Middlescence is a term that describes a mid-career crisis. This is a phenomenon striking mid-career professionals ages 35-55.
Middlescence is similar to adolescence in that this can be a time of both frustration and opportunities for self-discovery. One difference is that “middlescents” are focused on their career futures whereas adolescents tend to be more focused on their hormonal futures.
In a study published in the March 2006 issue of Harvard Business Review, a survey of over 7,700 US workers showed that:
30% worked 50+ hours a week
43% felt passionate about their jobs
33% felt energized about their jobs
36% felt they were in dead-end jobs
>40% felt burnt out
Middlescents as a group reported the lowest satisfaction rates with immediate managers and top executives. For example, only 1/3 of this group saw top management to display integrity or committed to employee development. This doesn’t surprise me, as I speculate that:
- Those who are starting out in the workforce are still starry-eyed. They are in the honeymoon phase of their professional career. They may still be idealistic and believe “I can change this!”. They may be focusing on fulfilling ambition, for example, becoming the CEO of the company one day.
On the other hand,
- Those who are retiring from the workforce are looking forward to retirement, assuming that they can afford to retire. Knowing that soon you don’t have to deal with “all this crap” can put you in a pretty calm and jovial mood.
The middlescents are the ones who have been in the workforce for a long enough time to witness office dysfunction, including backstabbing coworkers and crazy bosses. They are also the ones who still have at least a decade or two to go before an increasingly mythical “retirement”.
I am also not surprised to read that:
1/5 is seeking a career change
1/5 is seeking opportunities in other companies
What does trouble me is the finding that 85% of these middlescents believe that career changes are extremely difficult because of family and financial pressures, which results in “conservative career choices”.
I interpreted this as, “I hate what I’m doing and I wish I can leave but my obligations keep me locked down here.”
Imagine having to work 10 or 20 more years in a place that burns you out, doing a job for which you feel no passion, and knowing that a bit of your energy is sucked dry each time you step into that environment. This is a prescription for a society of âThe Working Deadâ!
7 sources of mid-career frustration found in the study were:
1. Career Bottleneck
2. Work/Life Tension
3. Lengthening Horizon
4. Skills Obsolescence
5. Disillusionment with Employer
6. Burnout
7. Career Disappointment
If you are going through mid-career crisis, you may be experiencing one or more (or all) of these frustration.
The study suggested 6 ways for companies to help mid-career professionals feel fresh and excited about their jobs. If you are a mid-career professional, you may proactively seek out these options to rejuvenate your career:
1. Fresh Assignments
2. (Internal) Career Change
3. Mentoring Colleagues
4. Fresh Training
5. Sabbaticals
6. Expand Leadership Development
The study published in the Harvard Business Review ultimately formed the basis of a book called, Workforce Crisis.
This study is important for companies to re-examine a largely ignored segment of their workers. I think what the study misses – or cannot cover – is an unexplored, critical opportunity:
There are middlescents who are better off striking out on their own, independent of a corporate organization. These are people who must chart their own careers and design their futures.
I am not discounting the importance of implementing solutions to retain a middlescent professional. However, the blind spot in these solutions is the assumption that staying in a corporate environment is what is best for that middlescent professional. The assumption is that the workers who are the “keepers” may be kept by some on-the-job rejuvenation strategies.
This was why the study called for companies to first, ‘find the keepers’.
On the other hand, I’m urging middlescent professionals to ‘find their true calling’.
Sometimes your true calling may be fulfilled within an organization. Sometimes you may need to venture beyond the corporate structure and create a new structure to fulfill what you consider the most meaningful work. It is worth your time and effort to figure out what the difference offers you, and which option is right for you.
Originally published: Oct 2, 2007 @ 7:24
