“I’ve been kicking the can down the road for…. I don’t know… 20 years.” Bob, a fortysomething from New Haven, CT said.  He knew his job and career path was a mismatch right out of college.  But it was stable, he liked his peers, and his boss was nice.  Several times in his twenties he considered leaving and as his company wobbled a bit, some of his friends left, and his new was not that great, he realized that he really didn’t like his work.

But he was getting married…. and…. three years passed and he was buying a house and a few more years passed… and he was having his first child… a few more years, a second child and with his wife now staying home…. well he was “stuck”.

I have heard variations of this story so many times that I wish I could tape record so that I could play back for my twenty something career counseling clients who “know” intuitively that they are on a less than optimal career path but plow forward.

At some point, you really might be stuck.  I’m a father of 3 and was the sole/primary breadwinner throughout their childhood.  Fortunately, I made my big switch – I had one child and another on the way but my inner knowing – and a wonderful supportive wife – made me make my big switch in my early thirties.  It would have been really hard to stop being a lawyer in my 40s as we were saving for college and doing everything else that suburban Connecticut parents do for their children.

We have a process that guides people through career change or just finding a well matched career.

Now – regardless of age – is the best time to do so.   So if you are in your 40s, at least sorting out your options makes sense.  But if you are younger and this article speaks to you, send me an e-mail and I’ll be happy to discuss.