In Part One of “It’s Not Too Late to Start a Criminal Justice Career,” we discussed the fact that these days it’s not uncommon for a person to switch careers, whether they’ve been in their previous vocation for a few years or decades.
The same can be said for someone deciding to start one of the many different types of criminal justice careers. Today, let’s look at two more real-world examples of midlife career changes.
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From Nurse to Lawyer
Reading David Laprad’s Hamilton County Herald article (“Lawyer enjoying successful mid-life career change”, June 11, 2010), it’s clear that Carmen Ware has always been determined to succeed. She worked as a registered nurse for 20 years, initially facing prejudice because of her race and young age; that is until her patients got to know her and then requested she be the one to care for them for the rest of their hospital stay.
Then, Ware decided to take the LSAT and earn her law degree—which she did successfully—inspired to make more money to care for her mother and to address some of the injustices she observed as a nurse. At the time Laprad’s article was written, Ware was working as an attorney for the firm Leitner, Williams, Dooley & Napolitan. During her hiring interview she said she wanted to jump right into medical malpractice litigation. “The litigation practice here lends itself to young associates getting their feet wet quickly,” said Ware as reported by Laprad. “I was doing depositions, ordering motions and doing trial work my first year. Then I got to argue before the Supreme Court of Tennessee my second year.”
Doing a little investigative work over the Internet, it looks like Ware has now started her own firm: The Ware Law Firm in Chattanooga, Tennessee!
Sources: http://www.hamiltoncountyherald.com/Story.aspx?id=1336&date=6/11/2010 http://www.thewarelawfirm.com
From Insurance to Emergency Management
After 20 years working in the insurance industry, Becky Siceloff still longed to find her dream job, and to also complete an advanced university degree. Since Siceloff had found volunteering as a first responder fulfilling, she decided to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Emergency Services Management with a minor in Homeland Defence.
For Siceloff, another passion was ignited—that of lifelong learning. She went on to complete a Master’s degree in Disaster Science and a Doctorate degree in Business Administration, specializing in quality systems management.
“She now works in Washington, D.C., as a Section Chief in the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Preparedness Directorate,” reported Shelby Longland for the University of Richmond Newsroom (March 12, 2013). “Her job is to provide expertise for national preparedness plans. She ensures that proper training and precautions have occurred in cases of emergency.”
Although making a midlife career change has its challenges, Siceloff has indeed found her “dream job.”
Source: http://news.richmond.edu/features/article/-/11226/becky-siceloff-c06–gc10-undergraduate–graduate-degrees-paired-personal-professional-passion-with-academic-studies.html
Are you interested in making a career change? Visit our criminal justice career and degree pages for more information. (Notice the range of degrees listed on the left hand side of each page).