A career is not a job. If a job lasts long enough or enough jobs are strung together, a career can be built. Often a job change is needed to continue advancing in your career. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to start a second career path in your life. Deciding if or when that needs to happen depends on the answers to a few easy questions.
Are you happy with your current career choice?
Careers are mostly about money, influence, and happiness. Because careers are considered long term, job satisfaction and happiness are big deals. Without this aspect of a career, it is very hard to maintain it. Finding more than one such long lasting endeavor can be tricky. In choosing to start a second career, most people build on something that has already been a part of their current career. So, the second career ends up being more of an extension of the first career with less ambition and stress involved. If you plan to digress drastically from your current career path, be careful to choose something that you will not later regret.
Does your present career offer enough growth potential?
If you have reached the top of the growth chart in your career and realize that you want to go higher, you will need to consider a second career. This may involve more training and some tough choices. Career paths that have a growth cap usually have to be exchanged for similar ones in a larger environment or at a higher level. A high school teacher may need to switch to the university level or enter school administration to keep the career growing. However, that same teacher may opt to enter private industry that uses his or her education in a totally different way.
Are you due to retire from your current career?
Because of pension and retirement benefit plans, many people reach a point where they can step away from their long term career with a nice financial cushion at a relatively early age. This opens up the door to try a totally different career path with almost no risk. If you find yourself in this position and are not ready to quit working, a second career is probably a great option.
Is starting over appealing to you?
Unfortunately, a second career usually means going back to the bottom of the pile and starting the climb again. If you are one of those people who lives for the next challenge, you may find this an adventure that you cannot refuse. Make sure that you can keep food on the table and that anyone else who depends on you will not be left hungry and homeless before you make this leap. Often, a short term sacrifice can pay enormous long term dividends.
Can you financially afford to start a new career?
Money is often the big problem that people face when taking on a second career. Training cost and lower wages coupled with the possibility that the second career includes starting a new business along with it can sink a pretty big financial ship. Make sure that you have counted the cost to your bank account before leaping from safety into the unknown.
Are you willing to have two career paths going at once?
A second career can mean two careers being managed simultaneously. This is a tall order for anyone who is not a workaholic. It is not impossible. People do this all of the time. However, you will eventually have the tough decision of when to make the permanent leap from the old career to the new one. If this works out, it can be one of the best ways to reduce the risk of starting a second career.
Do your loved ones support you in your choice for a new career?
Having family and friends support your decision for the second career can enhance the chances of success. This will help you keep your morale up when you become tired and frustrated by the slow progress and possible fatigue associated with starting a new career.
Will your health allow you to build a second career?
Of everything discussed, this is the big one. You can start over and over as long as you have enough time and your health holds up. If your health is declining, you may want to reconsider a second career. The stress, potential long work hours, and possibly physical exertion may be too much. It is a good idea to monitor this if you are past middle age and embarking into a second career. Get check out a little more often and possibly arrange for slightly more time away from the job.
