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CHANGING OCCUPATIONS:
WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T

The simplest approach is one most of us have already seen proven in action. This works:
  1. Get hired, with the track record you've got, by an organization that can take you at least part way to where you want to go. 
  2. Do well, visibly so. Nick Corcodilos has excellent advice on exactly how to accomplish this step and the next one, too.
  3. Arrange an internal transfer to get yourself closer to where you want to be.
  4. Repeat 2 and 3 often; repeat 1 as needed.
This works best if you:  Expect to start over, but on a fast track. How fast depends on how much thought, effort and skill you apply. It always helps if you can temporarily tolerate stepping back in status and pay.

One thing that doesn't work reliably is resume magic. The notion is popular among people who write about jobsearch that replacing the accepted chronological form of resume with a functional layout is an acceptable substitute for a recognizable track record. I've never seen any evidence to support this view. Quite the contrary: Most of the human resources specialists I've mentioned the matter to has been vehement in their rejection of the functional format. They regard it - understandably - as deceptive. If you want your resume to avoid the personnel department's trash can, arrange it in chronological format. Conceptualize it functionally, as always, but present the final product - minus the details of your analysis - in factual chronological style with a minimum of opinion. The facts you present will speak for themselves.

Going back to school works well, IF three conditions are met: 

  • The target occupation is right for you;
  • Employers like the training you're going to get;
  • Demand for this training holds up for a long time after you graduate. You may have debts to pay.
Conduct the following four tests quickly and often.
  • Find out what you can earn. Interview several sources and expect to find a spread. Ask about these discrepancies and always ask what you could do to increase your earning power if you decided to pursue that occupation. Employers are less likely to exaggerate than individuals. Use published salary surveys as a point of departure, not as the last word. The occupation isn't right for you if you can't afford to work at it. 
  • Get part-time or volunteer jobs at the entry level to verify your aptitude for the work and compatibility with your future coworkers and clients. Such positions amount to self-guided internships. Internships are effective and respected methods of preparation for a new career. (Consider combining this method with the one described at the top of the page.)
  • Interview employers in advance to get their recommendations about the best course of study; check back with them as you go along. Note that many education programs are aimed at people who wish to advance in their current careers. You're seeking something specifically for career-changers.
  • Get projections of the number of future job vacancies vs. the number of graduates expected in the future from the Maryland Occupational Information Coordinating Council, part of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Ask librarians for other sources, so you can cross-check. Pro sports, crime scene investigation and music are not the only fields overpopulated with wannabes.
Don't depend solely on information from schools, media, etc.; always do your own research. Too much is at stake. 

Interested in teaching as a new career? The Teaching Residency Program of the Baltimore City Schools, Prince George's County's Resident Teacher Program, Project Site Support and the state's Resident Teacher in special education program are designed as alternate routes into teaching for liberal arts graduates and career changers. The cautions listed above still apply--start by becoming a classroom volunteer, paid substitute or teachers' aide before you invest in a career change. Be sure that teaching is really for you. If teaching is what you were meant to do, graduates of these programs have told me, nothing else will ever come close.

Are you 60 yet? Some--maybe all, I haven't had time to check--of Maryland's state universities offer a big tuition break to people 60 and over. Different campuses do it in different ways. It can amount to a waiver of tuition and some of the fees, too. The program is called "Golden ID." Some campuses have a rule that says you can't work more than 20 hours per week. In addition to the state universities, some of the community colleges offer tuition breaks as well. The cautions emphasized above still apply: be sure the education is right for you and verify that employers will be interested in the program's graduates for some time to come.

Additional ideas from the experts at Monster.com. This page is little changed since I first posted it in 1997, except for this paragraph and the two preceding it. Here's a fresh take on the subject.

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