How Can Career Goals Change Over the Life Span?
A career is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as “an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015).
If you noticed, nowhere does the definition state or define one’s career in terms of an occupation that one sticks to for their entire life. So, if this is not a norm, why ask, “How can career goals change over the life span?”
This question has made its way into our heads simply because most of us have hard-wired our brains into believing that we must stick to only one thing for all our lives.
So, to answer, ‘how’ career goals change over one’s life, one needs to understand the “how” is closely linked to ‘why’ they change.
To clarify this, let’s move into the ‘why’ of changing career goals.
Impact of childhood
Our childhood shapes us; it makes up most of us in adulthood.
If you do some reflecting, you will notice that most of your career choices have been influenced by how you were as a child and the experiences you’ve had then. Say,
If you were around doctor parents growing up, chances are high, you’d want to save lives too.
If you’ve seen little money in the house, you’d be drawn to high-paying careers
All through childhood, you’ve heard the best careers are the ones you need to study hardest for, so you might be pushed into thinking it’s best to be an engineer, doctor, lawyer, etc.
You’ve grown up around art and music; creative careers may seem more attractive to you
You’ve always been a shy kid; you’d love to be in a job where you can hide behind a desk
Our childhood experiences shape our beliefs about ourselves and everything around us.
However, as we grow up and experience life, we may learn that these long-held beliefs no longer serve us.
Say, money may not be your motivator any more. You’ve evolved, and your career needs some reconsideration.
The role model influence
As we grow up, our exposure to the world increases.
We move beyond the circle of our parents and family, who once used to be the only influential figures in our lives.
You may find a role model who opens up a whole new career trajectory for you or may make you want to do things like them.
Say you just found somebody on the internet, who’s the same age as you, has had the same household income as you while growing up, and has managed to create this whole career that now looks like your dream career.
You hold immense respect for this person because of what they’ve achieved, and because they’ve achieved it, it now looks achievable for you as well.
This increased exposure and the resultant influence of role models may bring forth career options and ideas that you never knew existed but now relate very closely to.
This may call for a change in career goals.
Becoming self-aware
Yup, “self-awareness”, this buzzword has been around for quite some time now.
Self-awareness is very closely linked to our career choices.
It’s not enlightenment or nirvana; it’s just becoming aware of your beliefs and values.
Through regular introspection, it may have now become clear to you what you want and what you don’t want for your life.
Self-awareness is a life-long process. So, what felt like the best thing to do five years ago would feel like it doesn’t align with you anymore.
As a result, your existing career may leave you feeling miserable because it’s not letting you be who you want to be.
This is when your mind, body, and soul cry for a change to align them with you.
Changed priorities
When we are young, we are full of energy, ready to conquer the world, and this energy fuels our ambition.
However, as life moves, so do our priorities.
You’ve just gotten married, had a baby, relocated, your ageing parents have taken ill, automation has demanded you to upskill, etc. As a result, you may now crave:
Flexibility
Work-life balance
Sabbatical
Remote-work
Continuing education
If you notice a change in your priorities, this may also call for a change in career goals.
Witnessing a life-changing experience
Losing a loved one, a close one going through a heart attack at 29, losing a job due to the company downsizing, divorce, living through a pandemic, etc.
This one event made you rethink your whole life.
You may need time to recover. As you heal through these events, you’d learn that healing is a process that requires us to make some changes for the better.
You now see life from a whole new lens, which means the meaning you attribute to your life has changed, and you now desire to seek the same meaning in all areas of your life, including work.
Cleaning up your mind requires cleaning up your life. And work is a big part of life that may need some major cleaning up after such life-changing experiences.
Final Thoughts
Although your career takes up a large chunk of your life’s pie chart, it’s not your whole life.
But because a career consumes a signification portion of life, balancing life and work becomes critical to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
Remember, this is your life; you should live it how you like.
Don’t hesitate to shake things a little if you think something isn’t right.
As life happens, it’s perfectly normal for career goals to change over the life span; it’s called evolving.
What’s important is that we recognise a need for change.
