It used to be common to say that the average American will have seven careers in a lifetime. Experts have long been skeptical of that, and I am as well. While it might not be unusual for people to make radical shifts in their career while in their 20s, in my experience, it is extremely difficult to fundamentally change careers after age 30.
I feel like a little fish here, but my dad told me at age 18 in 1988 that no one in their late teens or even early 20s knows what they want to do for their entire life, but that I couldn't just "spin my wheels" meaning just hang around the house and farm not being productive. So I enlisted in the Army. Had the grades and smarts for just about anything but was a little fearful of college level effort and I was absolutely clueless about a major (dad was tight with money of which we rarely had, and I didn't want to waste money on a degree that I might not use for a lifetime). I figured that I would, while in the Army, figure something out...but the Army just got into me.
20 years and a family of 3 girls and a son later, we were called into ministry (it had been happening my last 3 years in the Army). I became a missionary to the Army/military with Cadence International. Or I should say we did, as the ministry involved us all, and my wife to be honest is a better teacher than me. Her work with Army wives is amazing.
It wasn't an easy transition though. Mostly spiritual warfare and the Lord seeing fit to work out circumstances to make my wife and me a true partnership in ministry and work. I had over the years in the Army been getting Bible college credits here and there and Cadence allowed us to join with much less Bible education due to lifetime experience of the military (Cathy was a child of a career Army dad and grew into her early teens in Germany).
Lots of words but sometimes when that career change is a calling it can be much easier. The finances took a long time to get back to what I had, and inflation adjusted never have. But we are well provided for and the kids are all grown now.
My commander just before I retired had offered me a job as a civilian instructor in the school I was working at (lots of military retire into contract jobs) with a salary to match and quickly exceed my current pay. He also, once he knew we would be "raising our support" for mission work (I think he researched my pay schedule with Cadence), took Cathy aside and told her about the offer he made me! Our decision baffled him.
The Army does one thing though. It forces you to accept change. Every 2-4 years you make big changes usually involving a move. You work at varying levels of leadership and administration. You see all sides of one occupational speciality. It is odd that just as you master a job and understand the people you leave for another (rarely is the new job so similar to the last or any previous that you don't struggle to adjust), but it works and I think it betters you.
I find this very interesting as I just left Accenture this week after close to 20 years there. I’m in my late 40s and needed a new challenge. I can relate to getting rejected as I don’t have the depth of industry knowledge but I do believe the management consulting path would be a good one for someone who still doesn’t know what to do when one grows up. IT skills, especially data fluency, can be very portable making the shift that much easier. I’m not saying it’s easy with a large family and being the sole income, it makes it riskier but I’m excited for what is to be.
Another great article that goes right to the heart of my life dilemmas. I have wanted to switch careers for a long time but it never seems viable, especially since I have been supporting a family. I think it is only worth doing if you really desperately want to do something else and are willing to sacrifice for it, not just because you don't like your current role.
Is it significantly easier before 30? It seems that any career has a certain amount of spin up time before reaching the maximum status and income in that career.
Mar 2, 2023·edited Mar 2, 2023Liked by Aaron M. Renn
I agree that it is difficult to change fields after about age 30.
When I was in school I liked the analysis and math of chemical engineering but also the reactions of organic chemistry. I had to choose between the two fields. The two fields are very different: Chemical engineering is mathematical and doesn't make any attempt to understand more about chemical reactions than is necessary. Organic chemistry is completely nonmathematical. Instead it uses reasoning by analogy, requires a lot of memorization, and is two parts science and one part art.
I decided to get a PhD in chemical engineering and signed on with a pharmaceutical company where they let me work at the interface between the two fields. That was the perfect compromise for me.
But to get to the point, when I was 35, I wanted to live in the Toledo Ohio area and applied to First Solar, the solar cell company, to work on their production issues. I had a good resume and was sure I could easily transition from pharmaceuticals to solar cell fabrication which involves engineering and chemistry, but my application was rejected because I did not have direct experience with solar cells. A similar rejection occurred with another company in the area. Of course, it was these companies' call to decide who they wanted to work for them, but it illustrates your point about changing fields.
