Question:
I have worked in the electrical industry for 24 years, eight as an
electrician and 16 as a supervisor. I have been responsible for jobs up to $30 million and up to 300 electricians. I have an Associates degree in Electrical
Technology. I want to change careers but don't know what kind of companies would be
interested in me. How do I find out?
Answer:
My first question would be...What kind of a career do you want to change
to? Without knowing that information, this is a difficult question to
answer. Changing the place you work and changing careers are two different
things. When you change the place you work, you are usually looking for a
similar job. When you change careers, you are choosing not to do the same
type of work you used to do.
I do a lot of work with adult career changes. Once thing that I have found
out about this group of people is that they have many good, transferrable
skills. Each job seeker must decide for himself the skills he chooses to
continue to use in the workplace and market to those companies needing
those skills. I am sure that after 24 years in the electrical industry you
have developed many skills -- some that you enjoy using and some that you
did because it was part of the job. Decide what those skills are that you
enjoyed using and then stretch those skills outside the electrical industry
so that you can market them effective to employers.
If you are not sure what you want to do, check with the Career Center at a
community college or four year university near you. Most Career Centers
administer an interest assessment called the Strong Interest Inventory. An
inventory like this can help you define your broad areas of interest and
then give you specific information about the jobs in those interest areas.
Once you have an idea of where you want to go, the Career Center can also
help you write a resume to market your skills for the type of employment
you are interested in. Check with Career Centers in your area. There
could be a small fee attached to some of these services.
-- Linda Wyatt, Career Center, Kansas City Kansas Community College
