Does your job no longer bring you pleasure? How do you decide to make changes at forty? Many women have proven by their own example that changing a profession at this age is quite possible. Today, the women's club "Those Over 30" will teach you how to change your profession at 40 and completely overcome the fear of change.

Most people over 40 have a hard time with change. It is especially difficult to get a new profession. Among the most common fears are:

Fear of losing a source of income;
Doubts about the correct choice of a new profession;
Fear of losing a sense of comfort and sense of stability.

Caught in a whirlpool of doubts, people, having never decided to make changes, remain unhappy and depressed in their previous jobs for the rest of their days.

Psychologists say that only doing what you love will give a person freedom and peace of mind. There will be difficulties when changing your profession, but these will be difficulties on the way to a new life, where, having acquired the missing creativity, you will become a truly happy woman.

Before you decide to change your profession, at the age of 40 you need to decide exactly: are you just tired of your current profession or is it really time for you to change it? Perhaps the reason is that you don't like your relationships with your colleagues or your boss. Perhaps you are just tired and need a short rest.

If a change of team or a long-awaited vacation does not solve the problem, then it’s time for you to think about a new profession.

Analyze a few more symptoms that indicate that you have a profession that does not bring you any pleasure:

On you miss;
You are confident that you have achieved everything possible in your profession; career growth is no longer possible for you;
You are not interested in literature in your specialty;
You are often distracted from work by extraneous thoughts;
You have to force yourself to go to work;
You have deep depression, attacks of panic and hopelessness.

To finally dot the i's, the women's club website recommends taking a long-term vacation for experimental purposes. Try to go somewhere where your professional responsibilities cannot distract you. If after have a nice rest work is still a burden, which means we urgently need to change something in this life.

The first step to changing profession is to fight your fears

Changing and choosing a new profession at 40 can be a serious step. It has been proven that the later you decide to make changes, the more difficult it will be for you to take this step. This is explained by the fact that in your previous job you already had some success, but in your new job you will have to start all over again from scratch.

Many women after forty are afraid to come to new team, where they will be treated like young trainees. Often fear is also caused by the boss, who may refuse a mature woman a new job.

To deal with your fears, you need to ask yourself what are you really afraid of when planning new changes? Next step- this is the understanding that these are not at all the life circumstances that need to be feared.

You must understand that:

Changing your profession at 40 is not your first experience when you change something. Remember how you felt when you took the path of change? What helped you cope with your feelings then? Take your previous experience into account.
Analyze the lives of your relatives, friends and acquaintances; there will probably be those who took risks and changed their occupation. They coped with all the tests, which means you can do it too.
Get inspired by examples famous personalities. Read biographies of great people, watch motivational films.
Know that if you are burdened by your current profession, then without changing it, you will feel dissatisfaction all your life.

After 40 years, some professions, such as pilot or actress, are very difficult to master. What to do if it is impossible to change a new profession at 40? Psychologists advise, even in such a situation, not to despair. Turn your dream into your favorite activity.

Any person should have time for hobbies in addition to work. This approach will give you the opportunity to introduce innovation into your life without changing anything radically. Perhaps a new hobby will help you understand that the reasons for your fears and worries do not lie at all in work.

How to change profession without making mistakes

You have weighed and thought about everything. You’ve made a decision and know exactly what new profession you want to get. Do not hurry! Psychologists advise making a list in which you need to include all the pros and cons of your new profession. Special attention Pay attention to wages, competitiveness, learning difficulties and your own health.

Determine what opportunities for growth in your career will come from changing your profession? If there are no prospects in your old job, but after getting it bright prospects open up before you, change your field of activity with full confidence, regardless of your age.

To avoid nervous breakdowns, you need to move towards your goal gradually. There is no point in changing anything at the age of forty at the expense of comfort.

When thinking about how to change your profession at 40, keep in mind that at first you may experience difficulties. Will your family support you? Pay attention to your family's financial situation so that these issues do not make you worry for some time.

