Turning 30 – Top things to consider when changing jobs

I am 29 and turning the big 3-0 next year, to me this feels like a huge change! My carefree, child free, mortgage free twenties will soon be behind me.

It’s a landmark age! Is it also a landmark career age?

During your 20s you will have been through the ‘junior’ stage, you will have cut your teeth in your chosen field, learned to talk the talk and you’re established. You will have been to many networking events all over London and met some valuable people in the industry. You will have learned a shed load since you graduated and benefitted from your hard work and late nights, although the tiny wrinkles on your face may tell you differently…

You have your whole career ahead of you now but you also have big choices to make too.

Before your start looking!!

Ask yourself: what have I learned about myself and where should that take me?
It’s very important to understand yourself, take the time to identify your key motivators and drivers.You should have a good idea of what you’re good at and what you like, but also what you suck at.

Get to know yourself better, write down what your ideal situation would be in terms of career and personal achievements, have a goal in mind and make a plan of how you’re going to get there. You’re in a really good place now to achieve greatness if you just put your mind to it.

I deal with many creatives on the verge of thirty and often have very similar conversations, these are their top 3:

20’s bucket list:

Were you planning on travelling after Uni and then the perfect job crept up and distracted you? Have you found yourself following a career path that isn’t fulfilling your dreams? Have you yearned to work abroad? etc etc

Get it out of your system! Travel/ change careers/ move.

Family:

The average age for women to have a child is now 30, for ‘career women’ it’s 34. When looking into the next decade, many people are considering how their next role will impact this family life change.

If this is a serious consideration when choosing your next job, look at the 3 key factors for working parents: Location, Flexibility and Empathy.

Examples: The journey you do currently might not be workable with a nursery run. They can/will not limit overtime expectations. Your toddler sticks lego up their nose, could you run off to casualty at short notice?

Financial security: 

You are now within the average age to buy your first home. Is it worth moving jobs for the money even if it’s to a job I don’t like/ want?

The grass always appears thick, lustrous and green on the other side of the fence especially when it has a super attractive pay packet, bonuses and even a pension scheme too.

However before you move jobs for money think about what the most important a things are to you and ask yourself will this job keep me interested/ happy? What impact would that have on my nearest and dearest? Will this job help me to take the next step in my career? Think long term now – you still have a long way to go yet!!

To all my soon-to-be 30 year olds, life apparently begins at 30!

To all the soon-to-be 40 year olds, look out for our future blog.