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The Career Doctor™

by Dr. Jacqueline Hornor Plumez

Looking for a first job? Thinking of changing careers? Facing a lay-off? The Career Doctor™ is a Larchmont psychologist specializing in career counseling. If you'd like to ask a question of your own, use the anonymous form, and she might answer you here. Read more about the Career Doctor here. Contact information is here.

CAN A "HABITUAL CAREER CHANGER" FIND HAPPINESS?

Dear Career Doctor:

I am 30 and have been a habitual school program/career changer for 12 years. I attended five schools as an undergrad with innumerable majors before I graduated with a degree in "humanities." I chose that only because I still didn't know what I wanted to do at graduation.

I have started several graduate programs and finished none of them: accounting, landscape architecture, guidance counseling and cooking. I have had just as many jobs/careers since then. I have even managed to secure some very monetarily rewarding and stimulating jobs but I have disliked everything.

I was a Korean linguist in the Army and I LOVED the training but I hated the Army part. I would love to be a translator but it's not possible. I would have to move back to Korea, improve my skills, and then go to grad school for translation. Nothing like that is offered where I live and I can't move to another American city.

I know it sounds like I really need mental help but I just refuse to settle. I was unhappy in every relationship until I found the right person--now I really just need to find that perfect professional match.

Shannon B.

Dear Shannon:

When I work with a career changer -- or anyone, for that matter -- I always listen for what they say they "love." This is always vocationally significant.

You sound singularly enthusiastic about language study, so keep exploring how you can use your Korean or learn another language. After all, anyone who can learn an extremely difficult language like Korean has extraordinary linguistic skills. Here are some ideas:

1. Contact the Commerce Department in Washington, DC or your state Commerce Department to find out what companies are selling their products in Korea. They may be able to use your skills.

2. Consider becoming an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. While you don't have to learn a second language to be one, your comfort with foreign language and culture will be helpful.

3. Contact your local High School Principal and find out what languages are taught there. Ask if he/she is having trouble recruiting teachers for a particular language. (I hear this is true for Chinese in many places.) If that language interests you, consider learning it with the goal of teaching.

The Career Doctor

Dear John/Chad (with the medical degree from the Phillipines):
While I am not writing any answers to doctor questions for the next few months, explore becoming a science or biology teacher. Schools can't get enough good ones.

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The Career Doctor™