Help my wife consider her career change options.

February 20, 2007 11:54 AM

Help my wife consider her career change options. As always there's

For the last three years my wife has been a teacher at a public school in Texas. In May we are moving to Los Angeles. She wants to at least consider a change of profession, but has no idea where to start.

She's a college grad (with honors), with impeccable references and work history. She's great with computers. Good with people. Very hard working. Her only professional work experience is in teaching.

The other issue is that she needs a job that pays $40,000 a year right away (in LA money). Is this possible?

Where specifically should she start looking (what sites, publications, etc.)? In what industries and fields? The more specific the advice the better.

Thanks in advance.

posted by JPowers to Work & Money (9 answers total)

You've left out the most important thing: What does she want to do? What fields or professions or hobbies or whatever interest her? What doesn't she like about what she's doing now? What does she love about what she's doing now?
posted by mendel at 12:12 PM on February 20, 2007

Hmm. LA = movie stars = rich people who don't have time to raise their own children = nanny jobs for lots of $$...?
posted by orangemiles at 12:12 PM on February 20, 2007

(If that's a step after "where to start", can't go wrong with Parachute to help come up with aptitudes and interests.)
posted by mendel at 12:14 PM on February 20, 2007

For education people looking for something different I always recommend museum work. Its a lot of fun and most of it relies heavily on educational theory. The intergration of technology and learning in museums is a hot issue right now and she might be able to snag a pretty lucrative job.
posted by stormygrey at 12:44 PM on February 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: You've left out the most important thing: What does she want to do? What fields or professions or hobbies or whatever interest her? What doesn't she like about what she's doing now? What does she love about what she's doing now?

Good point. Her passion is technology. Dealing with and teaching it. She's a software and web design nut, but has no formal training in these arenas (thus she's not quite ready to work in web design or coding or anything that advanced). What she would ideally want is the chance to work in an environment that needs an advanced technology consultant (though not an expert) to act as a liason. To operate the software and teach it to everyone else at the firm. She's also an incredibly fast learner.
posted by JPowers at 1:11 PM on February 20, 2007

Although almost any career planner will tell your wife to go after what interests her, I personally find it rewarding to discover the highest paying jobs that will suit my interests and skills. (I'm not a big believer in do what you love, since this led me to major in English with the intent of being an editor. I have since determined that doing something I *like* that allows me to finance the life I *love* is far more appealing for me.)

So, perhaps your wife would be interested in:
- technical writing/documentation
- technical training
- computer-based training development
- user interface design
- sales
- marketing
- project management
- human performance improvement

Entry-level jobs in these areas pay around $35k-$40k where I live. Your wife might need to pick up some courses or else settle for a little less money at the outset. She could also consider picking up a teaching job and doing consulting work on the side to build up her portfolio.
posted by acoutu at 1:20 PM on February 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Does she enjoy writing? I know of a position she'd probably be excellent for. Email me (email's in my profile.)
posted by fermion at 1:24 PM on February 20, 2007

Teachers are often recruited or end up in publishing as field sales reps - most notably children's field reps. It's usually base + commission, and base is generally what you're asking. If that interests her, there's no harm in her looking at the publishing house job boards. I know tons of people in publishing who were once teachers.
posted by eatdonuts at 2:51 PM on February 20, 2007

stormygrey: could you elaborate on what sorts of positions exist at museums for people in education?
posted by wheat at 8:30 PM on February 21, 2007