Haven't worked for "the man" yet? No matter how far along you are in your career, you may be able to change course to boost your income.
In 1999, after five years as a college-football coach in Chicago, Jerry Bowden took up a career in public relations, seeking an increase in pay and job security. "I found it difficult to reach the top financially," he says of coaching. "It's a small and competitive market. There aren't a lot of jobs, and, if your team has a bad season, you could be canned."
Now a vice president at a large public-relations agency, Mr. Bowden earns about $125,000 a year -- more than triple his previous annual income, and has more options should he decide to change employers, he says.
If you're eyeing a switch to a high-paying career, prepare for a challenge, says Lauren Herring, president of careerMogul.com, an online career-coaching firm. You'll need to persuade employers you're as committed and qualified as applicants with more relevant work experience, she explains.
Here are five ways to position yourself for a corporate job when you're making the switch at midcareer:
1. Prepare to take a step back.
To achieve your financial goals, you may have to start lower down on the ladder and work your way up, says Ms. Herring. The good news is you'll likely rise more quickly than your younger counterparts because you have more life experience, she adds.
When Mr. Bowden set out to change careers, he had a bachelor's and master's degree in communications and sports psychology, respectively, from Ithaca College. His only experience in public relations was a college internship, so he pursued an entry-level job as an account executive at a small PR firm. In landing the job, Mr. Bowden, who is 34, married and a father of two, says his annual earnings fell to about $25,000 from around $40,000. A year later, he joined a national firm, and although his salary improved, he took another step backward by accepting an assistant account-executive job. But within four years, Mr. Bowden rose to his current rank of vice president, he says.
Mr. Bowden says accepting a low-level job was tough on his wallet and his ego, noting that his co-workers were several years younger. He says his wife provided emotional and financial support that helped him cope. "If it weren't for her, it would have been a lot more difficult," he says.
2. Show how your skills are a good fit.
"At first, an employer might not see a job's relevance to you," says Alexandra Levit, founder and president of Inspiration @Work, a corporate and university training business in Chicago. You have to prove that your skills are applicable to the business world, she explains.
After graduating high school, Scott McNamara played guitar in rock groups for five years before earning a computer-science degree. When he began interviewing for software-engineering jobs at age 29, he says, he drew a connection for recruiters between his work as a musician and the business world. Since most corporate positions required teamwork, he says, he discussed how he collaborated with band members on writing songs. "Being in a band requires more than just individual efforts to succeed, and the same is true in business," he says.
Mr. McNamara, now 40, landed an entry-level software-engineering position at a New Jersey consulting company that paid an annual salary in the mid-$30,000s. He says he's since advanced into a management role at an online retailer, and earns a salary above the average for software engineers, which is $74,235, according to 2006 survey from EE Times, a trade magazine
In 1999, after five years as a college-football coach in Chicago, Jerry Bowden took up a career in public relations, seeking an increase in pay and job security. "I found it difficult to reach the top financially," he says of coaching. "It's a small and competitive market. There aren't a lot of jobs, and, if your team has a bad season, you could be canned."
Now a vice president at a large public-relations agency, Mr. Bowden earns about $125,000 a year -- more than triple his previous annual income, and has more options should he decide to change employers, he says.
If you're eyeing a switch to a high-paying career, prepare for a challenge, says Lauren Herring, president of careerMogul.com, an online career-coaching firm. You'll need to persuade employers you're as committed and qualified as applicants with more relevant work experience, she explains.
Here are five ways to position yourself for a corporate job when you're making the switch at midcareer:
1. Prepare to take a step back.
To achieve your financial goals, you may have to start lower down on the ladder and work your way up, says Ms. Herring. The good news is you'll likely rise more quickly than your younger counterparts because you have more life experience, she adds.
When Mr. Bowden set out to change careers, he had a bachelor's and master's degree in communications and sports psychology, respectively, from Ithaca College. His only experience in public relations was a college internship, so he pursued an entry-level job as an account executive at a small PR firm. In landing the job, Mr. Bowden, who is 34, married and a father of two, says his annual earnings fell to about $25,000 from around $40,000. A year later, he joined a national firm, and although his salary improved, he took another step backward by accepting an assistant account-executive job. But within four years, Mr. Bowden rose to his current rank of vice president, he says.
Mr. Bowden says accepting a low-level job was tough on his wallet and his ego, noting that his co-workers were several years younger. He says his wife provided emotional and financial support that helped him cope. "If it weren't for her, it would have been a lot more difficult," he says.
2. Show how your skills are a good fit.
"At first, an employer might not see a job's relevance to you," says Alexandra Levit, founder and president of Inspiration @Work, a corporate and university training business in Chicago. You have to prove that your skills are applicable to the business world, she explains.
After graduating high school, Scott McNamara played guitar in rock groups for five years before earning a computer-science degree. When he began interviewing for software-engineering jobs at age 29, he says, he drew a connection for recruiters between his work as a musician and the business world. Since most corporate positions required teamwork, he says, he discussed how he collaborated with band members on writing songs. "Being in a band requires more than just individual efforts to succeed, and the same is true in business," he says.
Mr. McNamara, now 40, landed an entry-level software-engineering position at a New Jersey consulting company that paid an annual salary in the mid-$30,000s. He says he's since advanced into a management role at an online retailer, and earns a salary above the average for software engineers, which is $74,235, according to 2006 survey from EE Times, a trade magazine