Q. I hate my job as a computer consultant.
I am ready for a career change. The aptitude tests say I should be a recreation specialist. I like the idea but I dread returning to school for a new degree.

A. Before you invest in a degree, try out the career change. Take a test drive. Find two or three people who are doing what you want to do and ask to spend a day or a week with them.

If you’re still interested, visit a few schools or universities that offer degrees in your area of interest. Ask for names of people who have graduated one, three and five years ago.

Ask the alumni, “Did this degree help you get your job? Advance in your job?
“Would you have done better with a degree from another school? Or would you have done as well with a degree from a lower-ranked school?”

Ask students, not faculty. Professors must support their own programs, even when they want to say, “You can do better elsewhere,” or, “This program is a waste of your time and money.”
And these days, anyone with a title like “Admissions Director” or “Enrollment Management” may be trying to make a sale, not offer objective guidance.

If you believe your new career requires you to quit your job and begin a full-time degree program, investigate alternatives. You may find an equally satisfying career that offers on-the-job training.

No degree program offers a magic bullet. Ultimately you may win the job and career success by your power networking as well as you social, interpersonal and technical skills.

Don’t like one option? Try another. There are many paths to career fulfillment, not just one. There is no way for a single career coach, consultant or counselor to know the ins and outs of every career. You should be guided through an exploratory phase, not steered in one direction.

Every so often someone posts a note to a forum: “I just quit my job today! I am confident I can replace my income quickly.” Inevitably, coaches and business owners jump in and cheer.

Often these new business owners find they do really well. They quickly find a market and make money. But at other times, they stumble. They fail to make money and can’t return to a job they liked as much as the one they left.

So … what are the guidelines?

(1) Know your own risk profile.

Some people sleep well when they owe hundreds of thousands of dollars. Others can’t sleep when their income drops below hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Some people soar when they cut all ties.

“I deliberately made myself unemployable,” said one brilliantly successful entrepreneur. “That was my motivation.”

Some people freeze like deer in the headlights when they lose their anchoring income. They feel more comfortable when there’s a safety net, the way drivers can go faster when there’s a guard rail to protect them from falling down the side of the road.

(2) If you are starting a business, get some traction and solid evidence that you have a market for what you offer before you quit your job.

It’s better to have $300 a month coming in steadily than $3000 one month and nothing the next. You can build on a foundation of consistent income, even if you totally change your business model.

Don’t let anyone tell you, “You can always go back to a job.” Terrific jobs don’t come along every day.
A field can change overnight. When I got my Ph.D., we had 5 or 6 jobs for every graduate. Five years later, the situation was reversed: we had 5 or 6 graduates for every job.

(3) Make sure you have at least 6 months earnings saved (a year is better). You will need money to get started. I’ve had people tell me they can’t afford a $97 course even though they know that course contains information they need. If you’re in that situation, you can’t be in business.

(4) Review your own background. In my experience, if you’ve done any kind of selling you have a greater chance of entrepreneurial success than if you do anything else. If you have strong people skills, you’re also in great shape (even if you work on the Internet). Corporate executives and military officers often do well because they have discipline and know how to function in a system.

(5) Test your entrepreneurial mindset. For instance:

– You pay for everything, from postage stamps to mentoring Barter usually backfires.

– You make things happen; you don’t get assignments.

– You have to be persistent; it’s no accident that some business owners are described as “driven.”

(6) Take everyone’s success story with a big grain of salt. I love stories like, “I didn’t have any money so I maxed out my credit card to get into a $10,000 training program. Now I’m becoming a millionaire.” Maybe they did, but there’s probably an X factor they’re not telling you.

(7) Spend prudently and know where to invest your dollars.

You don’t need a big, expensive website to get started (although you do need a website). You don’t need a lot of fancy furniture. But if you have people coming to you, you’ll need a clean, pleasant office where they can feel safe. I once knew someone who quit to start her lifelong dream of owning a restaurant, but couldn’t afford a prime location.

If you’d like to talk about your own next step, I’d be happy to work with you. Please visit
http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/careerstrategysession.html

Don’t you love it when people defy stereotypes of aging?

I just read, It’s Not About The Pom Poms – how a 40-year old mom of 2 became the oldest NFL cheerleader. You can get it here on Amazon.

Laura Vikmanis came from a difficult childhood and an 18-year abusive marriage. She had always loved to dance. When she saw the BenGals – the Cincinnati Bengals cheerleaders – take the field in a game, she knew she had to do this.

Laura lost weight from an already good figure. She got breast implants (with the encouragement of her very cool therapist!). Rejected the first time she tried out, she didn’t give up. She bounced back with dance lessons, even taking a hip hop class with 12 year olds.

