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Would You Switch Careers Mid-life With Kids?
Categories: Money & Work, Rumors, That's Entertainment
What the heck is going on with Joaquin Phoenix? I love a man who follows his own heart, but the Oscar-nominated star of Walk the Line has "retired" from acting to start a career as a hip-hop artist. Yes, hip-hop. Or so he would have us believe. While I am hoping all of this is some sort of hoax, as many have recently speculated, or practice for an upcoming role, it would seem that mid-life, the younger Phoenix brother has decided to switch careers.
And, why not? After all, he has all the money he'd ever need. Plus, he's not married, nor does he have any children (that we know about) so what is to stop Joaquin from living out his dream? After all, whether he succeeds or fails, he will at least have tried.
I've often thought to myself how great it would be to just pack up and run off to New Orleans for a few years, try to make it as a writer and live out my personal dream. When I was younger, that seemed like a real possibility. Now, though, I'm married with two kids and I have a mortgage to pay. In other words, I have responsibilities. I can't just drop everything and do whatever I want, whenever I want.
Ah, such is the life of a celebrity. I would caution Mr. Phoenix, however; Michael Jordan may have been one of the greatest athletes of all time, but he was no baseball player. And while Joaquin may be one of the finest living actors I am not sure he will fare as well in the music world.
We regular folk will have to settle for fantasy -- dreams cost time and money that we mostly don't have. Plus, what if we aren't triumphant in our new career? Still, many people are willing to take the risk in case it pays off. Sometimes a little risk is what it takes to ensure success. After all, if we're happy in our work, won't our families be happy too?
Would you be inclined to start over mid-life, or at any time, if you had a family? Have you taken such a risk, and, if so, was the risk worth it?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
CLM 1-30-2009 @ 10:11AM
Man, this website gets slower every day.
How old is Phoenix that you refer to him as mid-life?
I have seen first hand what happens to people who don't or won't change careers mid-life despite the fact that they are miserable in what they do. I'd rather face the uncertainty and take the risk of change than to stay in a place/career I hated and slowly die by the day.
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dc 1-30-2009 @ 11:01AM
i think part of our 'responsibility' towards our children is to show them courage. to teach them to reach for their dreams. to encourage them to take risks in life. this needs to be balanced of course, but i find that financial stability in leiu of any type of personal happiness is a huge lesson in materialism for our children. finances are not everything. yes, the create opportunity...and we need to teach kids how to respect them and to be responsible. but that word encompasses many different facets of life.
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SKL 1-30-2009 @ 10:51AM
Yes, yes, and yes. It's more important to be the best mom I can be at this point. I did prepare for the change by being conservative and saving before becoming a mom.
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Debra Gould, The Staging Diva 1-30-2009 @ 11:54AM
Our kids learn more from what we do then what we say. If you want them to grow up believing the world is full of possibility then you have to show them it is.
Often what we perceive as "security" really isn't at all. Look how many people lost their jobs in 2009 and the month isn't even over yet!
If you have a passion for something and you're willing to work hard to make it a success, you can follow your dreams. I have, despite raising a child on my own, with a mortgage and no family around to help. And I've taught over 1000 others around the world to do the same through my home staging training program.
If you believe nothing is possible and nothing in your life can change, you'll be right, because it won't! But being right will be so unsatisfying!
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youngflyandfilthy 2-13-2009 @ 6:06PM
I can’t wait tile March Madness tourment. There is a party going on at some agency. I know my wife is going to wear a Cashmere sweater.
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Angie 4-21-2009 @ 7:41PM
I did switch careers because of my kids. I have 4 kids, one's in college and I still have 3 at home. Because I had 2 starting high school I decided my kids needed me at home with them more than they did when they were babies. After all, If I wasn't going to be there for them and lead them in the right path then someone else would be there and lead them in the wrong path. That's when I found a wonderful opportunity to work with other moms with the same priorities. We help moms earn a great income from home. No selling, inventory, pressuring people (MLM's), no parties and no financial risk for anyone. You can too make the switch and be successful! http://www.MomsWhoSucceed.com
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