Changing careers

In American society today, most highly trained people expect their jobs to be meaningful.

Employees want to feel properly challenged, and they want their work to contribute to something in which they believe. As a professor of graduate studies, every year I teach a number of older students who are re-entering the work force or who are making a midlife career change. They all seek meaningful employment.

Working mostly with teachers and counselors, I find that many people return to school because learning is a path that has heart for them. New ideas invigorate them and add heart to their current jobs.

Others have burned out from working for years in jobs that have significantly changed over time. For example, older teachers sometimes suffer from what the literature calls “Initiative Fatigue.” New initiatives – which require more and more programs , testing and assessments – sweep in from Washington and Richmond. Although new initiatives are added, nothing is subtracted from their workloads. As a result, their initial career path can lose its heart.

Teachers who change careers are fortunate because many Internet sites assist in their transitions. For example, Alison Doyle’s “Alternative Careers for Teachers/Educators” offers specific suggestions about careers that teachers are well-trained to pursue, including jobs in Human Resource Development, publishing, nonprofit management, public relations, childcare administration and more. Personality tests are also available that match teachers to specific careers.

Before Changing
In her Internet article “Not what I Signed Up For,” Patricia Soldati advises workers to talk to their managers before deciding to change jobs. Share your frustrations: “Offer specific examples of what you’ve been assigned vs. what you feel would be more challenging and worthwhile — and why you feel you are up to the challenge.”

Good workers are valuable to their companies, and sometimes managers will move mountains to keep them.

If you decide to change jobs, take care of the basics first, experts advise. Before changing jobs, make sure you have continued health and life insurance benefits. Frequently, it is wiser to keep a job with benefits while searching for a better fit.

Follow a Plan
Randall S. Hansen offers an Internet article, “The 10-Step Plan to Career Change” (http://www.quintcareers.com/career_change.html). This article links searchers to important sites that help examine their skills and match those skills with career opportunities. Below are a few of his ideas.

Step 1: Assessment of Likes and Dislikes. Too many people know what they dislike about their present job, but have not invested the needed energy to examine what they like. “What excites you and energizes you? What’s your passion?” If you are not sure, Hansen offers sites that allow you to take tests to help answer these questions.

Step 2: After you identify exactly what you love to do, Hansen suggests you look at the skills-matching services that are available online.

Hansen’s remaining steps include identifying transferable skills, finding additional training or education, the secrets of networking, gaining experience that makes you more qualified, finding a mentor who can help with your change, deciding whether to change jobs while working for the same employer, learning job-hunting basics (many helpful links are provided) and the value of being flexible.

Does your present career path have a heart? If not, consider your options and do research online. As with many life changes, changing jobs is an emergency best handled slowly.