Under no circumstances should you leave your old job with a scandal. There is no need to spoil relations with former colleagues. Always leave escape routes for yourself, what if you have to return?

Start making changes by attending courses where you will receive the necessary training and learn the basics of your favorite profession. Gradually acquiring new knowledge, you will make new acquaintances in this area. The changes will begin to take place painlessly. Moreover, during the learning process, you may realize that this is not at all the profession that you so passionately dreamed of. You can return to your previous job at any time.

Remember, get new job after 40 years it is possible only thanks to the experience and endurance inherent in a mature woman. For an employer, you are a person who does not rely on emotions to make decisions. the right decision, does not rush to extremes, and has the support of relatives.

Changing a job and changing a profession are two different things. If in the first case you can easily achieve success thanks to your skill and experience, then in the second case you will have to start everything absolutely from scratch. clean slate. For some women, this state of affairs can become a serious obstacle to their dream. But, if you have strong nerves, no one and nothing will stop you from achieving your goal.

Much in this situation will depend on how much you want to change your profession: to develop and learn. Decide what you want: stability or the fulfillment of your cherished dream?

If the decision is firm, do not delay its implementation. After all, self-confidence, confidence that you are acting correctly and motivation backed by practice can work wonders.

The article was checked by a special psychologist Olga Yurievna Gryzlova

We are accustomed to the fact that in our society it is customary to study and acquire a profession until the age of 20-25, and after that - only to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. But this is a fundamentally wrong approach.

“In LARGE cities, half of all employees, unless they are top managers, people of creative professions and fans, whose activities are aimed not at the result, but at the process,” says the psychologist Lydia Gevorkyan,- by the age of 38-45, a crisis of self-determination begins. It begins to seem that everything has hit the ceiling." According to experts, the only creative way to overcome such a crisis is professional retraining. This concept includes not only a sharp, radical change in the sphere of work, but also the acquisition of new knowledge and skills in the main job. So , according to statistics from the Employment Service, of all the unemployed who applied for help, 34.3% receive it in the form of advanced training courses. Another 26.7% apply for vocational training, and as many as 39% apply for retraining, that is, to obtain a new specialty. At the same time, 10% of those who radically changed their field of work and acquired a new profession are over 45 years old “When we talk about getting a new profession, it is important to remember that a rare physicist at the age of 50 is able to receive a higher medical education and become a brilliant doctor, - says recruiter Sergei Livshits. - You need to look at things objectively and understand that the past will need to be presented in a new work, and not erased completely. A person over 40 years old without work experience and ideas about what he will do - Hard case. The new job should be similar to what you did before. For example, a person conducted advertising and PR projects in the banking sector, and at a more mature age received an economic education and took a management position in a financial institution. There are many such cases. You could work as an engineer at a factory, but after completing the relevant courses, you began to teach at a secondary specialized institution."

The GOAL of our project is to help Muscovites 40-45 years old get a job. And learn from the experience of the main characters which methods of employment are the most successful.

Places you need to know

Vocational training programs in the employment service. Those who are registered as unemployed can get a new profession for free.

Evening courses at specialized universities. Advanced training and mastery of a new specialty take place without compromising the main job. Upon completion of training you will receive a “crust”.

Correspondence studies in state and commercial universities. Remember: a second higher education at any university can only be obtained on a paid basis.

Our heroine Elena Putilova I chose additional courses in computer drawing and classes with a psychologist. A certificate of completion of the course, coupled with her engineering diploma, will allow Elena to apply for a job in a new field.

How to understand that you need retraining:

REGULARLY review job sites and resumes - even if you're not looking for a job. Applicants and employers may have new lines in job descriptions - knowledge of new programs, mandatory foreign languages, etc. As soon as you see this, you will need to take a refresher course and master this program or language. This will allow you to keep up with the times and prevent you from becoming obsolete as a specialist.

TRACK the emergence of new specialties on the labor market. When does it occur the new kind activities, there are virtually no specialists. Therefore, you can complete the relevant courses and start working in a new field without fear of more educated competitors. This was exactly the fate of HR specialists (they were recruited by psychologists who received additional training in the personnel field), advertisers and PR people (journalists became them at the dawn of perestroika), etc.

