A midlife career change fills a basic need to which most of us can relate: the need for autonomy, independence, challenge, self-direction, making a difference professionally, improving the quality of our lives personally and professionally, and spending more time with our families.

As we grow in life, so too do our needs. The yearning for more control over our time and the need to carve out our destiny reaches its peak in midlife. When a midlife career change beckons, we have spent usually a couple of decades working for several bosses and start to realize there has to be something better out there. Personally, we know who we are. Financially, we may be at a point where we want to spend the rest of our working years doing what we love and knowing that we have made a difference in the world. In short, we want to leave a legacy behind as well.

When I was in my late 30s, I was a word processor but felt I needed more fulfilling and challenging work. I loved the medical field, so I decided to embark on a medical transcription midlife career change. It was thrilling and stimulating to meet new people in the medical transcription field and go after a career I thought might be out of my reach. I pursued this field with a passion I did not know I possessed. It was rejuvenating and has kept me feeling young and vital. I was/am a very successful medical transcriptionist because I love the work, am passionate about serving the patients whose medical reports I type, and take great pride in my accomplishments.

Prior to pursuing medical transcription, I assessed my personal strengths and weaknesses. In my case, I love computers, medical terminology, and writing. I have a great command of the English language and communicate very effectively with it. Consequently, I checked out legal and medical transcription, which were natural fits. When I looked into legal transcription, even though it paid pretty well, I knew it would bore me to tears. Therefore, I pursued medical transcription and found my true professional niche.

If you are unhappy, bored, burned out, frustrated beyond belief by your job, understand that you may be going through a professional midlife crisis. Listen to your inner voice and consider a midlife career change. Write down what you love to do as well as your strengths and weaknesses. Your passion and strengths will be your guide when considering a midlife career change.