<p>I was just reading the thread from the "lost teen" who asked the adults (and I am paraphrasing), if our career paths were set in motion in college. Digmedia mentioned his significant change in majors in college, which got me to thinking... What about mid-life career changes?? How do you do that?? If I wanted to change careers after 20+ years in the same field, how would I go about doing this? Short of going back to school, how do you make a career shift to a new and different field? Have many of you done this? How? When? Why? What career did you start in, where did you end up, and where'd you go along the way?</p>
<p>Careers (and sub-careers):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Aerospace engineer (as a co-op student in college). Three years, six months per year. It was NOT for me, but I was still in school and changed my major to Physics.</p></li>
<li><p>High school math and physics teacher. This never was a permanent job for me, but I did it for two years and actually went to grad school part time and summers to work on a Masters in Secondary Math Education (didn't quite finish, but that's another story). The idea of computer science (especially Artificial Intelligence) kept growing in my head, so I went back to grad school in Computer Science. Continuing as a teacher, I supported myself for the first year in grad school by being a full time instructor at a nearby technical college.</p></li>
<li><p>Air pollution meteorologist. The rest of my graduate career was supported by a grant to study air pollution (as an adjunct/application of computer modeling and simulation). It required work in the air pollution area in addition to the comp sci work and a thesis applicable to both fields. When I graduated, I worked as an air pollution meteorologist for the Ga. Dept of Natural Resources (creating computer models).</p></li>
<li><p>Artificial Intelligence Researcher. I remained interested in AI and kept up with some of the literature and met some folks. Through the wildest, most serendipitous of coincidences, I ended up at the AI Lab at CMU and, when that project ended several years later, I did some applied AI work for the US Supreme Court for four years, then I went on to Bell Labs doing more applied AI work in the telecommunications area.</p></li>
<li><p>Telecommunications Consultant. The work in the telecom field led me to more jobs and finally into international consulting jobs in the wireless field.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>So you can see that the "career changes" kind of just happened.</p>
<p>Wow Dig!!
All I've done is move my office. :o</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, where'd you teach HS??</p>
<p>Hey Dig-
What happened to the post you wrote about your HS teaching experience and your meteoric rise to chairman of the math department???</p>
<p>My H went from being a civil engineer to travel agent.</p>
<p>Jym-</p>
<p>A strange thing happened with that post. After it was up and I reread it, I thought it denigrated the school and community. It was a very tumultuous time and the school was going through it's death pains, in a way. Anyway, after I read it, I thought about all of the people in the community who graduated from that school and who worked at that school and what happened to them. I did some quick internet searches and found out that the original HS is now a middle school named after the man who was the principal when I was there. Several of us looked on him somewhat derisively (common with schoolteacher-principal relationships), but the new school site had a biography of him. He had quite a life, including singing on stage in Porgy and Bess, and having an impact on lives that I never knew about. Reading all of that made me feel about two inches high and so I deleted the post. Yes, the experiences were real, but I feel now that there was so much more going on that I didn't see then. As a young white guy being "inserted" into a very poor community at a very bad time, I wonder if my internal biases kept me from finding the richness that was there....</p>
<p>mauretania -</p>
<p>That's the kind of change we're really talking about. Tell us more. Was there an abrupt drop in pay? How did he do that? Was it a conscious decision or was it triggered by a job loss?</p>
<p>Dig,</p>
<p>I love this latest post! Your sensitivity is wonderful. I work in a high school and it is so easy to find the negative, asking of me to seek out the positive ACTIVELY every day. I didn't read what you first wrote, but I can tell you I am impressed with your real concern for those who work and learn at your former school.</p>
<p>Not only did I make a mid-life change, but my husband did, too. It did mean returning to school for both of us, though. For years, I worked in accounting and bookkeeping for different businesses (city hall, architectural firm, etc.), but when I was 30 years old, I decided to go to nursing school. Having a husband, a child (four years old at the time), and a job made it a bit difficult in the beginning, but we made it work. Hubby originally went to school for advertising as it was thought at the time that he may some day take over his father's advertising agency. After several years in the advertising field, he realized that wasn't the thing for him and he went back to school and graduated at the top of his class from the school of mass communications. He is a film and video editor and is very, very good at what he does. I could not be happier that I made the change and I love my job. I was a staff nurse for a hospital for several years, and I am now an elementary school nurse. </p>
<p>Expecting college kids to know what they want to do with the rest of their lives is asking a lot. It seems we all grow up thinking we know what career path we want to take, but as we mature, we often change our minds. I don't think it is uncommon at all for people to change their minds and their career paths at some point in life. Do what makes you happy!</p>
<p>I'm on my third (maybe fourth or fifth) career (bio lab tech, computer user manual writer, technical advertising copywriter, high school science teacher, internet retail business manager, trainee dog trainer) but I'm doing the last three simultaneously and part time so I don't really know how to count career changes. (Oh wait, I still do some technical writing when people ask me, so I guess I'm doing four things simultaneously.... beats being bored.)</p>
