By Kent Johnson

I never intended to start a web site about career change and finding your "dream" career. (I never intended to start an online publishing business, either, but that's another story). It just seemed like so much work, and there are already other sites about careers and career change -- from the Wall Street Journal to Monster.com.  

But I felt an urge to share my experiences with others, and the Internet seemed like the perfect medium in which to do that. I've spent most of my life searching for the ideal career, the one calling in life that would integrate my values and passions in a meaningful way -- and pay the bills at the same time. 

I have an artistic side, and I spent most of my adult life learning and honing my chosen craft -- short fiction writing. Along the way I met a lot of very talented people in all areas of the creative arts, from actors to painters to musicians. And we all shared that same dream of someday leaving our "day" jobs to pursue our real passions -- our artistic endeavors. 

It just seems like so few people really love what they do for a living. They got into a career field because their parents steered them in that direction, or a career counselor in high school told them they had to go to college and get a "respectable" job in business or the health care industry. And once on that path, it can be mighty hard to get off, especially when you have student loans, mortgages, credit cards, and other bills to pay.

And so one day people wake up and they're middle-aged, and they've been working in a job or career that they despise just to bring home a paycheck, and they feel like they're life's slipping away right before they're eyes (at least that's the way I felt a few years ago).

And so you either resign yourself to the life you have--or you do something about it. After all, no one is going to show up at your door one day and rescue you from the realities of your existence ( unless you happen to win one of those Publisher's Clearing House contests).  

Change can be hard.  It's so much easier to just go with the flow, stay in your current job, and wait for Father Time and your 401k plan to take care of the rest. It takes real courage to step off that path one you have family and other commitments to think about.  Career change in mid-life--or any other time for that matter--can be risky.  But as someone smarter than me once said, "the greatest risk is the risk you never take."

As for myself, I choose the path of most resistance. I decided to take action, learn some new skills, and spend most of my free time studying while many of my friends went to the ball game or watched Fear Factor on TV. I set goals, put deadlines to those goals, and set out to learn everything I could about the self publishing, online marketing, and the career coaching fields.

And now, finally, it's begun to pay off in a big way. I've been able to impact my life as well as the lives of many others, and I'm glad I took the leap before I was too old or too tired to make the attempt. I now wake up looking forward to the day, instead of spending my working hours longing for the weekend.

Maybe you have similar ambitions, or you've always thought: "what if I'd started a bar instead of going to law school?" or "what if I'd pursued my interest in music instead of becoming a dental assistant?" or "it would sure be nice to be able to work from home and watch my kids grow up around me."

If you have, my advice to you would be to look into it.  Seriously look into it. Don't quit your job next week and run off to start a peacock farm  (unless you've already done your homework, and that's absolutely what you want to do).  But look into it, speak to a career coach if there's one in your area, talk to your family (they're support will be crucial to any career change, by the way). 

Find someone already working in the career you're interested in and pick their brain. See if you can schedule a long weekend or vacation where you can follow them around for a few days and see if that is something you'd really like to do.  And of course have all of your financial resources in order before exchanging your "pay" job for your "dream" job.

But look into it. Consider the possibilities. Imagine your life as you work in a career that's in alignment with your passions and your values. Are you getting excited already?

 If you are, then you might just be onto something.

Top | Home | Site Map | About Us | Contact Us| Privacy Policy

© CareerAdrenaline.com  All Rights Reserved.