I posted a comment almost a month ago and no career coach has responded☹️

 Hi Doris,

Thank you so much for reaching back and our apologies that no one got back to you sooner.

You’ve brought up a couple of very important topics that we regularly hear reflected in our community. It’s understandable that after 10 ½ years it may feel like you don’t have the skills to do anything else. In fact, many people who stay in jobs for a long time start to feel like what they do day-to-day doesn’t require skills, it’s just part of who they are. But I can assure you that you do use skills every day that can be transferable to other jobs. Being an ESE Paraprofessional is genuinely complex work. It involves identifying your student’s unique needs and meeting them where they are, consistently pivoting and adapting your approach, keeping records of progress, collaborating with teachers and families, and more. The key is knowing how to take a step back so you can identify your all your skills, which of them you want to be using in your next role and how to articulate how they can transfer into prospective jobs. Taking the time to do this can both help you reframe your view of yourself as someone who brings valuable experience and abilities to the table and, also, allow you to adapt your approach to researching employment opportunities to home in on those that may be a good fit specifically for you.

The questions below can help you start thinking through your current skill set:

- What do you actually do on a daily basis? Create a list of the specific tasks, decisions, interactions, etc. that fill your day and then identify an associated skill. For example, pivoting the approach for working with a student who wasn’t making progress demonstrates problem solving. Participating in update meetings with parents demonstrates communication skills. Don’t limit yourself to only looking at your current job. Consider volunteer work, past jobs and other activities you do outside of work to potentially expand your list.

- What are you known for being good at? Think about the various things your coworkers, supervisors and others thanked you for or recognized you for over the years. We often dismiss what we're good at because it feels easy to us. But when something feels natural to you and it stands out to others, that's usually a skill worth naming.

- If you had to teach someone else how to do what you do, what would you teach them? Anything you can teach someone else is, by definition, transferable.

Once you have your list of skills, highlight the ones you’d specifically like to use in your next role and use that as the basis for your next round of fact-finding around roles you might be a fit for. Also, keep in mind that often employers write job postings as kind of a “wish list” of what makes an ideal candidate but those aren’t necessarily hard-and-fast requirements. Research shows that many qualified people (particularly women) choose not to apply when they don't meet every skill or experience, so don't let that be you. If you meet the core responsibilities and can communicate/demonstrate your capacity to do the job, it can be worth applying

Your concern about your age is also understandable—and, unfortunately, supported by plenty of anecdotal stories and empirical research. I don’t want to minimize that. But focusing on something you can’t change is not going to help you move forward toward your next opportunity. Not to mention, being 55 means you bring something that can't be taught: the experience and perspective earned over time, and a professional track record that demonstrates you show up and follow through. Those qualities matter a lot to the right employers. Learning how to speak about your experience, abilities, and impact with confidence in cover letters and interviews is a skill, and one worth developing as part of your transition. I’ve included some links to resources below that may be useful as you move towards your career change, and you can also reach out directly to our team to set up a call to talk further about your circumstances and options. Please email cancerandcareers@cew.og or call 646-929-8032, and we’ll be happy to schedule a time.

Articles & Publications

What’s Next? Cancer as Inspiration for Career Change

Looking for Work

Interviewing Methods & Tips

Publication (available as PDF or hard copy): Job Search Toolkit

Upcoming Events

Full-day Virtual Event: National Conference on Work & Cancer

Balancing Work & Cancer Webinar: Networking: Unlock New Opportunities

Balancing Work & Cancer Webinar: Navigating the Virtual Landscape: Work & Job Search

Archived Webinars

Career Shifting: Tips, Tools & Techniques

Enhancing Your Skills: Prepping for Success

Job Search Tools: Using AI Strategically

Work Transitions: Strategies for Moving Ahead

Resources

Free Resume Review Service offers personalized guidance from an expert career coach to get your resume into top shape