Radical shift: a grounded theory approach to midlife career change of professionals
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2006
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Abstract
There has been a modest amount of current academic research that has explored the family, situational, lifestyle, demographic, motivational, and/or life course factors that influence people in midlife to change professions. The findings expressed in this study came about through the use of an inductive grounded theory approach to analyze semi-structured interviews with former lawyers and educators who left their professions and are now engaged in unrelated careers. Major findings include: the motivations for why people leave their first careers; the link between the professional, personal, and family spheres of one 's life; the importance of spousal support and security; the transitional process undergone; the consequences of a career change on the family; and the types of new careers that were pursued. Overall, this study discusses how the lines between work, leisure, family, and lifestyle are blurred when people are successful in the proactive pursuit of a new and desirable career.
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Bibliography: p. 168-172
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Citation
Mellor, B. E. (2006). Radical shift: a grounded theory approach to midlife career change of professionals (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/721