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small independent design firm called Holt Interiors. Though the career shift was a little scary, Kaufman says, “It’s worth it. Life is really beautiful when you see it through an unclouded vision of how you wish to live.” For Karen Carr, finding a program that fit with her lifestyle enabled her to complete the degree she had started after high school. “I went to Oglethorpe because they had an evening program,” she says. She entered with lots of transfer credit and completed a bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in art in two years while working full time. While Carr is still searching for the right job in her new profession, she already has a sense of accomplishment for completing what she started. “I know having that degree is going to be helpful,” she says. “No one can take your education away from you.” Addtionally, people should try to avoid accruing heavy debt. “Have a solid plan on how you are going to pay for it or pay it back.” When she was laid off from her job, Tammie Gruhn benefited from the Workforce Investment Act by receiving funds to earn training in a different field. Entering KSU’s paralegal program at 44, Gruhn attended full time and doubled up on classes to finish in one year instead of two. While in school, she made a point of networking and interning continuously, which she credits with her success at finding a position when she graduated. For someone considering a career change, she recommends the same type of dedication. “I would find somebody that does the job you think you want to go to school for and do an internship or shadow that person. You really need to know what the job is and what it’s like.” While it was the economy that pushed Gruhn into her current field, working in family law has given her a sense of purpose. “I like to think that with my job, I can make a difference in somebody’s life. I was just a grandmother who decided to go to school in her 40s,” she says. Today she is a senior paralegal at The Gunn Firm and president of the Cobb Legal Professional Association.
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Average Job Wages: How do they stack up? • • • •
Chef/head cook: $42,480 Graphic designer: $44,150 Paralegal: $46,990 Computer programmer: $74,280
Courtesy of the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report on occupational employment and wages, May 2012
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Editorial Resources Barbara C. Calhoun, Kennesaw State University College of Continuing and Professional Education – www.ccpe.kennesaw.edu Belhaven University – atlanta.belhaven.edu David Dixon, Oglethorpe University – adults.oglethorpe.edu Jerry Heilpern, Art Institute of Atlanta – www.artinstitutes.edu Life University – www.life.edu
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