If you’re bored at work and wracking your brain for some interesting careers for people over 40 you need to read this first.
It might be tempting to comb through the internet for lists of careers until you find something that strikes your fancy and then start on a career journey with this new, exciting path in mind.
But just because you’re feeling bored now doesn’t mean that something you find “interesting” is the solution to your problems.
Today, I want to give you a couple of the other things you should be thinking about when searching for a career that will rescue you from your current one.
Interesting Careers For People Over 40
Why should it matter whether you’re over or under 40?
Bored is bored, right?
Well yes and no.
While boredom doesn’t change with age, what you find interesting might.
You also need to consider that at 40, even though you are feeling bored, you’re probably feeling other things too. At this stage in your life it’s not just about excitement.
You want a career that feels like YOU.
Beyond that, your life is much more complicated in many ways than it was in your 20’s. While you’re probably not still going to all-night parties and living with more drama in your love life than the Kardashians, you do have plenty more things to consider.
You may have other people to worry about as well as other responsibilities.
So while pulling up a list of interesting careers may leave you thinking, “That would be fun!” chances are the career wouldn’t be for you.
There are just too many complexities and layers in your personality and life to be able to pick your next career off a list.
Could it happen?
Sure.
But it means you’d have to get lucky.
That’s why searching for an “interesting” career when you’re 40 or older is dangerous. There’s just too much other stuff to consider.
Other Layers
So if it isn’t about just adding excitement to your life so you don’t fall asleep at your desk, what other things do you need to be thinking about?
What’s meaningful to you: Do you need to be working in a “helping” career like therapy or coaching? Maybe you need to work in a company that creates something or does something you care about, like a solar energy company. Or maybe what’s most meaningful to you is to have the time to do what you want, when you want.
All of those things will have different implications as far as choosing a career.
How do you like to work?: Lots of people say to me, “I’d love to be able to work from home in my pajamas!” But then they reveal that they are extroverts who thrive on interaction with other people. That just doesn’t add up, because soon they will be feeling isolated and alone.
If you consider how you like to work, but also how you work best – how you actually get the most and best work done, you will get some insight into your career choice. Maybe you should be working from home, or maybe you should be someone who travels and meets new people every day.
What responsibilities do you have? Do you think it would be amazing to be a travel photographer? A flight attendant? Run away with the circus? Maybe you’d find these careers highly interesting. Maybe you’d even call them your dream job – except for one thing – they all require too much travel for your current responsibilities. If you’re not willing to sell everything and jump into one of these jobs with both feet, you’re going to need to find an alternative.
What limitations do you have? We’d all like to believe we are limitless. And we are. But that doesn’t mean you’ve reached your full potential right now. You might not have the education or experience that you’d need to start one of the interesting jobs you pull off a list. So you have to consider not only where you are, but also how much time and effort you’re willing to dedicate at this point in your life to those goals. Do you want to do what it takes to complete med school right now? Maybe, maybe not. You decide.
What to Consider
I’m not saying you shouldn’t look at lists of interesting careers for people over 40, I’m just saying that you have much more to consider when looking at those lists than just whether a job interests you.
These are a few factors to consider. What do you think? Is there more you need to think about? Is it considering all these things a part of what’s keeping you stuck?
I’d love to hear from you!
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If you still have fears about your career change, sign up for my Cheat Sheet for a Fear Free Career Change here!