Charles White, career coach and CEO of White Ridgley Associates, a career management firm, has seen the evolution of the employee in his years of business and career consulting. White describes the trend toward career-changing as a shift in identity: "Your identity as an employee is no longer with the company, as it has been for years, but rather in what you can do, what skills you can offer." This new role requires people to be more pro-active in their careers. "We all need to start thinking of ourselves as self-employed," says White. Jobs are now project-oriented, requiring employees to continually hone skills and market themselves as commodities. With job requirements that change rapidly, White says employees must "either learn more about what they have been doing or go into a new field."

Ed Hodges, psychology '82 and M.S. information systems '99, was looking for a new challenge in his career and opted to make a career change. After 11 years working in accounting in the state criminal justice system, he decided to go back to UMBC for his master's in information systems. "I talked to friends and old professors at UMBC. They gave me insight into the computer field and encouraged me to make the change." Hodges admits that it was a difficult decision to leave his secure government job to venture into a new field, but found "the right fit" at Convista, Inc. where he was offered a position as senior consultant. Hodges points out that companies hiring career changers look for employees who complement the company, sharing similar philosophies and goals.

Continuing education, self-marketing and a willingness to change course in careers are not the only ingredients for success. Building alliances, networking and going "outside of oneself" are also crucial. "Successful people," White says, "are those who go out of their way to help others."

Deborah Thompson, political science '91, practices this adage everyday. After graduating from Yale Law School in 1994, she began her law career in a large Baltimore firm, litigating on behalf of corporate and wealthy clients. She now practices at a non-profit, public-interest legal organization.

"Instead of just a lawyer, I'm now a lawyer with a mission," says Thompson. After two years in a big firm, she began searching for a greater cause in her work. She was drawn to the Public Justice Center, a group that represents low-income and underrepresented people. "I see immediate results now," says Thompson. "I feel like what I'm doing has a real purpose." The switch presents different challenges, as the center does not have the large support staff and library of a big firm. But the trade-offs are worth it. "Here," says Thompson, I am involved from the ground-up in every case. Each one demands creativity." Like White, Thompson's career credo relates to serving others: "You spend so much of your life at your job. It is so important to do something that makes you feel whole and fulfilled."