Your Next Career

If you were to change careers, what would you do? I think about this quite a bit and here's why: More and more people are working well into their 60s and 70s. We could, if we slogged away from college graduation until retirement at 70, be a cog in the machine better known as the "working world" for a good 45 to 50 years. Fifty Years! 

Did you think you'd work in one career for nearly 50 years? Egads. I studied communications in college and have had a great career in public relations and marketing for nearly 20 years now (though to be fair, I spent some years working as a freelance writer, went back to school for a bit, and waited tables here and there). 

But still, if I have another 20-plus years to work, do I want to keep on this career path? Maybe not. Change is good. Learning new skills is good. Challenging oneself and mixing things up is even better. 

So, here are some things I might want to do were I to do something different:

1. Fulfill a lifelong dream and host a television show (now you see why I have Six Minute Style). Oprah Winfrey is launching her new network and looking for content - anyone have a contact for me?!

2. Be a bike tour guide in a foreign country. I love to bike. I love to travel. I love the idea of a non-desk job that involves physical activity. 

3. Become an auto mechanic. I'd study new and emerging technologies -  hybrids, fuel cells, Flintstones - and be positioned to be on the forefront of the coming shift. My husband thinks I'm kidding whenever I tell him I want to do this, but I'm not. I'm actually quite intrigued. BTW - I just learned that my friend, Bruce, was once an auto mechanic. He's now my hero. Tell me you're a doctor, a lawyer, a pharmaceutical rep and I'll nod politely (while thinking, "man, I wish had your benefits"). Tell me you're a former mechanic now computer programmer and videographer and you've got my full attention.

4. Work with young girls -  here and in third-world countries - to ensure their access to education and healthcare. This one is gaining some serious traction on my "next career" list. Check out this video for more on the importance of education in a girl's life. 

So ... what's on your "Next Career" list?