now, in your forties, youre feeling restless in your job, yet you feel paralyzed by the financial risk that comes with a major career change.Its ironic that when we have the most to offer in the workplace and should feel the most confident , we also have the most responsibility - and most acute fear of financial risk.The good news is that, with a little re-framing, you dont have to be held back by these fears. Heres why.If you are in your forties, youve probably logged more than 20 years of experience in your industry. But you still have another 20 years to do something youve never done before.When I welches in my forties, I held a primary position in a technology startup. Burned out from long hours and working for someone else, I knew it welches time for a change, but I felt like it was too late.Then I looked at my father, an innovative pediatrician, who started writing books in his fifties. At 69, he wrote a million-copy bestseller. He was 28 years older than I was when I began rethinking my life plan. Thats when I knew I had plenty of time to create a robust new career.And I did. Im now the CEO of a growing company that helps individuals and companies thrive through strategic planning, team alignment, execution, and accountability.By your forties, youve probably mastered the skills required for your current job. I like to call these skills your know-whats . Its easy to think those skills are all you know.But your know-hows are what are really important. They are the processes youve mastered - activities like recruiting, hiring, onboarding personnel, building a team, creating a budget, facilitating a project, managing people , giving presentations, and r esolving conflict. These know-how skills will be valuable no matter what industry you want to work in.Dont get stuckverzierung in your know-whats. Instead, make a list of your know-hows. (Remember, these are the processes you know how to do.) Then think of those as your signature strengths.This third point became clear to me when I met Linda, a woman who had successfully developed relationships with key accounts in the printing industry. When she hit her forties, she began to notice that her employer had become blind to changing trends in the industry. Knowing that the company would eventually lose out to the competition, she decided to take the next step.But she was hesitant. Lowering her voice, she told me, What you dont know is that I dont have a college degree . My mother said I wasnt that smart and didnt deserve one. Once people learn that, they wont hire me.What Linda did have was a solid track in her industry. Once she got over the hump that the college degree was the holy grail, she was able to start working for a thriving business in a different industry that valued her experience.So, ask yourself Are you holding onto old beliefs about yourself that no longer apply?Even though the gender wage gap still exists, there have been changes in the workplace over the past 20 years. Women are more common in fields that used to be dominated by men.We are thriving in every field from technology to manufacturing. And the virtual world has created a new horizon that never existed in the past. New companies, new industries , new flexibilities - take advantage of these unlimited possibilities.When faced with changing our careers or our jobs in our forties, its tempting to believe that its just too frightening. We focus on all the risks of changing - but we rarely ask what risks there are in not changing.Dissatisfaction at work can affect many other areas of your life - your health, your relationships, even the example you set for your kids. Staying in a bad work situation could even lead to depression or anxiety.Heres the wonderful truth You have this one precious life to live. And you are right smack dab in the middle of that life. Its OK to take that leap in your forties. You have experience, you are no longer who you were at 20, your list of know-hows is probably very impressive, and every day, the world of whats available is opening up wider and wider.And, if you dont risk changing, we may never learn whats truly possible.This article was originally published on DailyWorth .