"The Next Best Thing"

Karen's Story

© 2005 Marilyn Havner Walker, MS

Karen has made so many right turns on red at this stage of her life that they’re no big deal to her anymore.  As a matter of fact, she’s “always trying to figure out ‘what’s that next best thing out there?’”  And this is from a woman who describes herself as having been “married to [a] career, [an] education, [a] company.”

That first marriage, of sorts, started when she graduated from high school in 1974.  She thought she could do it all.  “I can do everything.  I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan, have three kids” all at the same time. 

For close to 20 years she did just that. 

Out of high school Karen entered Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) where she studied for two years before transferring to Penn State University (PSU), ultimately earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.  Fresh out of PSU Karen started working for Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL).  “It was difficult” working in a male-dominated field and it became more difficult as she got married and started having children, three total.  During her time at PPL she also completed a Professional Engineering License. 

When the electric utilities were being de-regulated there were changes at PPL.  They restructured and laid people off.  Karen was not among them.  To help those left deal with the changes PPL provided training that included how personality styles interact on a team and behavior assessments.  Karen had a lot of opportunity to really explore who she was and she expressed amazement that she never did it earlier.  The resulting increase in self-awareness made Karen recognize that for years she had been running on “auto pilot” and she realized she didn’t like what she was doing.  She thought, “What the heck am I doing in engineering?”  She finally grasped that she was “in the wrong field.”  She was also starting to realize that she needed more time with her growing family (three boys now ages 23, 21 and 15) as well as more time for herself.  She wanted to work part-time but what she got instead were more responsibilities, more travel, more time away from home. 

Karen said she is “very proud of the education that I got.  I loved the competitive environment of school.  But when it came to applying it, it was different.”  She stayed with it because she believed “it would all come together.  I felt so married to this career, this education, this company.”

In hindsight Karen discovered that civil engineering provided her with a connection with her father who was a construction equipment mechanic.  Choosing a construction minor in college enabled her to “talk shop” with her dad.  When he talked about how much cubic feet of earth was moved by a piece of equipment she knew exactly what he was talking about.  For some reason she had grown up believing that she was expected to be an engineer, have a career and be a mom, and continue to climb up the corporate ladder.  Then as she started her climb she assumed it was her husband’s expectation as well.  It wasn’t.  Her husband was totally supportive of her “downwardly mobile” desire to leave a lucrative career for one with more likelihood of satisfaction.  That was when she realized, “I actually had a choice.”

Armed with the results of her personality and behavior assessments Karen spoke with a career counselor who did more exploration with Karen.  She started thinking about what she would do next and she began an “escape route” – an exit plan.  She determined that what she really wanted to do was work with people in an area like human resources or education.  She also believed that she lacked credibility for making such a huge shift from engineering.  The only way she thought she would be taken seriously was if she had some training to back her up.  In 1996 she entered began a Master of Human Resource Development program at Villanova University, finishing in 1999. 

By the time she finished her tenure at PPL Karen was experiencing physical symptoms of the stress of being in a job that was a poor fit: She was breaking out in hives.  She believes that “things happen for a reason.”  Why did it take her all that pain to make a change?  “That’s what makes people move.”  The whole physical response to her job dissatisfaction was “mind blowing.  It’s amazing how much energy it takes to do something you don’t like” and how much energy you have when you’re doing something you do like.

In 1998 Karen left PPL for something comfortable: a small family-owned electrical / mechanical contracting company that needed human resource help as well as energy consulting.  Although she left PPL she did not leave the big corporate approach behind.  Her new employer was a good company but not a good fit.  She hadn’t made the transition from a large corporation to a family-owned business and she didn’t know how to work in that environment.

She made another career change and began to work part-time at a Harrisburg company.  “That was a great job” but it was a small business and she didn’t meet their growth expectations.  She was laid off.  “I was really out.  Someone told me to leave.”

Not surprisingly that didn’t keep Karen down for long.  She started networking, making personal connections.  When a part-time position opened in 2001 in the Workforce Development office at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) she jumped at the chance.  She was given the position of Coordinator, Business and Workforce Training in 2001.  The enthusiasm Karen has for her work is apparent in her voice, the excited expression on her face, the sparkle in her eyes.  But “what I really love is teaching.  I love interacting with the students.  I admire a lot of the women I’m meeting as students.  They’re aware of their options.” 

What advice would Karen give to a woman considering a career change or trying to figure out a good career fit?

• Talk to a career counselor.  “[My career counselor] was a God send.”  She helped Karen identify exactly what Karen was good at and what she enjoyed doing as well as what was important to her – values that underlie everything she does.  The career counselor also helped Karen explore her options and look at what careers would be a good fit based on her abilities, interests and values.  HACC offers such assessments and advisors to add some interpretation, as do most (if not all) colleges and career planning services.  Although it’s usually wise to discuss important decisions with family members and friends they often lack the objectivity to offer sound advice.  Career counselors are trained to know what is relevant and how to interpret information objectively and comprehensively.  Family and friends are needed for support during the process but may not be the best source for objective information.

• Utilize your past experiences.  People that hired Karen after her departure from PPL were all very supportive to help her get to the next step.  Although they didn’t all work out, every one of them helped in the process of narrowing down her options to find the best fit.  Karen also utilized contacts she had with other sources including work, school, and her community.  Those who are looking for a career change might start with the question “What people do I know?” from the different arenas of life.  The best jobs are not the ones that are advertised.  Most people would say that their best jobs came from networking – talking with somebody who knew somebody who was able to connect them with information about what became their ideal career. 

• It’s okay to “start lower” and to take your time.  Taking a cut in pay is a negligible trade off for doing something you love.  People in the right position have enthusiasm about what they’re doing and they get energized by doing it.  While that doesn’t mean they love every aspect of their job it does mean that there is much less eye rolling and heavy sighing at those responsibilities.  Karen says she could have “taken more time.”  Working full-time while going to graduate school and being mother to three boys was exhausting.  Although she did what she thought she should be doing she realizes in hindsight that wasn’t true.

The only thing Karen regrets about her career change is not making the decision sooner.  She isn’t really sure where she derived the expectation that she had to do it all and have it all.  Whether it was an internal drive to succeed or an unconscious way to connect with her dad the result was the same.  And although she accomplished her goal she did it at expense to her health, happiness, and time with her family. 

Karen has never been happier or more content. 

And that’s when you know you’ve made the Right Turn on Red. 

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This article appeared in www.BusinessWomanPA.com