You spent the first 20 or so years of your life establishing your passions and pursuing your education.
You worked hard and got your first real job just as you got out of college.
You thought you were set for the rest of your life as far as your career goes, but then something happened. You turned 30 and, ever since then, nothing has felt right. Whether you want to accept it or not, your career defines you in many ways and being unhappy in your career makes the rest of your life miserable as well.
After putting all of that work into your current career, is it smart to suddenly say that it is time for a change? There are a lot of really good reasons why a career change in your 30s might be a great idea.
Your Life Is Changing
When you took on that first job and started your career, you were young, unmarried, excited about the upcoming journey and ready to take on the world single-handedly.
But as time goes by, you became less satisfied in the workplace, which is common for people in their 30s (NYMag.com). Co-worker support is important to how you feel about your job and many people feel like co-worker support falls off when they reach their mid-30s.
You also decided to start a family and now you have kids that take up a lot of your time. Since you are forced re-evaluate your life/priorities and to focus your time on the things that are important, you suddenly realize that the career you have is not what you thought it was. That is perfectly normal and it is the reason why so many people make a career change in their 30s.
There Is Plenty Of Precedent For Changing Your Career In Your 30s
Did you know that famous chef Julia Childs was actually an advertising copywriter until she hit 30 years old? Did you know that world famous vocalist Andrea Bocelli actually started a career in law until he hit his 30s and realized that he wanted to sing for a living?
Maybe you are in a career that just doesn’t excite you and you want a change. Since there is plenty of precedence for people successfully changing careers in their 30s, you have no reason to think that you cannot make the change.
Being confused about your career in your 30s is normal.
You Are Much More In Touch With Yourself In Your 30s
In your youth, none of your career aspirations and ideas had been tried out in real-world situations. You may have done an internship here and there, but that doesn’t really count 😉 .
After a few years of working, you understand yourself and the real world a lot better. You know what you are capable of and you also see what you can actually go out and accomplish. It is not uncommon for a little experience/revelation/idea to suddenly inspire people to make career changes in their 30s.
If you are in your 30s and restless about your career, then contact Sandbox Advisors to talk about making the career change that you know you need to make. Making a career change in your 30s is not only normal, we at Sandbox Advisors could help to make it the best decision you will ever make.