Her daughters now think she’s cool. She’s a totally confident woman with a supportive boy friend. She has a career as a dietician and fitness trainer. And she’s 42 – finishing 3 seasons as a cheerleader.

Now …that’s inspiration!

And if that’s not enough, just last week a friend in Seattle announced that she had just passed the Washington State Bar Exam, at age 50! To be sure, she had passed a bar exam and practiced law many years earlier. But she had to memorize about a thousand pages of material and then write answers during a grueling exam. She did it. She swears her brain feels sharper than ever.

Any more examples? I believe in refusing to accept age stereotypes. There’s evidence that people change physiologically when they feel younger mentally. That’s the kind of news I like to hear.

Recently I came across an article on a site that looked extremely reputable. The site promised to include tips for midlife career change, but in fact the article is misleading and even dangerous.

First, I don’t recommend following any guidance for “best job” or “hot jobs.” By the time you read about them, they won’t be hot anymore. You may not be suited to them. Anyway, some of these claims are simply inaccurate.

Here are just 2 examples of what was included in an article on the site:

Bad piece of career change advice #1: “Be a teacher.” The site wrote that if you have a degree, you only need “minimal” classes in education.

That’s simply not true. You need a minimum number of education classes to teach in public schools in the US. You may not need any education classes for private high schools. What’s minimal?

College professors rarely take courses in education or pedagogy. In California (and maybe other states) you get a junior college credential; I got mine a few years ago just by teaching, although things may have changed. These days, jobs in college teaching are highly competitive, and it’s not always easy to get any teaching job, depending on the district.

Bad piece of career change advice #2: “Just stop practicing “your occupation” and start advising others on how to succeed.”

Sure, starting a business is a good idea these days – but it’s not that easy. You need a plan, evidence that people want what you have and a way to reach your target audience.

If you’re in your forties and physically fit, you may be surprised to learn that you can make a career change to being a flight attendant or police officer. I’ve met people in their forties who have made those transitions successfully. Again, a lot depends on the specific places you target for employment.

What to do instead? Get information from real people. Ask at least six people in the field you’re considering: “How did you get here? What works? What would you advise me?”

I offer consulting to private clients. If you’re considering a career tune-up, click here to learn more.

Some good career tips from Business Insider. Start with the 11 things never to put on a resume: http://read.bi/HxnTTR

My career guide includes many of these tips – so if you start here you are ahead of the game:
http://www.MidlifeCareerStrategy.com/searchbk.html

Recently ABC News ran an article, “And Now, the 50-year old intern,” by Alan Farnham. Read it here.

This article seems disturbing because it seems to reinforce norms supporting age discrimination.

The author refers to people 50 years and older as “aged newbies.” Fifty is hardly “aged.” Today’s 50-year-old was born in 1962. He or she can’t collect full retirement social security benefits for another 17 years. That’s hardly retirement age. This “aged newbie” can expect to live another 20 to 30 years, probably working the whole time.

The article goes on to say, “some employers are happy hire to hire them–not just because they work cheap, but because they bring with them mature judgement and valuable experience.”

Translation: They’re working DOUBLE cheap. These companies recognize value but aren’t willing to pay for it.

Worst of all, the article doesn’t talk about what happens to these workers post-internships. Do internships really lead to new jobs? Or do employers take the cheap labor and say, “Thank you very much. Now we’ll hire another intern or a younger worker.”

What’s better: Try to find a way to create your own business. I recently talked to a neighbor who created a business of dog walking and cat sitting. She earns more now than she did as a teacher, even with extra taxes and expenses … and her work clothes consist of old jeans and sweatshirts.

What do you think? Comment below. If you don’t see a comment section, click on the title.

Career counseling used to be straightforward. You hired a counselor who administered tests, asked some questions and guided you to a dream career. Today’s job search model calls for hiring a coach. And you’ll find thousands to choose from. Here are some guidelines to make your selection.

Karen hired a “mentor” coach to help her business grow. She spent hours working on her website. She played with orange, green, and blue text in helvetica, geneva and garamond type faces. She added pictures. She took away pictures.

Karen’s coach cheered: “You’re doing great!” On a slow week, the coach said, “Clear clutter and learn to dance.”

After three months, Karen had a big coaching bill, a multicolored website, an empty house and a sad little business.

What happened?

Every coach works with a model, or template, of human nature that explains what, why and how they coach. Karen’s coach believed people will unblock their businesses when they clear clutter and learn to move their bodies freely. It works for many people.

However, Karen needed information. A corporate manager turned entrepreneur, she needed a business-savvy coach who could help her transform minefields into meadows.

Karen hadn’t asked her coach, “What do you think I need?”  And she hadn’t asked herself, “What do I need most right now?”

What is a model?

