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Should I Change Careers to Help Teenagers?

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by Karen Jo @ July 29th, 2010 RSS Link

Question:
I have worked in marketing for a pharmaceutical company for 15 years. I make good money, but I think I would like to work with teenagers in crisis. Can you give me advice?

Answer:

Career transitions, even big ones, such as you are interested in, are becoming more common in our society. However, as you point out, sometimes planning such a move can be complicated when you are in a position that pays you well or has high status.

You’ve built up your skills and experience in your field. It can be hard to leave something that has this kind of security to it.

I would suggest that you keep your “day job” for now, while carefully starting to investigate other possibilities. A first step could be looking in your community for a volunteer job with teenagers. You could work a few hours a week or month. You might find such a thing in a teen center, clinic, crisis center (or hotline) or even hospital.

Consider spending a few hours every week learning about your new area of interest. In addition to the volunteering, you could read books on teenagers, do informational interviews with professionals who work with teenagers, and visit work sites that help this age group.

It may be that these activities satisfy your wish to be with teenagers and that you decide not to make a transition. If you still want to change careers, I encourage you to work with a financial planner and/or career counselor, as well as check out re-training educational options, both in local colleges and online.