<p>I know very few people who haven't done a shift in focus---if not in content---around age 50. And I know a LOT of people who've taken off from work for one or two or three years (or more) and then gone on to do something completely different. (This may be affected by the fact that I'm in Microsoft country and lots of people have the money to take a few years off.)</p>
<p>My D is a pediatrician, currently taking classes at the school I work at to get a teaching certificate. He starts student teaching in September, which means that he'll be unemployed then, and we'll be living on my salary. eek!</p>
<p>I have been an adunct, mostly in writing and other English classes, for about 18 years. About three years ago, a position to work as an advisor/counselor in a support program opened up on the campus, so now that's my main job, though I still teach on the side.</p>
<p>My life story as far as career goes is a mosh pit - being unable to pursue my career choice when I wanted to years ago - I started out as a keypunch operator - yes we had keyboards back then lol - bored with that - I moved on to working as an admin asst for a scientific company and then onto other various parallel positions - finally getting angry with myself one day - actually at my then boss - I resigned on the spot and drove myself to the closest nursing school and filled out an application. Sooooo - I gave up my life #1.</p>
<p>I was very lucky in my early years in my new found career - I had several amazing opportunities - FIRSTS - but still found something missing when the rules and regs changed for nursing - so off to find the RIGHT FIT college I went - as an adult - not an easy feat - which I did find - Sooooo I gave up my life again #2 - I graduated in the first class from the first LPN/RN degree program on this side of the Mississippi - and because there was no program offered in MY state - I was able to attend as an in-state student with a governors and senators scholarship to boot!!! </p>
<p>Then I was off and running. I have been blessed with wonderful and fantastic - some unique - opportunities - from the mountains of Vermont - to Georgia - to New England beaches - I have worked in places I never would have imagined - and any one who knows me knows that I have taken advantage of the many opportunities - some strange ones i do admit - that have come my way - I have been able to apply my career choice in many different venues - as a regular nurse - an adventure program nurse - a teacher - a visiting nurse - a company nurse or doing research - sales & marketing - doing medical legal work as a Health Care Paralegal - working in hospitals - homes - in the woods - on a boat - in an office - sooooooo - Not a boring career at all - my career is very dynamic and that is what I love about it. No - it has not been an easy journey at times - but has been worth it in the long run. I have the security of knowing that I can support my family if I need to - whenever and whereever we are or need to be.</p>
<p>My kiddos know that it is important to work hard for what you want - they know my story - they are very lucky to have two supportive parents - whereas I only had ME to do all this when I was starting out. I really do believe that my own experiences have given them much direction and security in knowing that anything can be achieved - if you want it enough. My journey thru the career maze took several twists and turns - my husbands also. I am the first in my family to go to college!! and my DH is not a college grad - but is very successful in his career path - also with many odd twists and turns as well. Our kiddos are definitely a product of who we are - with all the changes along the way - they will also experience many changes also - the world is their oyster you might say. They are soooo lucky to live in a world where they have sooooo many choices that my generation didn't have. </p>
<p>Career changes tend to evolve - thru some chain of events - thru circumstances or by choices we make - thru out our lives - we all will experience it - as we are all dynamic beings.</p>
<p>Garland - I think you meant to say your "H" , rather than your "D"</p>
<p>Garland, what is the job market like for 50 year old new teachers in your neck of the woods?</p>
<p>Dig-
Very thoughtful. ... very thoughtful.....</p>
<p>My sister left a 6 figure job as an HR director (that she felt was killing her) and is currently student teaching (High school History and global studies) while taking the last of her classes for certification. School offered her a job a for sept. Yesterday she just past the last of her mandatory state exams to get her NYS certification, she is happier than I have seen her in years. Because she as 30 credits above her masters she will start with $48,000 per year (you would think they were offering her a million she is so giddy about it)</p>
<p>Me, going back to grad school in september to do counseling (i am preparing to leave corporate life). My stess level has gone through the floor since I received my acceptance letter last month</p>
<p>OMigosh, yes, my H is the pediatrician turning teacher, not my D! LOL</p>
<p>Dstark: 50! bite your tongue; he just turned 46. ;) Anyway, science teachers are in very short supply; he's been told he should have no problem getting a position. He's perfectly willing to work in inner city schools (that's where he's been, so he knows the territory), and they're always looking for new teachers.</p>
<p>garland, your husband is young.</p>
<p>garland,</p>
<p>My third child (second daughter--age 14) has had aspirations for as long as I can remember to be a pediatrician. She has both the intellect and the personality for it, but I am worried that she is envisioning an ideal that has no basis in reality (what medicine has really become). Could you elaborate a bit on the subject of why your H is making this interesting career change? Thanks! ~berurah</p>
<p>Digmedia,</p>
<p>Was there an abrupt drop in pay?
Definitely, as travel agents are known for low pay but obviously the travel perks make up for it. I didn't know H when he was a civil engineer (he still has ALL his college textbooks - on a shelf in our kitchen!)</p>
<p>How did he do that? Was it a conscious decision or was it triggered by a job loss?
As a child he travelled quite a bit, then while he was attending college his mother opened an agency. He worked a few years as a CE (in the midwest, somewhere), found it boring, quit, started working in the agency (on a lark), found he was quite good at it and really got hooked on travelling around the world.</p>