CONSULT a psychologist and a recruiting agency specialist. This will allow you to compare your fantasies with the real state of affairs. Whether you will be able to find a job after receiving a new specialty is what you should think about first of all.

First victory!

AFTER three days of waiting for our heroine Irina Krechetova a call came from the furniture company where the woman was interviewing. “You’re right for us, you can go to work in a week!” - Irina was told. It turned out that all three - the commercial director, the head of the personnel department and the head of the technical department in which Irina was enrolled - were in favor of her candidacy.

When Irina brought the documents for registration, everyone began to congratulate her. “At that moment, I realized that the psychological climate in the team was very good and the relationships among colleagues were warm and respectful. This is exactly what I lacked at my last place of work, and I’m glad that they treated me differently here,” she shared her with joy Irina. Meanwhile during three months she will have to learn a new job - computer design and calculation of experimental furniture models. Her new colleagues and bosses are confident: Irina can handle it!

Jobs for sale

Our hero Sergey Golovachev I decided to find out from my own experience what “job fairs” are and whether they can be useful when looking for a job. Sergey attended Career Days - one at the Moscow Youth House, the second at the Central House of Entrepreneurs. He was interested in talking with representatives of recruiting and consulting agencies (remember, it was in these areas that the decision was made to look for a new job for Sergei). “There were practically no representatives of recruitment agencies at the exhibitions,” Sergei shared his impressions. “And I left my contact details at only three stands. A similar form of work is more suitable for young people - graduates, or those looking for temporary work.”

Professions that are easy to master after 40 years of age can be found in almost any field of activity. The most universal options are trade and civil service, but the salary is unlikely to be high. Becoming a software tester or realtor is more difficult, but such work will provide good income. Important role Previous experience plays a role in choosing a new occupation, but at the initial stage the salary in any sector will be relatively low.

Changing a profession is a difficult, but sometimes absolutely necessary step. At a young age this is not a big deal, but after 40 years such serious changes look scary. But there is nothing wrong with changing jobs: you can acquire the necessary skills at any age, and life experience will be useful in communicating with new colleagues and clients. Our list of 10 professions that are easy to master after 40 will dispel your doubts and help you take a fresh look at your career prospects.

1. Work in retail chains

Large companies doing business in the trade sector are among the largest employers. Such enterprises constantly face personnel problems: finding decent and attentive people is more difficult than it seems. Even in small towns you can usually find work in shops and supermarkets in the following specialties:

salespeople and cashiers;
consultants;
employees putting goods on display;
goods receivers.

Career growth is possible: the best employees often become store managers or directors. The downside is monotonous work.

Important: When talking about trade, it is not necessary to limit yourself to groceries and other everyday goods. Working in a clothing or toy store pays no worse, but can be much more interesting.

2. Working with children

If you love children and easily find a common language with them, why not make it your job? In this case, age will not become a hindrance, and sometimes even provide an advantage over other candidates. Get a job at school or kindergarten It won’t work without specialized education, but there are a number of professions that do not require lengthy training:

nanny;
children's media studio worker;
teacher in a private children's club.

Don't forget about your previous work experience. Philologists and linguists can take up tutoring, and camera operators or musicians can work in children's media studios.

3. Social services

Purchasing food and medicine, caring for the sick, processing documents - the list of responsibilities of social service employees varies widely. If working with people is your thing strong point, it’s worth taking a closer look at such vacancies. The salary is unlikely to be high, but in many cases you can get a flexible schedule so you can spend more time on yourself and your family.

4. Manager in a travel agency

An option for sociable people with travel experience. If you are ready to engage in sales and have a keen sense of customer needs, everything will work out. Specialized education in this field is rarely required, and the necessary knowledge and skills are acquired with experience. The work is office work, so it does not impose any special restrictions on health and physical abilities.

