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Unemployment opportunity The return to college is usually triggered by changes in life circumstances, especially in the work arena. Dissatisfaction with a job, disillusionment with the field, and promotion – or lack of one – are the more benign motivators. Layoffs are the more traumatic ones, especially because they are not in our control. When a layoff shatters a career into tiny pieces, the first instinct is to put them back into the same shape by launching a search for a similar job. If that doesn't produce results, the next move is to seek an alternative job. Some people take time out, and this may just be the best strategy. Unemployment offers you an opportunity – the chance to rethink your career. Did you choose your field, or did it choose you? Have you planned your career path or are you following whatever road looks clear? If you answered yes to the first part of these questions, you need to put your career back on track. If no, you should consider heading it in a new direction. Few people think about returning to college when they lose a job. Yet this is the best time to think about school. Education can help you reassemble the scattered pieces into a new shape. Schools are responding to the rise in mid-career shifts with an array of innovative adult programs, including certifications, credit and non-credit professional development programs, and accelerated undergraduate and graduate programs. The immediate benefit is obvious: new skills open doors to new jobs. But there are other excellent reasons to go back to college at this point. You will meet people, both teachers and fellow students, who may be instrumental in reshaping your future. Success in school will boost your self-esteem at a time when it's most needed. Returning to college also turns the tables on a negative situation, putting you back in charge of your career. If you're worried about money (and who isn't?), look at further education as an investment. You'll get a better return than from leaving the money in a bank or CD, and it's a lot less risky than the stock market! If you're thinking about exploring your options, here are a few sites to help research new fields: * University of Wisconsin Career Services * University of Delaware Career Services Center * University of North Carolina at Wilmington 5/8/02 TOP |
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