Moving from AFRICA to Denver! Career Change?

[pennijo]

Good luck to you as well.

Keep in touch if your organization takes off and you have any positions I would fit into!

PJ

[pennijo]

We are moving to Denver in a couple of weeks.

I need some direction on where to start with beginning a new career. I'm 45 and have worked in the medical field for 20 years; first as a ward secretary in a big ER/Trauma Center and then went on to get my nursing training and then worked in gynecology and urology--clinic setting. I'm seriously considering leaving this field as I would like to pursue a career that will primarily use my right side of the brain! I've always been creative and artistic but other than a couple years as a college theater/speech major, am pretty much self-taught. I make and sell jewelry-----for ten years. But am really interested in photo editing or digital movie editing or something in advertising/marketing. And, on another note, I'm a natural expert at customer service!

The problem is, I don't have any formal training and don't wish to pursue a 4-year degree since I am 45! So, here are my questions regarding my "mid-life" reassessment:

1. What is a really top-notch organization in Denver where I can take some career tests, personality tests, skills assessments tests, etc. and get solid help and advice from professionals?

2. What kind of jobs are there and in what kind of companies/businesses where one does photo editing and digital editing? What kind of training is required? Is a degree required? What about if I take some general courses? Would I be marketable? I've played with Photoshop and iMovie quite a bit and I also am naturally very creative and have a zillion ideas prancing in my brain 24/7.....but probably need some formal training on certain programs.

4. As far as advertising/marketing, I just have....and always have had.....so many ideas. For example, last week we were on safari in South Africa and we spent a couple days at a winery near Cape Town. At the wine tasting, I was more interested in the appearance of the bottle and the name of the wine and the way it was promoted on the label. I immediately came up with several ideas for them to expand some of their existing campaigns and they LOVED my ideas. This is a common occurrence for me.

5. Finally, the customer service thing. I am constantly assessing customer service everywhere I go and coming up with ways that businesses could do it so much better! I go over in my brain and talk incessantly to my husband about all my ideas I would promote and teach to managers and their staffs how to not only treat customers better but adding all those little touches that make a business stand out! I'm consistently surprised that so many businesses are luke-warm at best and how it isn't obvious to them what they could be doing better to increase sales, or business, etc. Question is, what the heck kind of training is that? I've never seen a degree in "Customer Service". And even if there was, like I previously mentioned, at 45, I'm not going back to college for 4 years!!!!

6. I'm also very funny and sometimes fantasize about being a stand-up comedian, but I think we would all agree that this is probably not probable!

So to sum up.....I'm a 45 year old woman with a history of a medical career who wishes to make a 180 degree turn to make a career out of something I am naturally gifted at and have a passion for. HOW DO I DO THAT!!!!?! WHO CAN HELP ME DO THAT!!!?

Thanks to all who have read this. It was long and in depth!

Thanks a million to all those who take the time to give my issues some thought and who are able and willing to offer some advice!

Penni Jo