Reinvention May Be Realistic for You

Feb. 24, 2010— -- Reinventing my career after a painful pink slip was the best thing that could have happened to me professionally. I had worked in public relations and was fortunate to have great jobs in exciting companies that I loved. I thought I'd stay in PR forever.

Then came a management change and I was abruptly fired. It forced me to rethink everything I thought about the industry, the day-to-day work, and, most importantly, what I really wanted to do long-term.

Had it not been for that jarring wake-up -- one that was chosen for me, not by me -- I'm not sure I would have found what I now know to be my true calling.

I often have the great pleasure of talking to people who've happily reinvented their careers.

It used to be that if you lost your job, but lovedyour line of work, you'd hop over to thecompetition. Now, they don't exist or they'relaying off as well. That's when it's time tomove in a new direction.

Reinvention can be both freeing and frightening.You're excited to move in a new direction, but youknow there will be changing pains to get there.That's unsettling.

But if you prevent the panic from getting the bestof you, and you recognize that your career won'tsink when you hand in your corporate ID card, youcan starting plotting and planning your next movewith confidence. There's a lot of help and resourcesout there, so buckle down and dive in.

In Brooklyn, N.Y., Colette Burnett went from bank manager to opening a take-out chicken wings joint, thanks in part to training from the city's Small Business Services and the Kauffman Foundation.

Colette and I met through a new TV series, Job Hunt, which I host for the city of New York.

Carmen Cronin became a certified nursing assistant after a career in customer service, with the help of training through Massachusetts One-Stop Career Centers.

David Allen used his local library to master social media to make a switch from retail management to defense manufacturing.

While I'm thrilled to celebrate all of their successes, I'm struck more by those who are terrified about what's next. They're paralyzed by the thought of needing to do something that's different from what they've always done.

My husband, Peter, spent 30 years working in the newspaper industry, the last 24 of which were at USA Today. It's no secret that print media is struggling, so he gladly accepted a buyout.

Not a week goes by when he doesn't hear from colleagues who are so fearful of a pink slip. "This is the only thing I know. If this job disappears, I don't know what I'll do," they say. "I've only done one thing my entire career."