Questions and Answers About Career Transitions

Q: Who is James O. Armstrong?

I am an author of a book about career transitions for baby boomers which came out last spring.  The name of the book is "Now What?  Discovering Your New Life and Career After 50."  The book is being sold at retail bookstores and by virtually every online bookstore in the U.S. today and in Canada.  In addition, I'm a website entrepreneur, where my focus is on job transitions for men and women over age 40, as well as on subjects like college and training options, relocating, volunteering and other subjects of interest to baby boomers and younger seniors as we transition into the next chapter of our lives.  I am also the President of James Armstrong & Associates, Inc., which is a northwest suburban Chicago national and international media representation firm. 

Today I see my role as being one of speaking hope into my generation of fellow baby boomers that the best may be yet to come instead of past tense.  Men and women today are visiting our website which is http://www.NowWhatJobs.net because they probably just lost a job or a loved one, friend or neighbor just lost a job.  And, they are beginning to look for answers that make sense going forward into the next chapter of their lives.

Q: What challenges have you faced that reflect what you just talked about –- in terms of speaking hope to your generation?

During the 1990s, I personally went through three reorganization or downsizing exercises, which put me into the position of needing to find a new job.  In each case, I emerged victorious from that search process.  In addition to those personal experiences, I should also point out that over the past 30 years I have had an extensive amount of experience as a marketing consultant with all sorts of economic development organizations in the United States and Canada.  Those organizations have included foreign countries, states and provinces, cities, regional chambers of commerce, economic development corporations and partnerships, ports and airports, real estate developers, commercial real estate companies, builders and engineering companies, among other companies in this market niche.

Q: Have you reinvented yourself, and if so how?

Early in my career in the media industry, I discovered that the sales career path was significantly different than the editorial or creative direction.  Specifically, my sales and marketing direction led me to a 13 year employee status with BusinessWeek Magazine, where I was a national and international account manager.  It also led me to an eight year career with Industry Week Magazine, where I served as Director of Economic Development among other responsibilities.  And it resulted in recent years in an involvement with The Financial Times of London in the Midwest with selected accounts and working on special reports.  Beyond those assignments, I have also functioned as the Director of Economic Development for a series of magazines, including my current assignment at Inbound Logistics, which is the leading logistics and global trade magazine in North America in editorial and advertising pages. 

This background has also allowed me to interact with people up to and including governors of states, lieutenant governors and directors of commerce or departments of economic development.  These individuals tend to be cabinet level officers covering the economic development or commerce department area for states throughout the United States.

Q: What would you say to someone who has career anxiety?

I believe those anxieties are certainly justified, but perhaps magnified unnecessarily by the national media, which tends to provide an incomplete picture of what is happening in the jobs and career area in the United States.  Specifically, the major TV networks and big city daily newspapers in the U.S. especially tend to focus on layoffs that occur in large companies.  As a result, men and women get the misimpression that jobs are constantly decreasing, when in fact the small business sector is busy generating jobs in our economy.  Government at all levels also has job opportunities.  The healthcare sector, including dental health in such areas as dental hygienists, is also creating jobs for our society.  And, so, we need to focus on where the jobs are available and not where some large company eliminated 3,000 jobs yesterday.  Look at the total picture in regard to the job situation in America and elsewhere.  The simple truth of the matter is there is a labor shortage in America and there is especially a skills shortage, which will become increasingly critical in the years to come. 

Q: Tell us about an obstacle that you faced in your career and how you overcame that.

When my office closed at BusinessWeek Magazine in St. Louis, I wound up exploring other options in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.  Then, I wound up moving to Chicago because no similar jobs were available at that time in the St. Louis area.  That was a successful transition, but I had to be willing to move physically and I had to be willing to explore options at another national magazine other than my current employer, whether I wanted to do so or not, for the sake of the financial needs of my family.  In other words, by being willing to move to Chicago, I was able to take care of the needs of my family.  The follow through in this process meant that I had to demonstrate flexibility plus a willingness to do whatever it would take to get the job done.

Q: Someone says to you, "What can I do right now to help my career?"

More education is always an option even if that means going to a truck driver training school for six weeks to become a truck driver.  The income levels you're talking about there range from perhaps $35,000 to $75,000 a year as a truck driver, depending on how many hours you're driving each year and several other factors.  But, the opportunities are there in that area just as they exist in warehousing and some types of manufacturing jobs.  It's all about being willing to explore options that perhaps you haven't considered in the past.  You may even conclude that today is the day to begin exploring those options.

Q: Tell us a little about your book, "Now What?"

My book profiles 19 men and women from all over the U.S. in all sorts of different jobs and career paths, at all different ages ranging from early 50s to 85 years old and with the fullest possible range of educational levels.  Each of the transitions for these men and women were successful.  As a result, the stories are inspiring to other men and women, especially those in difficult circumstances.  For someone who has been feeling a little down in the mouth lately or might be anticipating a transition in careers coming up soon, the book would make an ideal purchase.

Q: Someone tells you, "I see a transition coming up on the horizon.  What would you say to me?"

You need to start planning now for what your strategy will be.  The biggest point is not to simply send a resume out once or twice a week, but to work hard in the job transition process just like you have worked full-time in the past.  To land a new job, make sure to interact with friends of yours from the industry, with vendors that you've known over a period of time, while developing a database program in your computer, and keeping track of people you've contacted, including what they had to say, and then getting back to them with appropriate follow-up correspondence.  That effort includes your resume and letters of endorsement of you as a person.  By the way, your resume needs to cite specific accomplishments in terms of what you actually achieved in the job while you were there, because everyone wants to hire someone who is outstanding.  If 10 people have the very same experience and the same education, the one that actually accomplished something while he or she was in the position will be selected.

Q: Someone says to you, "Jim, I cannot do it.  I want to give up."

Well, if you do give up, then that becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy where the end conclusion is failure.  So, if you want to fail, then simply don't make any effort.  If that's your disposition, then there's nothing I can say or do to make you think or act differently.  But, if you're willing to make an effort, the more effort you make, the better will be the outcome.  If you choose to contact 20 different prospects every day and follow through with the appropriate correspondence, that's the kind of aggressive approach you need to take as compared to a passive effort, which might only include contacting perhaps one or two people per week.  More contact is the better approach and interacting with people who you know, including friends and neighbors, and men and women in the same company or industry, plus vendors to your former company will all be part of a winning process. 

Q: Someone says to you, "I know there aren't any jobs in this town, but all my family and friends are here.  And I'm even taking care of an aging parent here."

Everything has to be taken into consideration.  If you can afford not to work in the future, then the aging parent consideration might become foremost.  But if you have to continue to receive a paycheck, then you may want to consider moving to where jobs are more plentiful, such as the Rocky Mountain states.  The unemployment rate there typically falls into the two to three percent range. 

Q: "But my kids are in high school here."

That's unfortunate.  But having a job is more important than where your kids are in high school.  Flexibility in terms of pursuing all your options is very important to your ultimate success.

Q: Why did you decide to devote so much of your life to helping your fellow baby boomers?

I believe it's a calling which the Lord has given to me.