New careers? Or newly popular?

Today’s Wall Street Journal headline article noted that displaced auto workers have been transitioning into health care. Many study nursing, while other popular fields include dental and radiology support staff.

That reminded me of what I read in Marc Freedman’s book, Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life”. A fifty-year old woman changed careers to become a nurse.

And in the dog park, I just met a very sharp young woman who has one of those jobs where she travels around the US (and maybe the world). She had just returned from six months in Hawaii. Currently working in Seattle, she’s moving again to be closer to her family for the Christmas holidays.

For anyone who’s in the 35-50 age range, and maybe even older, nursing would be a good choice if you’re seeking flexibility, freedom and job security…and if you honestly like the work.

Other popular mid-career careers include librarianship. Two trends make this field attractive to those IT experience. First, it’s become more information science than book cataloging. And programs are available through distance ed, with limited time in residence.

Find a new career: Where’s the Real Me?

When you’ve had a series of jobs in different fields (or using different skill sets), forget trying to find the one that’s the Real You.

(1) Create a good story (or “spin” as journalists say.

Practice a cover story till that you can repeat in 5 minutes or less.

(2) Think of your career as an artful mosaic, not a patchwork quilt.

Recognize the underlying pattern. Sometimes an outsider (yes, a paid coach or consultant) will help you see underlying trends.

(3) Never apologize.

Hang out only with folks who see your variety as strength, not weakness.

Tags: career change, new career

Need a new midlife career? Think "Open Road"

Ezine subscriber Ellen Zucker (www.facesandfortunes.com) sent me this story about fifty-something career changers who left their cubicles for the open road:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19875409/site/newsweek/

“Becoming a truck driver? You must be kidding.” I can just see my readers shaking their heads in disbelief.

Well, maybe not. A few years ago I interviewed a truck driver who left his fifth grade science classroom to drive big rigs. He loved it.

“Forget the stereotype,” he said. “You’ll find doctors, lawyers, college professors…all kinds of people. At a truck stop, I’m not the only one in a booth reading a book.”

These days, he told me, trucks come with automatic transmission and they’re not as hard to drive as they used to be. Truckers communicate by CB, but more likely they have cab phones, fax machines and computers, too.

“Who changes those big wheels?” I asked, shuddering. Mechanical I’m not.

“Oh, if you’re truck breaks down, you just call in your location and they send a repair truck. Faster than the auto club!”

You can drive alone or with your partner. You can bring along your dogs and cats.

He recommended going with the big companies, like Schneider, not the smaller outfits. Talk to the recruiters and learn which driving schools they recommend. Hang out at truck stops and chat with the drivers.

Of course, you do have to be able to drive in all kinds of weather. You have to be a confident driver who charges up hills and flies down mountain roads.

Frankly, if I were a better driver, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I’d be out there myself. Next lifetime.

Also see: http://gettrucking.com/