I have been a speech and language specialist for over 15 years. It was not my chosen field, but I felt I would always be able to obtain employment because it is so specialized, which has certainly been the case. I also have an elementary teaching certificate and two English-as-a-Second-Language teaching certificates. I took a leave of absence from work in 1988 for personal reasons and began to study acting, my true first love. I took part-time jobs while my husband was terminally ill, until he passed away. I eventually became employed in the public schools again as a Speech Therapist; however, I found that I was extremely unhappy in this position, and in the second year of teaching at this particular district, I became ill. I quit before the end of the first semester. Then I decided to substitute teach and have been doing so ever since. I now find I need to re-enter the workforce full-time.

After job-hunting for some time, I have felt in every interview that I have had with the schools that the administration and teachers have a difficult time seeing me as a regular classroom teacher because I have done speech pull-out programs for so long. I have applied to public, private and charter schools with no success. Are there any suggestions you have for me? I really do not want to return to speech therapy. It has been very unfulfilling for me. I might add that I am 57 years old and that their may be an “underground” age discrimination aspect to this, as well.

The Career Doctor responds:

Do you really want to be a classroom teacher? As you point out, this is not a good time to be seeking that kind of job with all the budget cuts states face.

What jumped out at me with your acting background is corporate training. This is not the greatest time for that field either as training is one of the first things that gets cut in a weak economy. Still, it’s worth considering.

You might also look into motivational speaking/professional presenting. Could take awhile to build those up, but maybe you could pursue that path while doing something else.

As you point out, there could also be a issues with your resume and cover letter, especially if they expose you to age discrimination. I’d suggest you get a professional to critique them for you, and if necessary, revamp them them to position you for the kind of job you seek.

I really need your advice. Because of various factors, I’ve come to a career crossroads and need some advice as to what I should do next, how I should sell myself, etc.

I’ve been a musician most of my life, so I didn’t follow a traditional career path. I have held various retail management positions and over the past 10 years, I have had my own residential cleaning service. The business was successful until two years ago when we moved from Atlanta to a more suburban area. With rising gas prices, a slowing economy and the fact that a lot of families here are single income, business has fallen off sufficiently that I have come to realize that I need to make some changes in my work life.

I didn’t finish college, so earlier this year I decide to look into some continuing-education courses. After speaking with some people active in the human resources field, I decided to take an intro course in human-resources management. I was told that completing the course would show a willingness to learn and would be attractive to potential employers. When I started looking for a job, every entry-level listing required a four year degree. It appears that this avenue is not open to me at this time. I’ve also considered enrolling in a medical-billing program. It may yet be an option for me.

I stumbled across your site while looking for cover-letter examples, and took a career test. It revealed that I would be good at some of the positions that I’ve already been considering. How can I translate skills used from retail and the cleaning business into something that will attract employers? I’m currently looking at a job as a receptionist at a small law firm. Do you have any ideas on how to approach this? I have basic office skills, I am a fast learner, and am very good with people.

The Career Doctor responds:

Despite the bad economy and your situation, you should try if at all possible to identify a new career path that you are passionate about.

One thing I know for sure is that you DO have transferable skills. Think particularly about the entrepreneurial skills it has taken to run your cleaning business and deal with customers.

When you were looking for HR jobs, did you actually get any interviews, or were you scared off just by looking at degree requirements in ads? While that path may be closed to you, it may not. There really may be employers willing to take a chance on you if you show them you are willing to finish your degree.

If you truly want to go after the law-office job, you can frame your transferable skills using our Transferable Skills Worksheet. (You can use it for applying for other jobs in the future, as well).

While your economic situation may be suffering at the moment, I would suggest that it would be well worth investing in a career coach who also writes resumes. This coach can help you identify what you want to do next, help you frame your skills, and write your resume. I recommend one of the practitioners from the Career Management Alliance.

Good luck!