There's nothing more inspiring than hearing how, against all odds--not to mention being over 45--someone has changed their life by changing careers so they didn't look back and regret what they could have done. You may remember a few career changers I've told you about before. Some were just starting or completing education, opening a business or leaving well-paid jobs with benefits. Here's where they stand today and their advice to you.

Mike Lazaroff of Pennsylvania wrote me nearly a year ago to say he would soon be graduating from law school at age 50 (he attended class while working full-time) and taking the bar exam. In July, 2006 he passed the exam and this week opened his new law office: Michael S. Lazaroff, Attorney and Counselor at Law, a general practice law firm.

"Of course I am excited, but also a bit nervous knowing that I'm giving up a secure job with benefits for the unknowns of striking out on my own," he says. "But others have done it before me and you have to take some risk to receive the rewards. I'm ready to press on in pursuit of the American Dream and enjoy the working years I have left!"

Paula Guild was 50, just separated from her husband of 28 years, and working in a frame shop and restaurant to support herself while trying to find time for what she wanted to do--paint. "I didn't believe that doing what I loved--which is so enjoyable and simple for me--could bring in money on a regular basis. I was terrified of rejection."

But she began painting full time and when she told her boss at the restaurant, her boss said, "You will need a raise."

She has sold over 50 paintings since and participates in art shows and travels to Europe once a year for inspiration. She still worries from time to time that "it won't last because I was raised to believe any moment the next shoe will drop," but, "now I believe thoughts become things, so I really try very hard to edit my thoughts." When it comes to career change, she advises, "Listen to yourself, not others" and don't let your fear stop you.

Another Ohioan, Joe Barker, began his quest for a career that "felt like me" over two years ago. Not knowing exactly where he was headed, he explored with this objective in mind: "To assess and advise self-motivated people to improve their health and well-being, utilizing my knowledge and interest in diet, nutrition and exercise."

Today as he completes his degree in nutrition, he runs Joseph Barker Personal Chef and Wellness Services in which he is a personal chef "focused on improving personal wellness through better dietary habits." Clients include a woman with a specific diet, a man who wants food that supports his athletic interests and a woman who can't be on her feet after surgery.

"I am highly motivated by the possibility of improving the lives of the people I work for," he says. The biggest thing that has come out of his quest to discover his new career was "getting more in touch with my spiritual life. It took the process of tearing down and rebuilding the career part of myself to bring that spiritual connection to light in a way that was meaningful for me."

Since the day I met Joe Barker, he has been devoted to learning about himself and finding meaning in his life. And in doing so, he figured out a way to turn what is most meaningful to him into a living.

© by Andrea Kay