Mid-career can be an uncomfortable place to be. At this career stage, women in particular can feel slightly adrift: their best made plans may have taken a back seat or they are struggling to work out where they want to head next. We call this mid-career madness and we can help…
The mid-career phase is often the most challenging for women. Women’s careers are often non-linear, truncated, highly contextually driven and less ‘risky’ and at mid-career life and career become highly connected. Those who have chosen motherhood have no time to devote to career management, others find the career plans they made over a decade earlier no longer fit with their values or their life. And then there’s the patriarchy…
A lot is stacked against women’s career development at this time, and that’s without taking into consideration other contextual factors that impact women’s careers.
There are things you can do
So what can you do to make sure you don’t fall behind during this critical mid-career period? Take charge of your own personal development and career management. Your employer no longer views this kind of ‘training’ as their responsibility and so women need to invest in themselves in terms of time and money. Devoting time to understanding yourself better will help you identify what you want to do next.
- It’s important to know what has influenced your career to date: why did you make the decisions you made and what or whom influenced them. Were your values your own or did they belong to someone else?
- Who are you now and what have you got to offer? What are you current values and who are the people you listen to (for better or worse?). What affects your self-esteem and confidence?
- Finally imagining your future is essential to be able to move forward. What is your direction of travel and your priorities? What do you have that can get your there, and what do you need? Expressing your dreams and ambitions is a powerful thing.
This is how you escape the mid-career madness. Taking time to consider yourself and your options will reset your path. This along with a few goals to get you going will lead to results. Value yourself and your career and set the course for the next chapter in your career.
Photo by Ray Frangapane on unsplash
