I’ve come to believe that looking for a job, or a new career, in the “second half of life” can be vastly different from your experience in the “first half”. And, I’m not referring to age discrimination or bias, as the underlying difference.
The difference in older people’s experiences in the job search as compared to a younger generation’s has more to do with the complex issues and questions that are inherent in our later years.
For example, Jane, a woman in her late 50’s came to see me because she knew she was finished with her successful career as a management consultant. After thinking about her transition for almost a year, Jane still did not have any concrete ideas about what she would do instead of the career to which she’d been devoted for 25 years.
“It’s not as though I’m distracted from the question about what’s next by the amount of work I have. To the contrary, for some reason, the work is just not coming to me anymore. What worked in the past, no longer generates new contracts now. I feel like I’m facing into a blank slate and this has never happened to me before.”
While it was unnerving and scary for Jane to face into the reality of no work, it was also exactly what she wanted and needed—a major career change.
It’s next to impossible to effectively navigate a major life change at full throttle– which, Jane admitted, had been her preferred mode of operation. So, her “down time” was providing her the space to regroup and reflect on what really mattered in her life.
In response to her frustration of not being able to name a new career focus, I asked Jane “What if your work for the moment was to be in that ‘place of not knowing’ and to shift your pace and expectations? How would you feel?”
“I think I’d feel relieved that what’s happening was purposeful and part of some process”, she replied.
Some say that the second half of life is more than setting goals and meeting them– a dominant theme in early years. Moreover, it is about deeply investigating the question “Who am I meant to be?”
Not only does this particular inquiry take time, but it can also influence every significant life decision you make.
If you find yourself facing into unknown territory in the second half of life, imagine that you are where you need to be.
Be open to the questions that arise that may give you clues about next steps. See if you can let your inner voice lead you instead of being led by external directives or imperatives.
