One important reason for choosing to make a midlife career change is that you feel you really haven’t reached your potential, that there is much more you can do.

The disadvantage of making career decisions at 18 or 21 is that you don’t know much about the labour market and so you often have to rely on other people’s advise or opinions.

In addition to which, most schools don’t give very detailed or individually tailored careers guidance and so it is hardly surprising that most of us make our decisions based on limitation and lack of information.

So it’s not surprising that after 10 or 20 years in the workforce you begin to feel that life might have been very different. Your current career is not providing much in the way of job satisfaction. If only you had followed your dream or studied what you wanted to learn, rather than gearing your efforts towards “getting a real job”? Where might you be now?

Midlife career change might be scary, but it’s also an adventure. You know a lot more about work, you have a much better idea of what you really want from work and perhaps more importantly, what you don’t want. You understand just how big a role your job plays in your life and you want to get it right this time.

So it’s time to reassess your career and create a future which is more fun, and also more fulfilling, allowing you to express your talents and use your skills.

But it isn’t easy to make big changes – there are quite a few risks involved. It’s often easy enough to decide what you’d rather like to do, but if you need to retrain, without the promise of a job at the end, it can be tough.

One way to approach this situation , is to look beyond the traditional work patterns we are used to and think about self employment and the possibility of a portfolio career.

A portfolio career can be a great choice as a midlife career change, because it gives you the opprotunity to make change slowly and it gives you the chance to work in more than one area, which in turn allows you to use different skills. This is a big advantage, especially if you have several very different ideas that you would like to pursue. One of the worst drawbacks of a normal job is that it can be impossible to find all that you want in one job. So a variety of different jobs, incorporating self employment, will give you a much better chance of finding fulfillment at work.

As with any career change, changing direction in midlife is something which takes time, thought and preparation. Luckily, this is much easier these days with the internet which will enable you to get information,, find contacts and even set up one or more income streams without leaving home!

Discover how to set up your own portfolio career at http://www.coolercareers.com/portfolio-careers.html and get started on our 6 Step Guide to Midlife Career Change today.

I’ve been busy with the book project

but here is a new video for you:

Writing a career change resume can be challenging. After all, you don’t want to list a load of jobs which have absolutely nothing to do with the one you are applying for. Here is a video to give you some tips:

Learn more about writing a career change resume

It’s been a while since I posted and there have been several reasons. First of all, I managed to hurt my arm quite badly before Christmas – getting a bit too impatient with the weights that has slowed me down quite a bit. I’m finally seeing a bit of an improvement after some Feldenkreis treatment.

Work is continuing on the software project – my video editing skills are not the greatest, and of course, I need to make lots of videos to show what the software is capable of. But I’m getting there and should soon be ready to send out some test copies. If you are interested, keep an eye on the blog. Now for the Something New . . .

I’m a big fan of portfolio careers, when you have several “jobs” at the same time and so I’ve added a new potential source of income to my own portfolio. I’m co-authoring a book with Veronica Torres, a friend in the US. The title is The Choice for Consciousness and no sooner had we decided to work together, than I received an email from Neale Donald Walsch (not a personal email, I’m on his mailing list ) announcing The Next Top Spiritual Author Competition.

We have entered and now we have to drum up votes! 2500 people have entered. Only 250 will progress to the next round and that will be determined mainly by the number of votes we receive. Apparently this is to teach us about the publishing industry (all you aspiring authors take note). It’s not enough to write a great book, you have to get out there and promote the hell out of it.

We’ve even been encouraged to offer incentives to voters. So, we are offering a free recording to everyone:
sign up here: Free Recording

And we will be having several draws – prizes will include a month’s free recordings and since I’m asking my readers to participate, a copy of my Jobseekers’ Success Kit.

So, check out our video pitch and cast your vote here:
Vote for Veronica and Waller!!

Important We don’t have access to the voting details and so the only way we will know if you have voted and are eligible for the draws is if you let us know! Click here Enter the draw and send a quick message “I’ve voted ” is enough!

Vote First then Enter the draw

I have finally completed the software and am now working on the videos and user manual. Once those are ready, I’ll be looking for a few people to test the software.

Trying to create something which is automated, yet allows you to create targeted resumes and CVs, was quite a challenge, but I’m pleased with the results.  You will also be able to create cover letters.

There are quite a few additional features too.

If you’d like a sneak peek, here is the first instructional video

http://www.coolercareers.com/VideoOne/VideoOne.html

I’ve just created a new page on my website, which has a selection of videos related to careers.

So if you’d rather watch videos than read articles or blog posts,  you can check them out here:

http://www.coolercareers.com/career-videos.php

If you want to add video marketing to your traffic generation techniques or want to find out how to change articles into videos quickly

check out Article Video Robot. You’ll also be able to create your own video page.

