Dear Career Doctor:

I am a retired investment banker (42years old), mother of a 9 and an 11 year old, MBA in finance, and BA in religion. I am having a very hard time
finding flexible, meaningful employment in the Larchmont area - any ideas?

Mabel

Dear Mabel:

Many people come into career counseling asking as you are, "What kind of jobs are available?" or "What can I do?" But the question that I always feel needs to be answered first is, "What would you like to do?"

Once I help clients define what they want to do (and in your case, what would be "meaningful") the job search becomes much easier.

Their resumes can be tailored to support their career goal. They can begin to develop convincing arguements about how and why an employer should let them work a flexible schedule.

A person like you, who has degrees in such diverse fields as religion and finance, has complex interests. One obvious choice to combine your fields might be to handle the finances of a religious institution. But the answer to the "What would you like to do?" might be far from this obvious.

At this stage of your life, I would suggest that you have a few sessions with a career counselor to figure this out. Last week I told Mary how to find a reputable career counselor. This week I am suggesting that you make sure your counselor gives you a test called the Strong Interest Inventory. It compares your interests to those of people in over 120 different fields. The Strong can give you and your counselor the feedback you need to pick a flexible, meaningful career.