By MEHUL SRIVASTAVA
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Chon Kenney's career is taking off. Literally.
After more than a decade behind the wheel as a U.S. Postal Service worker and a long-haul trucker, he's getting himself a commercial pilot's license.
"There is nothing like the freedom and challenge of flying," said Kenney, 37. "No two days are identical."
For the last 18 months, Kenney has been learning to fly at Sky Walk Inc., a pilot training school in Sacramento, Calif. Although his love affair with flying began after getting a training flight as a birthday gift, his decision to go professional was carefully considered.
Kenney is one of a growing number of Americans who are switching careers, opting to give up the security of their current position for something different.
According to career experts, the changes are fueled by low unemployment and modest job growth, by rising insecurities about long-range pension prospects, by an entrepreneurial desire to be your own boss, as well as boredom or dissatisfaction that can occur after years in a given field.
For many state government employees, the ability to take retirement in their mid-50s leaves plenty of years to launch a second career.
Since the 1990s, the average time that Americans spend at one job has been decreasing to about four years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compares with about eight years in the mid-1970s. Before heading into retirement, the average American will change jobs at least seven times.
Among those seeking a new direction is Debbie Korleski. Not yet 50 years old, she's looking for a third career. At 41, she quit her job in Philadelphia doing risk management for a local hospital, sold her house and moved to California without a job.
Tired from the stress of being in the middle of patient and physician issues, Korleski "finally had enough." After arriving in Sacramento, Korleski said she "took a hobby and turned it into a job," becoming a personal chef.
For the past eight years, it's been a hugely satisfying career, primarily because as a chef cooking for individuals and small parties she shares in her clients' celebrations of birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. But now, she's itching to try something new. Although at an age when many are contemplating retirement, Korleski is fired up about starting over. "I get younger every day," she said.
Loss of income is something that's important to keep in mind during a career change, said Stefanie Hopper, president of the Hopper Group, a Sacramento career counseling company.
Most career counselors recommend that prospective career-switchers consider all aspects of jumping jobs: education requirements, job opportunities, benefits and promotions, and income potential.
A smaller paycheck has been on Kenney's mind ever since he decided he would give up trucking for flying. He's already invested almost $40,000 in tuition, aircraft rental and other expenses toward his new career. He doesn't expect to see an immediate payoff.
"I will probably make half as much as I do right now when I first become a pilot," said Kenney, who earns just under $50,000 annually as a trucker.
But as his experience level grows, Kenney figures he'll start earning more. Pilots who start off at regional airlines make less than $30,000 a year, but if promoted to national or international routes, salaries can exceed $100,000, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Sometimes changing careers takes a huge dose of patience. Just ask Angela Ridgway. Two years ago, the 41-year-old information technology employee quit her job at Hewlett-Packard after its merger with Compaq.
"There were many good things I liked about my job," she said. "But over time, the things I didn't like outweighed the good stuff."
Since then, she's been slowly building her own business _ developing clients, volunteering her services _ as an organizational development consultant specializing in mediation.
It's meant dipping into her savings, while her husband works full time to support her decision.
"I call it a luxury to be able to do this," Ridgway said. "Not everybody can just quit their job and take two years to try and figure out what they want to do."
