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Writer's pictureSAMUEL CHIBUNNA
May 3, 20184 min read

Why Switching Career In Your 30s Can Be Exciting And Invigorating

There are so many unknowns around regarding switching careers in your 30s. What these myths do is stop you from reaching your dreams and goals. They make you stick with something that sucks the life out of you. It makes you stay in a job that isn’t rewarding and is very draining.

The truth is that we spend an average of 8 hours at our desk. Given a year, you’ll spend around 260 days / 2080 hours at a job you don’t even enjoy. That is a lot of time wasted!

Don’t you want a change?

In reality, national age of retirement is at 62 years old, which means you at your 30s, you are just halfway through your career. Isn’t it scarier to be stuck in a job you don’t like than to take a step towards a better future?

Don’t Ever Think That You Are Too Old To Switch Careers

You may have always wanted to be a teacher, an engineer or even a lawyer when you first stepped into the workforce, perhaps you aren’t sure anymore or maybe you don’t find your job challenging. You have progressed over time and your knowledge, needs, and interest may have evolved since when you are in your 20s. That isn’t surprising, given that as we age, our exposure to the workforce and the network connection we built will only increase tremendously.

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Examples abound of people who hit it big way past their 30s. What did they have that you don’t have? For one, they never let anyone tell them they couldn’t do anything. They never let their age stop them from achieving their dreams.

  1. World-famous chef Julia Childs had another job before she quit and became a cook at the age of 36.

  2. The founder of Ford Motors, Henry Ford, created his first fully operational car when he was 45 years old.

  3. Ms Lee Tang Hwee, 40, a Singaporean who quit a well-paying job to take up physiotherapy so that she can help the growing number of senior citizens with mobility issues.

  4. Ms Anna Tan, 47, a Singapore PR who has gone through at least 5 career changes in her life to explore different challenges.

  5. Mr Alan Wong, 57 who had been in the retail industry for 25 years, chose to embark on social work as a career when he was 50 years old.

Age didn’t stop them. It shouldn’t stop you either.

Don’t Ever Think That Switching Careers Closes Most Of Your Opportunities

In decades past, this was true. Once you left a job, you couldn’t go back.

Now, that is different. Careers and personal growth in today’s economy are no longer one-direction. Quote Emerald Insight “As expected, the Matures had a greater proportion of career moves in the upward direction relative to subsequent generations, but the proportion of upward moves did not differ among the Boomers, Xers, and Millennials.”

You can switch careers, learn on the job, and experiment with other jobs. You should be careful though: your CV won’t look good with so many job changes on it. But that doesn’t mean that you should stay in that round hole when you keep feeling like a square peg.

There are so many career opportunities out there. Switching jobs will not close them off to you.

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Don’t Ever Think That You Must Know Your Career Before You Start It

Just because you studied Applied Physics doesn’t mean you must be a physicist. There are stories of people who studied at NUS and became freelancers and insurance agents. This wasn’t their plan, but they were flexible, and now they love what they do.

Don’t be fixated thinking that you want to be a doctor when you were young, then doing it because it is what you (or your parents) had planned. If you change your mind halfway through college, then go with it. You don’t have to know your future career before you do it.

Be flexible and adaptable not only to survive in our ever-changing market but to fulfill an inner purpose of your life.

Don’t Ever Think That Changing Careers In Your 30s Is Embarrassing

Learning is a life-long process. Even doctors and dentists have to continually improve on their skills and learn new procedures. Reinventing yourself is a given, and you shouldn’t be ashamed to do it. Even it means a step down from a high management cushy office job to work from the ground up as a prep staff in a kitchen, don’t let anyone judge you for trying on different hats.

If you are tired of that administrative job, there are plenty of ways to improve on the passion you are hungry for, including talking to those who are already in the industry and taking online courses to accredited yourself thus getting one step closer in realizing a dream career.

Conclusion

People who feel switching careers in their 30s are usually afraid of change. Don’t be one of these people. Switching jobs in your 30s are exciting. It is invigorating, and it gives you more opportunities to live, learn, and enjoy life.

Would you take the risk? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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