Career Transitions in Midlife: Exploring Meaning-Making and Role Adjustment

This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of individuals undergoing career transitions in midlife. The study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with 27 participants aged 41 to 55 from various regions of India who had undergone significant career transitions within the past two years. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Interviews were conducted in English or Hindi, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed thematically using NVivo 12 software, following Braun and Clarke’s six-step approach. The research emphasized narrative richness and contextual understanding, and efforts were made to enhance credibility through member checking and reflexive journaling. Analysis revealed four main categories: Triggers for Career Transition, Meaning-Making During Transition, Role Adjustment in New Careers, and Personal Growth and Transformation. Participants reported diverse triggers including health challenges, organizational pressures, identity conflict, and a desire for work-life balance. Meaning-making processes involved re-evaluating life purpose, redefining success, and integrating past experiences. Role adjustment included identity reconstruction, acquiring new skills, and adapting to new work environments. Ultimately, participants described growth in self-awareness, resilience, and empowerment. These findings highlight that midlife career changes are deeply emotional, cognitively complex, and contextually influenced, often serving as transformative turning points. Midlife career transitions involve more than occupational change—they encompass shifts in identity, values, and life orientation. The study underscores the importance of recognizing the psychological and contextual dimensions of such transitions and calls for more responsive support systems, both organizational and societal, to facilitate healthy and purposeful change during this life stage.