Somewhat later, I needed to change jobs, but I stayed within the pharmaceutical field, and it was easy to go from one company to another.
I feel like a little fish here, but my dad told me at age 18 in 1988 that no one in their late teens or even early 20s knows what they want to do for their entire life, but that I couldn't just "spin my wheels" meaning just hang around the house and farm not being productive. So I enlisted in the Army. Had the grades and smarts for just about anything but was a little fearful of college level effort and I was absolutely clueless about a major (dad was tight with money of which we rarely had, and I didn't want to waste money on a degree that I might not use for a lifetime). I figured that I would, while in the Army, figure something out...but the Army just got into me.
20 years and a family of 3 girls and a son later, we were called into ministry (it had been happening my last 3 years in the Army). I became a missionary to the Army/military with Cadence International. Or I should say we did, as the ministry involved us all, and my wife to be honest is a better teacher than me. Her work with Army wives is amazing.
It wasn't an easy transition though. Mostly spiritual warfare and the Lord seeing fit to work out circumstances to make my wife and me a true partnership in ministry and work. I had over the years in the Army been getting Bible college credits here and there and Cadence allowed us to join with much less Bible education due to lifetime experience of the military (Cathy was a child of a career Army dad and grew into her early teens in Germany).
Lots of words but sometimes when that career change is a calling it can be much easier. The finances took a long time to get back to what I had, and inflation adjusted never have. But we are well provided for and the kids are all grown now.
My commander just before I retired had offered me a job as a civilian instructor in the school I was working at (lots of military retire into contract jobs) with a salary to match and quickly exceed my current pay. He also, once he knew we would be "raising our support" for mission work (I think he researched my pay schedule with Cadence), took Cathy aside and told her about the offer he made me! Our decision baffled him.
The Army does one thing though. It forces you to accept change. Every 2-4 years you make big changes usually involving a move. You work at varying levels of leadership and administration. You see all sides of one occupational speciality. It is odd that just as you master a job and understand the people you leave for another (rarely is the new job so similar to the last or any previous that you don't struggle to adjust), but it works and I think it betters you.
I find this very interesting as I just left Accenture this week after close to 20 years there. I’m in my late 40s and needed a new challenge. I can relate to getting rejected as I don’t have the depth of industry knowledge but I do believe the management consulting path would be a good one for someone who still doesn’t know what to do when one grows up. IT skills, especially data fluency, can be very portable making the shift that much easier. I’m not saying it’s easy with a large family and being the sole income, it makes it riskier but I’m excited for what is to be.
You mean we can’t just all learn to code?
Another great article that goes right to the heart of my life dilemmas. I have wanted to switch careers for a long time but it never seems viable, especially since I have been supporting a family. I think it is only worth doing if you really desperately want to do something else and are willing to sacrifice for it, not just because you don't like your current role.
Is it significantly easier before 30? It seems that any career has a certain amount of spin up time before reaching the maximum status and income in that career.
I agree that it is difficult to change fields after about age 30.
When I was in school I liked the analysis and math of chemical engineering but also the reactions of organic chemistry. I had to choose between the two fields. The two fields are very different: Chemical engineering is mathematical and doesn't make any attempt to understand more about chemical reactions than is necessary. Organic chemistry is completely nonmathematical. Instead it uses reasoning by analogy, requires a lot of memorization, and is two parts science and one part art.
I decided to get a PhD in chemical engineering and signed on with a pharmaceutical company where they let me work at the interface between the two fields. That was the perfect compromise for me.
But to get to the point, when I was 35, I wanted to live in the Toledo Ohio area and applied to First Solar, the solar cell company, to work on their production issues. I had a good resume and was sure I could easily transition from pharmaceuticals to solar cell fabrication which involves engineering and chemistry, but my application was rejected because I did not have direct experience with solar cells. A similar rejection occurred with another company in the area. Of course, it was these companies' call to decide who they wanted to work for them, but it illustrates your point about changing fields.
Somewhat later, I needed to change jobs, but I stayed within the pharmaceutical field, and it was easy to go from one company to another.