We work with models of human nature every day. For instance, Western medicine treats the body as a machine to be repaired; Chinese medicine believes sickness is caused by imbalance that can be corrected by herbs and diet.

Every model has limits. If you break your leg, the Western model makes most sense; if you suffer from insomnia, you might favor the Chinese model.

Which model do you need?

John’s business is hitting a rough patch.

Coach X says, “Clear your life of energy-draining relationships.”

Coach Y says, “I will teach you mental techniques to attract new business.”

Coach Z says, “Maybe your business does not reflect your life purpose.”

Coach Q offers, “I will teach you networking and sales techniques.”

Only John knows what he needs. If your website needs an overhaul, you can clear clutter till your house is bare and nothing will happen. But if everyday hassles are draining your energies, you can’t focus clearly on the website.

By the book

Let’s compare four best-selling books. Cheryl Richardson’s Take Time for Your Life exemplifies the “life space” model: people know what they want and how to get there; they grow by self-care and personal empowerment. Choose Coach X.

Lynn Grabhorn’s Excuse Me Your Life Is Waiting, suggests that people will achieve goals when they focus clearly on what they want. Her techniques can help people change their thinking and feeling styles. Choose Coach Y.

Martha Beck’s book, Finding Your Own True North, argues that finding your essential self will bring fulfillment. Choose Coach Z.

Finally, a business book like Michael Gerber’s E-Myth series or Jay Levinson’s Guerilla Marketing will assume you are perfectly capable of applying sound sales techniques once you learn what they are. Yes — that’s Coach Q.

The key is to be very clear on what you want and to decode what the coach offers before you commit to long-term relationships. Karen got Coach X when she needed Coach Q.

Read what the coach has written. Ask if you can buy an hour or two of consultation before committing to a longer time frame. Ask directly, “What types of people do you believe you can help — and why?”

You don’t have to be friends with your coach. You don’t have to eat lunch together or trade birthday gifts. But the coach’s model of growth and change has to fit who you are.

You may not need a coach. You may need a mentor or you may need to learn to listen to your own intuition.

Ask yourself: How did you learn and grow during previous transitions? Have you benefited from paid support: therapy, groups, or classes? Or did you learn by reading, introspecting, journaling or talking informally with a friend?

Know what you need, both now and over a lifetime. Paying a coach may be the best investment you can make right now — or may be a waste of time and money. They key is to understand your own growth patterns so you can identify the most effective and enjoyable way to reach your dreams.

This article is based on Teach Your Intuition to Send You a Telegram, Not a Post Card: Using Intuition for Business and Career Decisions. Click here to learn more.

“Norman” was experiencing sticker shock. After years of career success in the corporate world, he had accumulated a healthy nest egg.

But now Norman faced a midlife career crisis. He had just learned his division would be shutting down. To keep his job, he would have to relocate to a distant part of the country. Finding a new job meant fighting age discrimination.

So, Norman thought, why not launch an Internet marketing business? He began exploring and collecting information.

Norman first encountered sticker shock when he learned about the world of Internet marketing seminars.

“Over seven hundred dollars for two days? That’s outrageous!” he exclaimed.

When you’re facing a major career crisis, it’s hard to evaluate prices. I like to draw an analogy with getting a flat tire in the middle of the night. You haven’t bought tires for years and you have no idea what’s realistic.

Worse, you feel stranded. You feel you have to make decisions right away.

And you feel like money keeps dripping away. For career change, the expenses add up. Travel. Moving. Resume Services. Business Start-up.

But I take a different view. I encourage clients to banish words like “cheap” and “expensive” from their vocabularies — forever. Instead, I encourage everyone to respond to sticker shock with three questions.

(a) How does this price relate to the market?

Maybe you’re paying too much. Maybe not.

Before hiring a consultant, attending a seminar, choosing a moving company or buying computer equipment, do some research. Learn the going rate.

Sometimes you’ll get increased value by paying more. Sometimes you won’t. But you should be suspicious of offerings that are way below or way above market price.

Author Barbara Ehrenreich, posing as a corporate job hunter, hired a resume coach who charged by the hour. As reported in her best selling book, Bait and Switch, Ehrenreich’s bill grew larger and larger as the coach found more and more ways to make the resume “perfect.”

Had Ehrenreich checked the market, she would have learned that many resume consultants charge a flat fee, not an hourly rate.

(b) Will you get value for your payment?

Spending a thousand dollars seems like a lot of money…but not if it’s the best way to earn two, three or even ten thousand dollars.

But throwing money at a career or business challenge won’t work either. You have to choose resources that make sense for you as an individual. I know lots of career changers who invested big bucks in education and training – only to realize the promised opportunities didn’t fit their unique profiles.

