Understanding Midlife Career Renewal: Implications for Counseling

The thesis of this article is that sufficient and convincing research evidence has accumulated to indicate that a sixth stage of career development— career renewal —occurs for many people between the end of the establishment stage and the beginning of the maintenance stage. This article explains why a renewal stage was overlooked in the 1940s and 1950s, clarifies the meaning of renewal as it applies to career development, compares the transitions of men and women in their early 40s, and offers suggestions for the counseling of clients who are dealing with the task of career renewal.