Will it ever stop raining? We’re certainly wondering in London and we’ve also had more snow that usual. But the weather has been a lot worse elsewhere. You are probably well aware of the way in which weather and your life can interact to cause what you consider good or bad results, but have you thought about the influence weather could have on your career?

Probably not, unless you work outdoors or spend a lot of time waiting for buses. But if you stop to think about it, you’ll see that the present bad weather could have a positive impact on your career.

Being forced to stay indoors doesn’t mean you have to veg in front of the TV or spend the entire weekend on Facebook. You could use the time to reassess your career and perhaps even think about studying for something new.

You might just want to get another qualification which will make your present job more interesting or put you in line for promotion. Or you might want to learn something completely different and make a significant career change.

So use the rainy days to dream about what you want to do and take action to make it happen.

Making a career change in you middle years has become a growing trend these days. And with so many folk living so much longer, pension funds are unable to meet the increased payouts needed for longer periods of retirement. This means that plenty of people will need to search for an alternative method in which to meet the costs of their retirement . And considering your present-day company is  not likely to be prepared to keep your job open right up until you will be 75 or 80 years of age, you could find yourself confronted by the need to find a different opportunity as you reach midlife.

Step #1 Try to find Work In which Maturity is Highly Regarded

Should you be consiering making a midlife change of profession, it is important to look out for jobs where your experience is  going to be valued. We still live in a culture where youth is held up as the ideal .And this is a dilemma for older folks who are considering changing profession. The good news is, there are now bosses who do understand the value you bring with your experience.. Moreover, you will find certain areas where age coupled with know-how may very well be considered an asset.

Very often, these jobs are in areas in which you work directly with people and specifically in helping careers, where the patience and awareness which come with experience are crucial..One particular area where this is commonly the case is homelessness.Men and women who end up becoming homeless usually reach crisis point due to some complex challenges, for example , having been fired and accumulating debt, which then leads to family meltdown.

Caring for older people people is usually another suitable area for older jobseekers. Nursing is one job which will does accepts experienced students.

Step #2 Think About Working as a Consultant

If you are experiencing dilemma uncovering an workplace to offer you a full time job opportunity, Ponder changing to a consultant. If you have had a robust experience in business or any other field of operation that may be popular, it is easy to construct as a advisor And receive elevated charges. This could give you scope for work part time but nevertheless generate the equivalent of a full time revenue.

Step #3 Think About A Supplementary Income Stream

No job is going to be safe and also you may not want to stay in a full time job once you hit 60 or 65.. But  since you will need to continue supporting yourself, you still need to be earning money.

If you take steps to produce a second earnings when you are in your 40s or 50s, it ought to be sufficiently organised as soon as you reach 60 or 70, which should allow you to slow down a bit and enjoy yourself.

Are you currently dissatisfied with your job or the direction of your career?  If you are, you may be interested in changing career fields. While career change is more than possible, it is important to remember is that jobs and career fields can vary enormously.  For example, just because you may make a great legal security, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are qualified to work as a nurse or another healthcare professional.

However, this works the other way too! Just because you don’t have any experience in something or think you wouldn’t be any good at it doesn’t mean it’s true.

That is why it is important that you do not make any of the typical career change assumptions.  Assuming is the worst mistake that you could ever make, especially with something as important as your career.

Before officially deciding to change careers, you will want to take the time to thoroughly research each career field that you may be interested in entering. This research can easily be done online or at your local library.  Important points that you will want to examine include current and forecasted job outlook, as well as pay.

Once you have at least one or two career fields that you would be interested in entering, you may want to start searching for open job positions.  Don’t apply for any of those jobs just yet.  Instead, you will want to examine a number of different factors.  One of those factors is pay.  For the positions that you would be interested in apply for is the pay enough to support your family?  While some circumstances may allow you to take a pay cut, you may want to avoid this if you can.

Job requirements, as outlined in the job description and accompanying paperwork are the next thing to look at. These may include education, training, or previous work experience.  You will find that most job listings, both in print and online, will outline all of the requirements needed for the job.  This will give you a good idea as to whether or not you are qualified for the job or jobs of your dreams. This information can help you to decided if you want to take the time to take a few night or weekend training courses to help improve your training and experience.

Training courses  come in a number of different formats, but they are all designed to help you prepare for a career change. For example, hopeful accountants may learn how to prepare taxes, keep accurate business records, and so forth.  The length of training  required will all depend on the career field and the level you hope to reach within that career.

Your local community colleges or vocational centerswill e able to help you find the right courses and assess how you can fit training in to your lifestyle. Thre are plenty of options for online training and part-time training. So it is possible to continue working in your present job while getting qualifications for your new career.

So, don’t assume you can’t do something just because you need qualifications. Do your research and find a way to make your desired career change happen.