Mid- life and mid-career crises seem to go side by side. Mostly people will eventually arrive at the moment when they will have to take a stock of the situation arisen after a considerable number of decisions they’ve made throughout their lives.

Let us ask you few questions;

Do you find the job once loved doing, does not excite you as much as it used to be?

Are you becoming restless on the job as you are indecisive on the choices to be taken for the career path ahead of you?

Are monetary considerations influencing you to get distracted from chosen career path?

Has your performance at work slipped resulting in your being passed over for a promotion?

Do you feel stuck and finding it difficult to continue in your current job and thinking about a change?

If you find anything similar to above then it is the time to investigate yourself that you are under the dilemma of mid-career malaise.

According to research the average job satisfaction is U shaped, it starts on high takes downward turn in the mid-career stage before picking up again towards the end of one’s career.

In 2008 the economist David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald found that self-reported satisfaction takes the form of gentling curving U beginning high in youth and bottoming out in their mid-40s and then recovering as you get older.

Question comes why does it happen and what are the common causes of mid-career crisis.

We have seen that most of the people even high performers gets stuck in career path when they reach in their mid-40s. Common reasons We have found are past life regrets, absence of sense of direction, poor career planning, parental influence, compulsion or accidental choices, to follow what others do etc.

Sometimes one leaves a promising career to start his/her own venture and fails to get expected outcome due to unanticipated risks came with those opportunities.

In some cases you are being offered same position by two or more companies, and you take one with better salary perks, sometimes, but you later on you regret your decision.

The mid-career malaise is common and this phase is faced by everyone but it has many side effects on personal and professional life;

1. One feels demotivated and frustrated.
2. Takes wrong decision and quits the job resulting in unemployment.
3. Impulsive behavior develops negative thinking causing stress and anxiety resulting in relationship issues.
   

Medical research experts says that mid-career crisis is the major cause of depression, anxiety, behavior disorders, emotional breakdowns and severe ailments if one fails to sail through smoothly.

Everyone goes through mid-career crisis but if one finds a good mentorship then instead of going downwards one can jump high professionally and take care of other aspects of life.

Mid- career dilemma is a result of not taking action in managing career for long term. We often tend to think short term and benefit from short term perspective.

Thinking short, medium and long term perspective from career management perspective at all career stages is the right thing to do to avoid any career accidents while on career journey.

The career actions which are blend of counseling, mentoring, coaching and continuous education that professionals must plan ongoing basis for their career.

It is important to know the standing in the industry and course correcting as well as augmenting new skills as one move higher up on career ladder.

Like one would go for a specialist to take advise for healthcare, financial, spiritual matters, it is equally important and complimenting to seek the career support from respective functional domain experts.

Do you want to learn more about this topic and understand how you must orient yourself better to overcome the career situations, attend the live dialog series with John Maxwell Team Member, Mr.Kailash Jyani, Leadership and Personal Growth, Expert  and Rajarama Rao Bannengala, Founder & MD of ProPMO Services Pvt Ltd on 5th Jan 2022. 

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Research confirms that middle age is on average is most difficult time of life.