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Make the Most of Your Unemployment
By Nina Silberstein, ClassesUSA
No one likes being out of work. But if you find yourself in this situation
-- whether due to a layoff, a circumstances beyond
your control or simply a lack of opportunities
that compels you to resign and move on -- a short-term
education program can give you the edge you need
to get hired, promoted, or earn a better salary
and job security the next time around.
According to the Labor Department's Occupational
Outlook Quarterly, in 2006, unemployed sales reps,
for example, sought work for about eight weeks
while administrative assistants were looking at
about nine weeks in the ranks of the unemployed.
In many cases, this is plenty of time to complete
a certificate program in order to update your
résumé with a new credential.
“There’s more [to additional schooling]
than just the intellectual value of getting an
education,” says John Younger, president,
CEO and founder of Accolo Inc., a professional
recruiting and outsourcing company located in
Larkspur, Calif. “It sends out a signal
that a person is invested in his or her growth.”
For those finding themselves in the unemployment
line, such self-development and self-evolution
can work wonders both personally and in how the
professional world perceives them. “It’s
a predictor that this is someone who will continue
to develop emotionally and intellectually in an
area of expertise,” Younger says. In short,
someone employers would want to have on their
team.
Employability case study: Paralegal certificate
For Deanie Heller, an emergency room and cardiac
physician assistant for the past 20 years, it
was time for a change. “Twenty years is
a long time at a career and, no matter how exciting,
every job becomes routine after awhile,”
she says. Eager for mental and academic stimulation,
and the opportunity to use her experience and
knowledge in a completely different environment,
Heller resigned to pursue a formal education.
She chose the paralegal field because she says
the hours would be much more manageable than those
in health care, the potential for a good salary
was there, and she could still work with people.
Since Heller couldn’t afford to be out
of work for too long, however, she opted for a
full-time, four-month paralegal certificate program,
rather than the yearlong part-time program that
was also offered. She’s confident her studies
will propel her into a new career quickly and
doesn’t anticipate difficulty finding employment.
According to Meryl Friedman, a member of the
faculty at Villanova University’s American
Bar Association-approved post-baccalaureate paralegal-education
program, completion of the paralegal certificate
is often what bolsters a graduate's chance of
breaking into this booming career path regardless
of prior job experience in other sectors. In fact,
she says, within the last couple of years, the
school has seen graduates from a variety of disciplines,
including a former emergency-room nurse (burned
out), an experienced Philadelphia Inquirer reporter
(paper sold and ranks purged), a federal employee
(looking for a supervisory job in his agency)
and a biochemist (retired after 20 years with
DuPont).
Motivated to learn
When Aaron Bolshaw’s employer, Omaha Creative
Group (Omaha Steaks’ in-house advertising
agency), downsized and restructured in January
2007, he was let go. He viewed the time off as
an opportunity to load up on classes and finish
his master's degree in business administration
while staying in Nebraska and supporting himself
for the first few months on the cushion his severance
pay provided. “Depending on how fast you
go, you can take a couple of classes, go through
the summer and get [the degree] in one and a half
to two years,” he says.
But finding that next job took only three months.
Although he’s still plugging away at that
M.B.A., Bolshaw is now employed in a marketing
position at Mutual of Omaha, a Nebraska-based
insurance, financial and investment firm. He has
four classes left and plans to graduate next year.
He attributes working towards the M.B.A. with
making a good first impression on the hiring manager.
“My commitment to finish the program was
also a strong point,” Bolshaw says. “I
was bringing more value to their organization
and they realized that.” Heading back to
school has meant a step up in ranks and pay for
Bolshaw.
Like most people who are laid off, Bolshaw expected
the worst, which for him was the prospect of being
out of work for at least a year. “When I
was facing that, I thought, why not hedge my bet?
Why not get the M.B.A. in my back pocket?"
he says. "I think it’s still a key
to many doors in the future.”
Mending a broken career
Lamont Lewis started working for United Parcel
Service part time while attending the University
of New Orleans, but after some time, he left school
to work full time. “The pay was good and
the benefits were excellent, yet the work was
hard. After about 10 years, I realized that there
weren’t any long-term [opportunities] with
UPS for me,” he says.
The self-taught computer buff decided to take
his computer interest to the next level by pursuing
computer studies at Tulane University. A few classes
into the program, however, he sustained a back
injury requiring surgery and recuperation that
put him out of work for nearly 18 months.
"In some ways, this time off from work
was helpful by allowing me free time to further
my training and schooling," Lamont says,
that is, once he was physically capable of continuing
with school.
Lewis completed his associate of science degree
in computer information systems in August 2004,
and continued toward completing a bachelor's degree,
when he was hired as a computer systems administrator
for the Office of the Federal Public Defender
in the eastern district of Louisiana.
A measurable difference
Paul Forbes, the program director of Tulane University’s
continuing studies division, says most students
enrolled in programs like his are working adults
with some college education, who are returning
to finish a degree. They often take additional
coursework in a special area to advance their
careers or to shift and retool to a different
industry after losing their jobs. "We've
found, for our students, that this is an opportunity
to reassess career goals, get on track and find
a new position," Forbes says. "Many
[job seekers] have turned a termination into a
positive experience."
A forced departure from a job often opens paths
to new, more satisfying and better-paying careers
that wouldn't have been considered under other
circumstances, Younger adds. "Different skill
sets make you more marketable. Realize that [unemployment]
can work to your advantage."
Forbes thinks that the additional education
is like a union card for entrance into a number
of industries, thus making it easier to advance
within. Heller agrees: “Work history is
a strong plus in the job market, but formal training
in advance saves the potential employer the task.”
And for these professionals who put a positive
spin on a potentially tough situation, being unemployed
turned out to be the best thing that happened
to their careers.
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