Going Back to School for a New Career

It's back to school time for the kids, but how about you?  Have you thought about changing careers but hesitated because it means going back to school?  The thought of going back to school with all those twenty-somethings might give you pause.  Or you may wonder how you could possibly handle school and your responsibilities at home.  But it is possible.  Hear the inspirational stories of two moms who decided to go back to school as adults.  There were challenges but, ultimately, tremendous rewards.

Debbie Krasnow used to be the vice president at a public relations firm in Boston.  She stopped working after her third child and spent the next 15 years as a stay-at-home mom.  But her volunteer work inspired her to go back to school for a masters in social work.  She was 47-years-old, and her children were 12, 15, and 17.

"It's a great time to go back to school," says Krasnow, "because you're more mature and there not because you need to be or are expected to be.  It was fantastic for me."

Now she's in a job working with women on welfare -- a position she finds demanding but rewarding.

Suzanne Offit spent 15 years raising her three children while handling demanding volunteer responsibilities.  She decided to relaunch by becoming a rabbi, an undertaking that required six years of intensive study.  And yet she still wore the hats of mother and wife.  Today she is the rabbi at Hebrew Senior Life, an elder care provider in the greater Boston area.

"If you find great joy at the same time you are filling a need, that's the place to be," says Offit.  "That's where I'm at.  It's hard work, but I'm flying."