Career Change With The Highest Failure Rate? Find Out More!

By John Groth 

 

It's been determined that one career change among all others has the highest failure rate. Most if not all of us will make this career change. Yet with some planning you can turn this failure into a significant success. What is the career change? Yes, it's going from being employed to retirement.

The main reason, many can't adjust to changing from being employed to retirement is that they have not "tested" their free time before leaving work. The time to consider this issue is well before planned retirement. After you've made the career decision and left the workplace may be too late. In addition, the retirement decision becomes more complicated if there is a move involved.

Recently a government study found that up to 30% of men who retire go back to work within one year. For a number the return to work is financially motivated but for many others a job is the only way they know how to fill their time.

They have established a way of life that leaves no room for planning. They do not look into how they would spend their retirement by experiencing different activities or options. While working they acted like retirement would never happen to them. Or they deluded themselves into thinking that the career change into retirement can be accomplished with little or no planning because they reason taking it easy and not working can't be so hard.

Many company pre-retirement programs are poorly attended. Those who do not attend have a variety of excuses, but overall they just can't imagine how their lives will change in retirement. Yet those who do attend laud its benefits and the help it's given them in retirement planning both before and after retirement.

Another problem is to move to a location, buy a home and then find the move is not what you expect. Maybe you vacationed in the area in the summer and had not considered the weather in the winter or the off season. A better approach is to take an extended vacation in the proposed area. Visit it in the off season. Then if everything still looks acceptable, rent for awhile until you make the final real estate decision. Bottom line, most retirees stay in their home community and do some traveling.

Others who fail in the retirement career change do not follow the maxim that it costs less to stay healthy that to get healthy. Leisure activities that involve physical activity and good nutrition habits can be established way before retirement. In this way you, many times, you avoid unnecessary health problems and can be actively involved in many more activities.

With the increase in two earners in the family, difficulties arise when one member of a married couple retires early to spend time with the retired spouse. Without proper planning this can mean a loss of possible retirement savings and investments. Both have to agree on the plan for their retirement. Along with financial concerns, an unplanned retirement can release psychological changes. On the job you receive a stream of recognition. If your personal identity is closely tied to your career and your employer leaving the job may cause a feeling of loss and importance.

One strategy many use to advantage is to become allied with a group or groups of like-minded people. Upon leaving the job the retiree has an immediate social connection and a level of recognition.

In summary, don't let your career change to retirement end in failure. Begin your retirement planning early, take advantage if offered of your employers pre-retirement seminars (or perhaps a local junior college offers a similar program), carefully "test" out a planned move, live healthy before retirement, and if appropriate get involved in a group that has like minded interests. With this start your career change to retirement will be the best of all your career changes.

John Groth is a former HR executive and career coach. Find Career Change Ideas ,valuable articles and a Free seven day career planning guide on his web site. Discover up to date career and recruitment strategies at our Employment Ideas Guide all to assist you in advancing and managing your career. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Groth