DETOURING INTO DREAM JOBS Women under 30 making radical career changes
by Margaret Littman, Special to the Tribune Length: 984 words

Having no strings helped Melissa Dodd leave her six-figure marketing job at Procter & Gamble in New York to test her talents in a less financially secure profession.

"I was driving a lot for this marketing job and I'd be listening to Garrison Keillor and I realized that really appealed to me. I wanted to be on the radio," she said.

Dodd volunteered at a radio station operated by the Jewish Guild for the Blind in New York, taking on little jobs and making demo tapes with an eye toward a full-time career switch into voice-over work. In May 2000, Dodd felt confident enough to move to San Francisco. Ten months later she had an agent.

Starting over meant selling her car, giving up her gym membership and learning to pinch pennies. Dodd, now 26, also recalled that her parents feared the appearance of job-hopping would jeopardize her chances of ever returning to the corporate world.

Full article...

MAKING THE LEAP FOR LOVE, NOT MONEY Looking to Nurture Their Hearts, Not their Wallets, Women are Making Career Changes Before They Turn 30.
by Margaret Littman, Special to the Sentinel Length: 977 words.