When is it too late to switch careers?

Well, hello. You’ve seen this week’s question, and if a newsletter could be one word, you’ve seen it too.??

N-n-n-never! Nevvvvverrrr! Nevah!

Seriously though— never.

It’s never too late to switch careers because life is too short to spend even a single day doing something joyless. Even if — yes, ironically — getting to a new and joyful place might be very hard.??

But you know that! Who among us has not lost someone they loved too soon? Or known a person who didn’t really die, but died inside because of dreams unfulfilled? Getting heavy on you here, sorry not sorry! But stay with me though, for a left turn and then a quick list.

Because this week’s “Hey Suzy” is not here to tell you it’s philosophically okay to change careers, it’s here to tell you have no choice. Between longevity, the pace of technological upheaval, and the immutable fact that people themselves change, you will someday leave your career for another one.

Shake it off! You will be fine. I’m old (ish), and I’ve seen a lot of people reinvent themselves, either by choice and necessity. I’ve studied these many individuals, including, coincidentally,?both my marvelous sisters, pictured here with me at (of all places) Mt. Etna, and watched them grapple and evolve, and, in the vast majority of cases, come to thrive. Indeed, reinvented careerists are the source of that list I mentioned, which I now teach at 美国纽约大学 - 斯特恩商学院 in my class, “Becoming You: Crafting the Authentic Life You Want and Need.” I call it “The Three Rs of Career Change.”

The first R is reskilling. I know, I know. I don’t love the idea of constantly upgrading myself either. Hard! Tedious! Both! But so is teeth-brushing, and we all do that, right? And sadly, this once-a-day analogy isn’t hyperbolic. In our brave new economy, if you want to keep up, let alone be ready and able to career bounce, reskilling cannot be episodic. It’s got to be habitual.

Next, career change is facilitated by relationships — irregular ones. I am decidedly not talking about “networking” here, which I hate anyway because it’s usually so phony, but I hate even more in this context because networking keeps you knowing people already in your own space. This is nonsensical. When banking goes down and you’re a banker, who are you going to call looking for a job — another banker? Or that friend you made in tech? TLDR: Career change means you need to go out and make friends with people in professions that aren’t your own. If that sounds awkward, well, so is unemployment. (Ouch, sorry!)

The final R is resilience, another overused word I would like to redefine. People think of resilience as grit, as in the classic, “I get knocked down, but I get up again” bar song variety. And it is! (Who doesn’t love that song, btw?) But when it comes to career change, the resilience you need is grit — plus forgiveness. Not of others, but yourself. Because career change is challenging, and you will make mistakes and occasionally just flat-out eff up. The ensuing self-recrimination and embarrassment can stop a lot of us in our tracks. Unless we forgive ourselves, forget as best we can, and keep moving forward. That’s resilience, circa 2023.?

Ok, that’s my left turn and my list about career change. Not exactly one word! But as a career leaper myself, I know the courage you’re looking for, and need. So hang tight, be prepared, and never say never to change. Nevah.