When You Don’t Like What You Do but You’re Too Old to Start at the Bottom—Again

Now that you’re older, you might not have the same tolerance for ramen noodles and dollar movies. Or perhaps you have the great fortune of having a spouse or a child (or what feels like enough children to re-enact Hands Across America) who depend on you to earn a certain amount of money. They are supportive and they think you’re just great, and more than anything they want you to be happy. But they love the little luxuries that come with you working at your current job, without which there might not be a place to live, places to vacation, or anything as frivolous as organic fruit.

Granted, the family might be able to forgo their good strawberries, but if you were to do a show of hands (or tongues) at the dinner table for who’d be OK with you quitting your job to pursue your dream of being a potter, some of your nearest and dearest might have trouble saying sayonara to electricity and the modern convenience of toilets that flush. Even the ones who love you may burst into tears, crying, “Why do we have to become mole people just so you can throw pots?”

Find tips in this section on how to network, develop a side business, or take a sabbatical:

• Basic Schmoozing
• Making Transitions

• Start a Side Business
• Take Time Off