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Mid-Career

What is “mid-career”?

If you’re here, then you likely find yourself with some life and professional experience behind you, with more to come. You might find yourself starting to think about retirement or post-retirement careers, but not quite ready to make that move. You might have moved into a management role, or be considering one in the future. You might have stopped out of paid work for a time due to life circumstances. You might be balancing raising a family with professional obligations.

In short, the mid-career stage represents a wide range of individual situations and life/career experiences! And, while there is no one right path through this stage, through research and conversations with mid-career identifying alumni, several common themes emerged as pressing needs and challenges. Read about these and relevant resources and tools below.

Figuring Out What’s Next at Work

A lot about work has changed over the past decade, and continues to do so at a rapid pace. Roles and industries have evolved, grown, or disappeared. AI has entered every facet of life and work, requiring new skills and approaches, eliminating roles, and shifting priorities. Work modalities – in-person, hybrid, or remote – continue to be a point of discussion and negotiation. Based on these factors and others, you may be exploring how to pivot professionally, grow skills to remain relevant, or looking for a new challenge. Below are some resources to help you figure out what’s next.

  • LEARN Alumni Career Development Model – Use our cyclical career framework, beginning with the current phase of your career journey, to start taking action towards where you want to land next.
  • Connect with a Career Coach – Our team provides free career coaching to WFU alumni from College of Arts & Sciences programs. If a conversation would be helpful to you, fill out the form to request an appointment.
Balancing Personal Life and Work

If there is one thing that defines mid-career, it’s figuring out balance. Whether you are stopping out of work, looking to re-enter, growing your family, pouring into your community, taking on additional financial responsibilities, or seeking to reset your priorities, mid-career contains many competing demands on one’s time and energy. The bottom line is, you cannot do it all.

Much of this stage is about taking stock of what is important to you and creating a plan to align your values and your priorities, both personally and professionally. Remember, you don’t have to do this work alone. This is the time to recommit to your network and find the support that is going to help you move forward with intention. Below are some resources to help you do that work.

Leadership and Elevation 

For some, mid-career is all about taking on greater responsibility to grow one’s career. This might look like moving into a management position, moving from people manager to organizational leader, or, elevating in one’s role as an individual contributor. Wherever you are in your career journey, these decisions build upon the two previous sections, as greater responsibility in one’s career will require navigating the changing world of work as well as balancing one’s life and career roles effectively. As you consider your next steps, use the resources below to help gain clarity and confidence on where you are headed.