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There’s no perfect time to make a change

You would think workers in their 20s and 30s would be less daunted by the thought of career change. They’re young, right? It seems obvious to make a change before you’re saddled with a mortgage, college tuition, older parents to assist and all the obligations that weigh on you at mid-life.

But many young workers see it differently.

The young and the restless can make tentative career changers, because, as one worker with an infant and a toddler told me recently, “It’s not just my happiness at stake.”

Good point. But there’s another way to view it. If your work is making you so unhappy, you’re not doing your family any favors staying in that line of work, either. Your family is the one who feels the brunt of your dissatisfaction. They’re the ones you complain to after a day of drudgery. Yes, everyone you’re close to does have a stake in your career satisfaction.

There will rarely be a perfect time in anyone’s life to make a change without disrupting daily routines, finances and vacation plans. The question is: How badly do you want to make a change?

If the answer is, “So bad I can taste it,” then like anything worth pursuing, you have to make a plan, then work the plan. Part of your plan and success is to bring your family and others along with you for the ride. Here are four tips to bring them cheering you along the way.

Air the nitty-gritty pros and cons with your significant other.

You need this person’s buy-in, and you need to alleviate fears about the unknown. Address the day-to-day issues that this change could affect — from how you spend your time and how it affects the other person’s career to who cleans the bathroom, takes care of the kids and prepares meals.

Think through scenarios that could come up. If you’re taking classes three nights a week, what would that mean to your family’s life? What wouldn’t get done? Would you need to enlist a relative’s help?

Don’t assume you can’t afford it.

This is the first place most people go, and it’s not necessarily relevant. If you decide a career change is worth pursuing, agree first to investigate what it might entail.

It could cost very little if your employer pays for continuing education. You may not need more education. What if you don’t even know what kind of new career you want? Your initial steps to figure that out don’t cost money — perhaps a minimal investment in a good book — but would entail research and quiet time.

Seriously consider the alternatives.

Once you know more, you can explore whether to go back to school, for how long and costs. Then you can talk about how you’d pay for it — if that’s the case — and new arrangements to take care of your family and other obligations.

Could your partner now be the breadwinner for a time? Would you cut certain expenses or tap into savings? Would you do an internship for several weeks or volunteer for a time?

Have a family meeting.

Sit down with everyone and discuss how this change affects your routine. Talk about the timeline and ways everyone can pitch in, making the family a part of the plan.

Nothing ever goes exactly as planned, so expect bumps in the road. Just remember what everyone — and I mean everyone — who changes careers tells me: I wish I had done it sooner.

(Andrea Kay writes the At Work column. She is the author of “Life’s a Bitch and Then You Change Careers: 9 Steps to Get Out of Your Funk and On To Your Future.” Send questions to andrea@andreakay.com.)