An important requirement that most employers make is knowledge in English. However, you can find a place in a good company without being a polyglot. Not all positions require knowledge of English, so in vacancies this item is often indicated “for show.”

5. Confectioner

If you live in a large city and love to cook, check out the open positions for a pastry chef position. It is possible that higher education in this field will not be required, and the necessary skills can be obtained through courses. At the same time, the profession is in demand in the market: demand for cakes self made, custom cakes and other confectionery joys have been extremely high in recent years.

6. Civil servant

Working in government agencies is a good option for those who are tired of irregular schedules and overtime. It is usually not difficult to get low-level positions in the tax office, pension fund, MFC and other government agencies. The other side of the coin is low salaries and almost complete lack of career growth.

6. Florist

If you have a developed sense of beauty, try yourself as a florist. It will only take a couple of weeks to learn this profession. A good florist in a large city can claim a decent salary and a wide selection of vacancies.

Interesting fact : floristry is not only about arranging bouquets for sale. The profession is in demand in landscape design, as well as organizing weddings and other special events.

7. Tester in the IT sector

Contrary to popular belief, you can start a successful career in the IT sector at the age of 40. A tester is a specialist who conducts software testing, writing reports and identifying problem areas. The profession has become extremely in demand in all major cities of Russia, and the number of IT companies will only grow in the coming years.

You can learn a new profession in parallel with your old job, in the evenings and on weekends. Articles about how to become a tester and what online courses are worth taking are regularly published on Habrahabr and other IT communities.

8. Work in beauty salons

The beauty industry is a big market and there is always room for newcomers. The advantage of this area is the wide variety of professions, each of which can be mastered in a few months:

hairdresser;
manicure and pedicure specialist;
visagiste;
hair removal master;
massage therapist, etc.

It is noteworthy that they are approximately equal to the national average, and experienced professionals can exceed this bar with at-home haircuts and other personal services. Experience in medicine will be a big advantage: in this case, it is worth trying yourself in cosmetology and other specialties that require specialized education.

9. Work in the construction sector

Installer, tiler, roofer - far from full list professions in the construction industry that can be mastered after 40 years. Experience in independent construction or finishing of premises will be a good help. It is also important that such work will provide a decent income: the demand for quality services significantly exceeds supply.

10. Realtor

Real estate trading is an activity for those who know how to communicate with clients and find solutions difficult situations. To get started, you only need desire and minimal communication skills, and employers usually take on all the training. It’s better to start your career in large agencies, where experienced mentors will help useful tips.

You need to remember that this profession is in many ways similar to running your own business. directly depends on the number of transactions concluded, so the specialist is required to have initiative and high efficiency.

Conclusion: what to look for when changing professions

It would be irresponsible to call changing careers after 40 years old an easy task. Before changing jobs, it is important to analyze the consequences of your decision. Here are the main points to think about in advance:

Confidence in your choice. If you don't know what you want, you definitely shouldn't quit your old hobby.
Previous experience. Think about what knowledge and skills you already have and whether they can be used in a new place.
It’s good if you still have the opportunity to return to your previous activities after 2-3 years. Don't forget that sometimes even the best-thought-out decisions turn out to be wrong.
Wage. The beginning of a career remains the same even at 40 years old. Changing careers will likely result in a decrease in income.

If you are confident in your decision, be proactive in your education and job search. Start small and keep learning - after a couple of years you will be able to compete on equal terms with more experienced staff. Remember that the choice is not limited to a list of ten professions: in almost every field there is an occupation that can be learned at any age.

For those who still have doubts, we invite you to watch an inspiring video about changing your profession. From the video you will learn how a former economist was able to become an IT tester after 40 years.

Higher education. Orenburg State University (specialization: economics and management of heavy engineering enterprises).
March 13, 2019.

Changing your field of activity is always difficult: temporary loss of stability, status, and financial well-being is scary. And the older you get, the more stressful this process turns out to be.

