Midlife career change? Here are some tips.

The importance of the road not taken

CAREER | by Logan Nakyanzi Pollard | January 18, 2025

“That path not taken. Regrets. Fears. What ifs. Bills. Anxiety. We’ve all been there. This is life sometimes.”

For some more context: my social news feed is full of journalists who’ve been let go and also colleagues who were political types now out because there’s been a changeover in leadership. If you’re going through this, it’s evidently of little comfort, but I’ll say it anyway: these types of things happen in waves, and these industries are just the latest to have been hit by these paroxysms.

This historical moment is perhaps more profound because of the deep undercurrents of change at work in our society: how the pandemic changed work culture; how politics and media have evolved; how technology is replacing certain aspects of work; how at times fractured human relationships have become . . . and so on. Oh, and maybe you’re also getting older, and your priorities are different now.

To add some wind to your sails . . . namely to push back against the impulse we all often have to retreat after a defeat. I share these thoughts with you:

I don’t believe, as many do, that you can harden yourself to adversity, nor can you always avoid it. But what you can do however is adapt, update, change, grow, and pivot. And fundamentally, you need to know what you’re about: formulating what you’re all about (i.e. your story) is the focus of this article.

Keep reading if this could be helpful to you:

Theologically speaking, we know:

16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Proverbs 24:16

Resiliency is embedded into Christian thinking. And from a secular point of view, we can also say: this type of disruption is a unique opportunity, an opening: seize it.

But the truth is, how do you do this? How do you feel optimistic again?

Changing (jobs, adjusting career goals, and or becoming something else altogether) is complicated, evolving with the times even more so.

I’ve found as a producer that I was very comfortable “promoting” other people’s products, projects, messages but not at all boosting my own talents, achievements, objectives. This takes practice. And when you’re looking for another opportunity, it’s like the balloon is already deflated, the last thing you want to do is talk about any of it.

But it also is the precise time to rethink the whole thing.

1. Take stock of what you are good at, and not only what you do for a living.
2. Do you enjoy what you do?
3. What would you like to do?
4. What is the gap between those two things?
5. Establish some sense of this information: objectively-speaking, what is your story? Has everything been leading you to BREAK-OUT or are you seeking to FIT-IN? Or neither? Are you at war with the real you? Or, have things simply changed in your industry and they don’t need what you make anymore? Be brutally honest with yourself.
6. Now decide: what are you going to do about this?
7. Once you decide, you are going to have to become your own publicist: Make your life make sense, not only to you, but to anyone else you meet.
8. Being your own publicist also means taking your message and your expertise seriously: I often do the exercise of asking myself, what would I do to promote x person, and this is what I now do for myself.
9. Be consistent: Everything you say about yourself, from images to graphics should be consistent across all the media your do. People should come away from any platform knowing what you are selling/and who your client(s) is/are.
10. Give yourself permission to fail, it’s part of the process of success.

Want to discuss new career paths informed by a Christ-led perspective? click the button below.

p.s. -:) The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost. a link to read (enjoy!) here.

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