SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAREERS : MAKING IT WORK : New Career? Open Your Mind and Puddle-Hop

Switching from a career as a computer systems designer to a financial planner may seem like a huge jump. And it would be if it were taken all at once. But, like most people who successfully change careers, Cassandra J. Frazelle, 51, of Costa Mesa took it in steps. “It wasn’t one plunge--it was more like puddle hopping,” she says.

Like thousands of other Californians who have moved into new careers, Frazelle followed a series of steps that anyone can take, the first being a careful assessment of her interests and skills.

Some recareerers know exactly what field they want to move into--they may have had a dream gnawing at them for years. But many, especially those pressured into making a move, need to delve into their job histories--all the way back to those lemonade stands--to get a fix on the things they are not only good at, but actually love doing.

“It’s essential to have an open mind and get out of the (career) box they’re in,” says Kate Pope, director of counseling for Women at Work, a job and career resource center in Pasadena.

Janice Plessner, 31, of Irvine learned the value of identifying her passion. After several years working for her father’s fund-raising company, she knew she wasn’t being fulfilled. She sought help from a career counselor at Cal State Fullerton, who told her: “Don’t think of a job. Think of what you love.”

Plessner’s love was personal watercraft, but she never thought she could get paid for doing what she saw as a hobby. Her counselor helped her see differently, and, after considerable research, she landed a position in government relations at Kawasaki Motors in Irvine. She teaches water safety classes, trains marine police how to use personal watercraft and helps physically challenged people learn to water ski--and she sometimes does her work in exotic settings such as the West Indies.

“People tell me all the time now, ‘You have such a great job!’ ” Plessner says.

Research is the second key step in changing careers. It’s a step most job-hunters want to skip or gloss over, but Plessner advises sticking with it. She spent hours in the library reading magazine articles on personal watercraft.

“I learned what states were having problems, what the (trade) association was and what companies belonged to it, and what the hot spots were in the industry,” she says. This knowledge helped her sound like an insider when she sent letters and resumes to major manufacturers of personal watercraft.

The best place to start researching a new career is the library. Read articles about the field in general business publications and specialized magazines and newsletters that cover the industry. You’ll find out about the major trade associations, which you should call to ask for back newsletters and convention brochures.

Look into on-line computer services, such as CompuServe, America Online, Prodigy and Women’s Wire. They feature “chatting” areas that are industry-specific, and you can pick up insight into key trends, as well as meet people who might be helpful when it comes time to look for a job.

Once you’ve become familiar with industry jargon and issues, attend some professional meetings, but beware of going business card-crazy by passing yours out to everyone you meet, warns Carol Geffner, director of career services at the Claremont Graduate School. It’s better to focus on a few people and get your questions answered.

“Your antenna should be up to gather information,” she says. “Go with specific questions as if you were an outside consultant trying to get a fix on issues in the industry.”

When you can start posing sophisticated questions, begin interviewing experts in the field. People who are active in professional groups are especially inclined to be helpful, but don’t aim for those at the senior-most rung yet, because you’re still testing your wings.

And remember, you’re not a job-seeker, you’re still an information seeker, and people may hold it against you if you ask whether they have any job openings, says Madelon Maupin, general manager of the Los Angeles office of Lee Hecht Harrison, a national outplacement company.

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You can suggest meeting for a quick cup of coffee in the morning, but don’t count on people being able to spare even that much time. You should be prepared to ask very focused questions on the phone.

Better yet, send a letter in advance telling who you are and the information you’re seeking, says Sharon B. Schuster, editor of the ReCareering Newsletter in Northbrook, Ill. Then follow up within a week with a phone call. “You don’t want to use up credit with possible employers if you don’t have it together,” she says.

Such information-gathering expeditions can help you refine your goals, as they did for Frazelle, the financial planner. She originally thought she wanted to be a stockbroker, but after meeting with brokers at several large firms, she realized that job wasn’t for her.

“What they described to me was more ‘widget selling’ as opposed to ‘consultive-solution selling,’ which I’m more comfortable with,” says Frazelle, who refocused and now works for IDS Financial Services.

As you talk to more people, position yourself as someone bringing talents from your old career into the new area, says Joyce A. Schwarz, author of “Successful ReCareering” and a counselor in Los Angeles who helps professionals through career transitions.

What qualities do you bring from your old position that will make you stand out in the new one? Did you develop great writing skills, problem-solving skills, a feeling for a certain market that would be greatly valued in this new field? You don’t want it to seem like you’re starting from scratch.

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“You’re not starting over, you’re starting better,” Schwarz says.

It may not be feasible to move into a new career quickly, so you have to move gradually, as Teresa Allen of La Jolla has done in her transition from nurse practitioner to magazine writer. Five years ago, she bought a computer and learned how to use it. She started reading Writer’s Digest and other writing magazines and attended seminars at local colleges, where she had a chance to grill published writers about their profession.

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“I learned I had to write about what I knew first, so I started doing technical articles for nursing journals,” Allen says. Her goal was to write for general-interest publications, so last year she sent clips and query letters to major women’s magazines. She had just the specialized expertise McCall’s magazine was looking for in a writer to do an article called “The Nurses’ Guide to Doctoring Yourself,” which appeared in the April issue.

For Allen, the real motivation was finding something she really loved. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Am I just tired of this job, so I guess I’ll do that one?’ Or is it something you feel really passionate about? I really wanted to be a writer--and now, after paying my dues, I am.”