Many people wake up in midlife and realise that their careers are dissatisfying and unsuccessful, and they’re so upset that they want to chuck the whole thing out.

Don’t make that mistake.

Conduct a thorough assessment of what you would like to preserve and maintain in your current career, and get rid of only the parts that make you feel angry, sad, frustrated, and thwarted. After all, you’ve been in this career for some time now — it’s not all bad. You were attracted to it once, and you are utilising some talents and skills that you want to continue to draw on.

So the critical thing is to reassess what you are good at, and focus on building a new pathway towards your higher purpose while keeping your day job.

And be honest as to why you want to make a change.

Are you seeking:

l greater fulfilment?

l more freedom?

l less stress?

l more money?

l a move out of the country?

l to start a new family?

Take a moment to think about this, because if you can get to the bottom of what it is you really want, you’ll find it easier to choose what to do next.

Then go online and take a career assessment. This is easily Googled and will help you:

l Have a clear idea of your skills.

l Receive an assessment of your personality type.

l Determine a list of your career options.

Now it’s time to get into action.

First, surround yourself with supportive people.

For the people closest to you, it can often be difficult to see you differently than you are now. Therefore, it may be worth your while to attend conferences and workshops where you’ll meet new people who can help you make the shift into your new purpose.

Beyond just attending events to help you grapple with the stresses that a midlife career change can cause, it may make sense to work with a coach or a therapist to help keep you focused on the ultimate outcome of this new pathway.

Second, you can determine what new skills you need to acquire by exploring the world of free online classes. Called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), they offer free online classes with instruction from professors at the world’s best universities.

Third, test your skills in a low-risk environment such as volunteerism. Join a volunteer organisation with a cause you love, and work hard to rise through the ranks. Don’t like one thing? Try another. It’s much better to experiment in many different ways as a volunteer than to plunge into a new career and suddenly change again.

Bottom line? If you need to expand your career horizons, reach out and get the help and support your need. Don’t sit and stew in your misery. Whatever you decide, remember that your career change isn’t a magic pill, and it won’t fix all that ails you. It will take time.

One place where you can find ongoing support is a group of like-minded individuals. Look for groups that can introduce you to a team of coaches with different takes on finding your greatness. Through workshops and conferences, you would be exposed to art therapy, yoga, healthy living, financial planning, self-esteem building and more.

Dennise Williams, MBA (Banking & Finance) is a journalist, TV producer, certified practitioner NLP coach, and has 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry. You can see more of her work at www.youtube.com/financiallyfocused or contact her at financiallyfocusedtv@gmail.com