Norman’s seminar actually was a good value because comparable seminars cost at least twice as much. And a seminar would save him months of research time as he explored new business opportunities. He would meet a dozen experienced, successful entrepreneurs – all potential mentors and role models – in one location. To get comparable value, he’d have to travel all over the country or rely on phone and email connections.

(c) What’s your time frame?

Most clients lose money by trying to move too fast – not paying for coaches, consultants and seminars. They don’t invest time in researching options.

And let’s face it: If you haven’t dealt with a career crisis for a long time, you may not know where to begin. You’re like a motorist who has never had a flat tire – someone who’s misplaced the auto club number or even let the membership lapse because “this will never happen to me.”

One client spent a significant sum to have her resume “blasted” to a thousand employers. She actually was harmed because her name became associated with a company that was distrusted by most legitimate recruiters in her field.

Another client reacted to job loss by calling real estate agents to sell his house. “I need a change of scene,” he declared, making more calls to moving companies.

Six months later, he felt stranded. Someone suggested he give me a call. “I thought I’d love living here – but I hate it,” he said. “I didn’t even know what questions to ask before I came.”

Bottom Line: “Expensive” and “cheap” have new meanings during a career crisis. To transform breakdowns to breakthroughs, we need to discover new ways to think about money.

Based on Transform Your Dollars to Dreams
Learn more.

Recently I heard a talk about the energy of money. The speaker said that money grows when it is watched, measured and tended. That may be true. But careers are more like “The watched pot never boils.”

Careers usually move more slowly than we would like.

They have an element of luck. I don’t care what anyone says: you can’t be totally strategic when you plan your career.

More than once I’ve taken a job where I was welcomed enthusiastically by my future boss. He (pr, more rarely, she) genuinely appreciated what I had to offer and was thrilled to hire me.

Then a new boss appeared. Sometimes I never got to work for the boss who hired me: he was already gone, leaving me as a legacy for the next boss, who had a totally different vision for my role. At other times the boss left 6 to 12 months later. Once I took a job (against the advice of a savvier friend) where the boss was going to be hired around the same time.

Military officers tell me this is the norm. If you don’t like your boss, just wait it out. He’ll be transferred or you’ll be transferred, hopefully with no damage to your career.

Still, luck plays a big part. When I had corporate jobs, I wished something would happen and I’d suddenly be asked to take on new responsibility. That never happened to me – but some people built a career this way. True, I might have blown the opportunity, but there is a saying that you look like a sergeant when you’ve got stripes on your sleeves. Once you’re promoted, you tend to look like you deserve it.

That’s why it’s a good idea to remain somewhat detached from your career. If you get too involved, you often miss the red flags and pass right by the subtle cues. You see the job as playing a game and you get a kick of out learning the rules. You detach your ego from success.

One way to do this is to have an outside interest that’s really compelling. For many people, it’s a family. For others it’s a hobby or fanaticism. Even getting a dog makes a big difference. I met an executive who walked away from Microsoft and started his own company because he hated being away from his new dog all day.

You think you have career stress? Think again!

You may have seen the news report: A Goldman Sachs manager, Greg Smith,  resigned in a very public way.  Before sending in his resignation letter, Smith wrote an Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, expressing his frustration with his employer. He criticized the self-serving value system and culture. He claimed that the company actually worked against their clients’ interests in some cases. It’s the opposite of career planning. It’s career stress.

Read the full story here in the New York Times.

Some Goldman clients responded positively to the article and to Smith’s career stress. Some clients said, “He’s right. We have to be careful when we deal with Goldman.”

This is NOT Greg Smith but maybe it's how you feel right now.They knew they had to follow the "caveat emptor" guideline when dealing with this company.

But many people were critical of this manager. One of the most compelling criticisms came from the Bloomberg.com financial blog :

“We have some advice for Smith, as well as the thousands of college students who apply to work at Goldman Sachs each year: If you want to dedicate your life to serving humanity, do not go to work for Goldman Sachs. That’s not its function, and it never will be. Go to work for Goldman Sachs if you wish to work hard and get paid more than you deserve even so.”

He undoubtedly will have trouble getting another job on Wall Street; on the other hand, he’d been earning around $500,000 a year and hopefully he knew something about investing his own money wisely. He may not want another job. Maybe he will move to the country and downsize his life.

He’s not free and clear. Goldman could sue him, especially if he had signed agreements about making “disparaging comments” about the firm. However, if Goldman sued, they would create another public relations problem, as many people will side with Greg Smith. Let’s face it: many of us have had fantasies of doing the same thing!

Will Smith change the culture of Goldman Sachs this way? Or is he just committing career suicide very publicly?

What do YOU think? Reply below to leave a comment. If you don’t see a place to comment, just click on the headline.