Despite an economic downturn, the opportunities for a midlife career change are available. Is a career change hard work? Yes. However, it can transform your life in thrilling new ways. Four strategies you can take for recareering are:

1-Recognize your reasons for making a change

Are you tired of your work and need something that provides greater stimulation and challenge? Or, are you seeking social interaction and personal reward that your present occupation doesn’t offer? For example, I coached a client who became an executive director for a nonprofit organization in order to give back to the community.

2-Determine your commitment

Decide if you want to work full time or part time; if you want to job share or telecommute at least part of the time. Are you attracted to seasonal or cyclical work? Depending on your career choice, it may mean starting out at an entry level.

3-Consider a hobby or a passion

Many people find successful new careers and businesses based on their hobbies … love of antiques, outdoors, environment, animals, fitness, etc. Sometimes it isn’t so obvious. For example, one person converted her passion for organizing and strengths in negotiating into a career as an a meeting and events planner.

4-Know your limitations

You may be great at arranging things, but dislike dealing with customers. You may enjoy talking to your pet, but have little patience for cleaning kitty litter pans. Although it’s important to know what you like, pay attention to your head. Conduct a thorough self assessment or seek career coaching before you pull the plug on your current career. Take ownership of your career and life plans; resist the temptation to follow someone else’s dream for you. After all, it’s your life.

Do you dread Monday mornings and can’t wait for Fridays? Have you dreamed about being your own boss? Are you eager to get your severance package and never go back to your corporate job?

If you have been wondering about a better path such as starting your own business, but are not sure what that would be or how to do that without risking everything, franchising may be an option. If you have experience managing a project, department, division or business unit, then yo have the potential skills for success as a franchise owner. The franchiser provides the industry expertise, training, systems, procedures, and marketing support that you need to succeed.

Most people associate franchising with fast food companies.  However, more than 1600 registered franchise companies exist in diverse industries in the marketplace. To explore and determine if this option is viable, you can work with a franchise consultant, and it won’t cost you a dime.

A franchise consultant helps you sort through the possibilities and match you with the appropriate franchise opportunity. The process begins with specific questions such as:

• What are your reasons for wanting a business of your own?
• Have you ever owned a business of your own?
• What hours do you want to work and do you want to work full time or part time?
• Where do you want your business to be located?
• How do you feel about managing people?
• How much capital do you have to start a business?
• Will you have partners?
• Do you want to build multiple units?
• How soon do you want your business to open?

If, after a thorough assessment, you move forward with a good match, the franchiser pays the franchise consultant’s fee. You would pay the exact same fees with any franchise company you choose whether you decide to work with a franchise consultant or not. It’s about ensuring that there is a fit on both sides.

Even with the hopeful predictions that have been reported over the last few months by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources, there are six job seekers for every available opening at this time. People who have been out of work for six months, a year or more are wondering if they will ever find the type of job they had before the recession.

So, what do you do when life hands you lemons? You make lemonade. That’s what Erik Proulx, an advertising professional did when he lost his job. He created a documentary called “Lemonade.” It’s an inspirational film about 16 advertising professionals who were laid off and found their passion—their calling. The film is about encouraging people to listen to their inner voice and ask themselves: what do I really want to do?, and make that passion a reality.

Proulx was featured in a recent interview on NPR’s “On Point” segment. As Proulx and the other people in the film discovered, there’s always an upside as with anything in life. That upside can be picking yourself up and seeing it as an opportunity to reinvent yourself by changing careers.

Unfortunately, when people lose their jobs, they don’t always listen to their inner voice. It’s often not until their backs are up against the wall that they finally start to pay attention to it.

What do you really love to do? What are the skills that you have and enjoy using? What are you passionate about? How do you want to spend your time and the rest of your life? What’s most important to you? These are the questions that may be in the back of someone’s mind after a layoff (or even before), but it’s not until they have exhausted other avenues to try and replace what they’ve lost, do they start to think about “what else?” they can do now.

For some that question can lead to entrepreneurial ventures. For example, the people featured in the film decided to listen to their inner voice and found other ways to exercise their skills—while still being able to pay the bills. One became a holistic health coach and yoga teacher; another relocated to Costa Rica and is now a successful landscape painter; yet another is a website renovator; and so forth.

People are discovering that there is no more security in a corporate job because in an ever-changing world, it can always disappear. Career reinvention is the new security. In order to move past the loss, you first have to come to terms with it and the feelings that it generates. Once people have allowed themselves to grieve and mourn the loss, can they truly say goodbye and welcome the next phase of their lives.

The key message of the film is to reconnect with the things you love and put that energy into it to see what happens. Rather than focusing on a job, zero in on the skills you know or want to develop to create the life you deserve.