Life expectancy is increasing, and at the same time age boundaries in the professional sphere are shifting. The joke that “40 years is the new 30” is no longer relevant, now the “new 30” is 50, and the expression “midlife career change” (literally, a change of profession in the middle of life) has long become stable.

In the United States, almost a third (29%) of people approaching retirement age planned to change their field of activity within the next five years. Life Reimagined and USA Today obtained such data in a survey of more than a thousand people aged 40-59 years.

According to the Australian Department of Employment, at the end of 2016, 11.9 million people were working in the country, and about 39% of them were aged 45 and over. At the same time, more than 134 thousand Australians are back in school at the age of 40, reports the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

But for Russia, changing professions after 40 years is not the most common phenomenon. “The majority of workers 40+ are middle managers, they have subordinates, but they still do a lot themselves. And if they want to move to a radically different structure, they face two difficulties, internal and external, says psychologist and coach Anna Galitsina. - Internal - they feel sorry to part with the acquired status within their structure, market, industry, because the transition will always involve a loss of status. External - the Russian employer is not ready to wait for new employee will delve into it and learn, he needs results right away.”

Crisis - a new beginning

IN developmental psychology there is a concept of “normative crisis”, in which a person goes through several crisis periods. “Everyone quite strongly transforms the personality, preparing it first for adult life, and then for self-realization,” says consulting psychologist Olga Belova.

In adulthood there are several such periods. The first one occurs at the age of 30 (it is called the “crisis of youth”). The next one is the “midlife” or “middle age” crisis, which occurs around 40–42 years of age. During this period, a person is visited by doubts about the correctness of the life he has lived, which becomes the leitmotif of most actions and reactions at this moment.

“Adulthood is a period of personal flourishing. The entire previous life path prepares us to unlock the potential inherent in nature, upbringing, education and self-development. The desire to open up becomes the driving force for growth and improvement,” explains Olga Belova.

Marina Bykova has been working as a trainer-mediator at the Federal Institute of Mediation for four years, but until the age of 41 she was a social educator and music teacher at school. “Attempts to somehow diversify life in the profession did not bring the expected results, so a thought arose that haunted me,” she explains. About the profession of “mediator” (dispute resolution specialist. - Note auto) Marina found out by chance: she was looking at job offers and saw an advertisement about a new direction - mediation. “I went for an interview, and I was first accepted to study at the Center for Mediation and Law,” says Marina. - This profession is “ageless”, on the contrary - the older you are, the more trust you have. I no longer rejoice from changing my profession, but from new experiences, from understanding new opportunities.”

Abraham Maslow, creator of the famous pyramid of needs, insisted that at every moment in life it is necessary to make choices that lead to personal growth, including through fear and the desire for security.

“Changing something is quite uncomfortable for a person. Stability greatly corrupts. As you age, changing your field of activity becomes more and more scary - you get used to it and become ossified. I didn’t have any unconscious fear, but I was still a little scared,” says Ruslan Chachanov, founder and director of the TrainingPro Center.

The transition to a new area should not be abrupt. “However, if you feel that “you can’t live like this anymore,” it is quite possible that you have approached the threshold, beyond which a completely different life and a different path may open up for you, allow yourself to see it,” says Olga Belova.

And in this sense, a good motivator for change is not only an internal crisis, but also an external one. Natalya Tikhomirnova dramatically changed her profession after 40 and became a designer at the very beginning of the 90s. For a long time she worked as an engineer at Mosgrazhdanproekt, but she was not interested in this profession. “At some point it became completely unbearable, and since I always did some kind of artistic things, crafts, I decided to take it seriously,” she says. “I began to calculate: to knit, you need wool - it’s expensive, so I went to a shoemaker’s shop and asked for scraps, boot tops, and made corsets, brooches, and jewelry from them.”

Natalya joined the Union of Artists and began selling her products through art salons. After several years of working as a jewelry and then clothing designer, she became an interior designer, which she still does today. “In the 90s, interior design was not the most common profession, so you could often make good money,” she says.

