Career Counseling for Changing Industries? (Long-ish)

I have been a SAHM since I had my daughter 16m ago. Although I absolutely adore being home and I never believed it would happen - it wasn't my choice as I was let go from my previous job when I had delivery complications that led to me be unable to return to work after maternity leave (no FMLA since it was a company under 50 employees).

Anyway unfortunately we are in desperate financial need for me to go back to work. That being said, the idea of doing the same type of job that I did previously makes me shudder. I really have no interest in going back to work for a retail company. I was previously in the flower industry and I would go back to that industry as a designer but the positions that would best utilize my skill set don't make sense from a financial perspective with having to put DD in daycare.

I know this is far from a good time to be choosy. After what I went through with my DD I would really like to enter the healthcare industry. I considered going back to school for ultrasound tech or nursing but I do not have enough of the science pre-reqs (I have a bachelors in business) so I would have to do that first. It will literally take years to actually get into this industry.

I was wondering if anyone knows of any career counselors or anyone I can speak to either about getting placement in some type of healthcare setting with my current skills/experience, or at least help me have a plan in place to go back to school and get a job in my background in the mean time. Is there anyone at all I can talk to about this on a professional level? I just really don't know what to do because I feel the calling to healthcare very strongly, but I don't have the luxury of being able to go back to school right away. I graduated from Hofstra, do you think I could use the career center there? Would anyone be qualified to have this conversation with me? TIA!

Career Counseling for Changing Industries? (Long-ish)

It's funny, I was looking into this myself (I'm in education and have been subbing for 5 years). I graduated from Hofstra as well and if you have an Alumni Card you can get career counseling there. I was going to call on Monday to see how to obtain one.

Good luck!

Re: Career Counseling for Changing Industries? (Long-ish)

Not off the top of my head, but do you have any experience within the health care industry?

Reason I ask, is because I am a social worker in the health care industry and it is VERY flooded right now. Ppl don't even respond to me when I send out resumes, and I've been working in the industry since the late 90's.

Throw in the fact that clients are so much more complex these days, resources are significantly limited, and supervisors really do not have the time to supervise/train people new to the industry........a lot of newer people (as well as those working in it for awhile) are not happy for these reasons.

While you may be able to get your foot in the door somewhere, it would potentially be very entry level in my opinion. Certainly not enough to afford day care.

I know that we can't afford day care here on LI, in a dual income household.

I don't want to sound super negative, but the health care industry is no longer how it once was, where anyone can find a job.

Only suggestion I can make and I have no experience in it myself, is to look into something like Empire State College. One of my co-workers has told me that he knows a few ppl who went this route and they were able to apply their current experience to certain other fields.

Sorry if I don't sound more helpful.

Message edited 9/16/2012 7:28:54 PM.