Escape the Grind with Hands and Oils
The movie Office Space struck a nerve with many Americans. The opening scene portrays a thirty-something male caught in a traffic jam on his way to work. After reaching his office, he is chastised for forgetting a meaningless corporate memo. At the end of the day, his passive-aggressive boss suggests that he come in to work extra hours over the weekend. This man works in a cubicle where privacy is at a minimum and the opportunity for individual expression is practically nil.
Office Space makes corporate life look pretty bleak, and pokes fun at the rigid and often bureaucratic working environments that exist in large companies. Unfortunately, commiserating with a movie can't always help unhappy employees shrug off office gloom. Rigid fifty-hour (or more) work weeks, oppressive work atmospheres, and the inefficient bosses can gradually take their toll on those who once thought they had free spirits. If you identify painfully with the main character in Office Space, feel like you're stuck in a dead end job, and need a refreshing career change, do something about it. Here's an idea--enroll in massage therapy school and study to become a massage therapist.
Choose Pampering over Paper Jams:
Massage therapy can be the perfect midlife career change. With a massage certification, you can set your own hours, create your own work space, and do something that keeps your blood flowing. Many of us in the middle part of our lives face time demands that make full-time employment nearly impossible. Some have aging parents that need care, others still have kids at home, and others would rather spend more time with their retired spouses. A career in massage therapy can give you the flexibility you need to balance your job with the many other demands of life. Instead of working in a cubicle, take your massage therapy practice wherever it suits you. Therapists work at clients' homes, bring clients into their own homes, work in private studios, outside, or even on the beach. Choosing your own work environment is a positive step towards occupational freedom. Your only constrictions will be the ones you place on yourself.
Physically, a massage therapy career is more healthy that sitting at a desk all day staring at a computer. Sure, your feet may get tired after a long day, but continuously moving your hands and body will help improve muscle tone, flexibility, and circulation. You may even be able to undo some of the aches and pains you acquired while sitting with bad posture in your corporate cell.
Cling to Coattails, Grow Client Base
If you go through with this career change, build your client base by working with other businesses. There are a number of different places that hire massage therapists to service their own clients. Health clubs are popping up all over America, and most offer massage therapy services to their members for an additional fee. If you work for a health club, you'll have easy access to a future client base. The same goes with local health spas that offer massages with their service packages. Other massage therapist employers include orthopedic clinics that help people with muscle, joint, or ligament problems, and physical therapists that rehabilitate injured clients. Also, many hotels and resorts employ massage therapists as a premium amenity for guests. There are many different employment opportunities and ways to gain new clients.
You'll Get Back More than You Give
Before you started working for the corporate machine, did you ever think about doing something for the greater good of society? Were you an idealistic college student with hopes of making the world a better place? Did you have to give up a number of volunteer activities because the demands of your job and family filled your day? If so, massage therapy training could help you incorporate the idea of helping people into your career change. While massage therapy is not going to earn you a Nobel Peace Prize, it can provide an enormous benefit for people in pain. With the proper massage training, you can spend each day brightening the lives of a few people who need to take a load off. Helping others can be very therapeutic, even if you only reach a few people each day. The warmth you receive in thanks from your clients is the type of human warmth that can sustain your positive attitude and support your resolve to lead a happy and healthy life.
So maybe it's time to unshackle yourself from that ergonomic desk chair and start living again. Don't worry--the endless supply of goldfish and peanut M&Ms found in your office lounge can be transported to your new massage studio. The water cooler may no longer be your daily gossip hangout, but do you really need to know who Paris Hilton is dating these days? Besides, the office lounge and water cooler are generally places people go to distract themselves from the drudgery waiting for them at their desks. You'll be surprised at how fast your day moves when you actually like what you are doing.
To begin your midlife career change, enroll in a massage therapy school. Earn a massage therapy certification, and then make some decisions. You can go cold turkey and make a clean break from one job to the next, or ease into a massage therapy career slowly. Pick up a few clients here and there after work or during the weekends to see how and where your new business progresses. Quit your old job as soon as you have enough clients to make it worth your while, and then say goodbye to traffic jams, fluorescent lights, and monotonous living.
About the Author
Kirk Bangstad is an artist manager and singer working in Chicago, IL. His previous experience includes consulting for technology companies in the Silicon Valley and serving as a field director and publicist for a statewide political campaign. Kirk holds a B.A. in government from Harvard University.