How to soften the transition

In order to somehow insure yourself and not immediately get a negative experience, it is worth taking a closer look at the new field of activity. Anna Galitsina advises completing training on your own and not expecting an employer to teach you the profession: “It is important to communicate with people from the industry, read the press, and stay up to date. Diplomas from business schools work very well for HR people.”

Liliya Rakshenko worked as a journalist, producer and editor, but after 40 she went to study applied behavior analysis. “Now I’m 40, I work, I study, and I still have many years of study ahead of me. My classmates are mostly 20 years younger,” she says. Continuing her studies, Lilia went to work as a behavioral therapy specialist in rehabilitation center. She has now left there to focus on private practice.

"It was very scary. But my experience as a producer helped me, and I also spent a lot of time in startups, so I decided not to think about the fact that I was changing my life and doing what others decide to do at 20, but treated it as a project that I really want to implement it,” says Lilia.

It is worth signing up for relevant conferences, visiting forums, taking short-term courses, and joining thematic online communities.

“I came across a photography course where the first stage of training was free,” says Tatyana Chichkovskaya, who has been working as a photographer for more than five years. “I decided to learn how to photograph my child better (I was on maternity leave at that time) and disappeared - it turned out to be so interesting.” Tatyana changed her profession after 40; before that she was a financial manager and accountant.

Tatyana received her first commercial order after she successfully photographed the children while walking on the playground. “After some time, I reached the level of the office salary with which I left. But, as in any freelancing, the flow of clients is unstable, there are always not enough orders,” says Tatyana and warns: at first you need to be prepared not only for the loss of stability and status, but also financial well-being.

“Starting from scratch at 20 is easier than at 40, if only because a 20-year-old has fewer obligations to his family and to himself,” agrees Liliya Rakshenko. An important piece of advice is that if you still dare to make changes, then enlist the support of your family and friends in case the transition period drags on. “But try to define its boundaries - this will be useful for all participants in the process, and first of all for yourself,” summarizes Olga Belova.

Is it worth it to suffer at a job you don’t like? There is a way out for those over 40 years old.

After 35, many people think about changing their profession, but are afraid. Parents are besieged, friends are perplexed: “Are you crazy! Everything is fine! Sit still and don’t twitch.” But the soul yearns for happiness. Has the right to.

Changing your profession at 40 is in some ways even easier than choosing a profession after school. Because I have experience working in different environments, with different objects. And after 40 people know themselves better. And these days it’s even possible: you can work and study remotely.

Changing your profession at 40 is harder than at 30. Because you need to maintain your income level, keep it quite high. And it is no longer possible to decrease in status even temporarily at the age of 40: children, loans.

So to change or not to change profession at 40?

There are two strategies.

Transition to a neighboring profession in your professional field. A surgeon can retrain as an anesthesiologist or diagnostician. This can bring significant relief not only because of the novelty, but also because of the change in the subject and tools of work, the work schedule and the reduction of tension.
Radical change of profession. When you were a doctor and became a marketer. This is both psychologically and socially difficult. But many do it, striving for something pleasant for themselves.

How to change profession at 40 years old for a woman

Women come to us for career guidance more often (60%). After 40 years of age, a woman’s chances of changing her profession are quite high. This is not done in a one-time leap, but by carefully floating into a new profession. Often, at the age of 40, women agree to work for themselves.

How to change profession at 40 years old for a man

Everything is the same as for women, but there are two subtleties. It’s easier for a man, because at 40 he’s still a “groom.” On the other hand, it is more difficult, because a man considers it shameful to even temporarily reduce his level of income. But if he still agrees to be flexible, then in the end he wins.

Where should you start if you want to change your profession at 40?

First, choosing a profession (career guidance), then courses, then moving to a new job.

Career guidance is a complex mental task of two people - a career pathologist and a career changer. We do this work in two hours. How we do it - . As a result of career guidance, one pleasant profession will be chosen for you, with the help of which you can earn a decent income, you will have a clear picture of the future, a plan for several years, you will receive materials about the chosen profession and a list of good educational institutions(courses).

There is only one life, be happy!

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