The Secret to Launching a Successful Second Career

Image by mtsofan via Flickr

When we are young, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we want to be when we grow up. But what happens when we are grown up, and are still wondering what we want to be next? Launching a first career with all the resources of college advising offices and youthful enthusiasm is hard enough. Launching a second career? Sometimes, it can seem impossible. And launching a successful second career? Where to even begin?

Pssst. The answer is “research.”

As a second career survivor and thriver, I can attest to the fact that the secret ingredient in creating a healthy second career is research. Good, solid research. But again, who has time to research a second career when they are still trying to do a decent job at the first one? Without access to those on-campus career centers and databases, it is hard to find the time to really understand what a new career even entails. Those job databases online can be helpful, but they do not always give you what you need.

But I will. Because I’m cool like that.

Since so many people I know are starting second careers in their forties, thirties, and even in their twenties, I have decided to start profiling what certain careers involve, what education they require, and what the ratio of cool work to grunt work really is.

I realize there are a lot of places on the web with information like this, but it never seems to be presented in a manner I find useful. Basically, I always want to know 1) how hard it is to get up to speed on the subject matter?; 2) how much do you make and when do you start to make good money?; 3) how much of the job is grunt work and how much is substantive work?; 4) when and how do managerial duties come your way?; and, 5) what are the hours – really?

These seem like simple questions, and yet finding the answers is not easy. So here at YTP, I am starting a new series profiling different careers in a more “get to the point” fashion. Right now I am focusing primarily on jobs that take place offline and outside the home. If you need information about starting a business online, I highly, highly recommend Ittybiz’s Online Business School series, which does a much better job of teaching you the industry than I can.

Never fear, there will still be frequent pictures of large orbs.

Does this new series mean that YTP readers will be spared a continuation of the parade of “round objects in space” and “weird objects in the sea” photos I have been obsessed with of late? Hardly. But since this is my personal blog, leaving me free to explore things in any and all genres, I thought I would throw some serious career research into my usual mix.

I hope you enjoy it. Here’s the first interview.

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Tagged as: Career, Careers in profile, Education, Employment, Graduate school, Master of Business Administration, Research, World Wide Web