“My Rosa Parks Moment” Jill Nelson, 56, had thought herself incapable of being swept away by fuss like inaugural balls.  She’s written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Essence, as well as two memoirs.  Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience, about her experience writing for the Washington Post, and Straight, No Chaser: How I Became A Grown-Up Black Woman. Yet this month, she writes  at “Girl, Get Me Started,” she felt entirely transformed:

I have lived my life as a beneficiary of the civil rights movement and thought I thought anything was possible. Yet what has been so literally stunning about Barack Obama’s election, what wakes me up before dawn to consider and sometimes makes even me speechless, finally came clear yesterday. It is that the election of Barack Obama simultaneously revealed to me the limits of possibility in my world and shattered those limitations. As with Rosa Parks, a single, specific, profoundly important action instantly turned the present into the past. Released the limitless possibility of what can be imagined. A double whammy.

Mid-Career, or Mid-Life, In a Tough Job Market:  Even in a tough economy and a fiercely competitive job market, mid-career job seekers should take heart.  Ruth Mantell takes on the challenges facing mid-career job changers or job seekers, and offers sensible, calming advice.

Midcareer workers have experience under their professional belts that younger colleagues don’t. And they have the versatility that comes to practitioners who have picked up various skills along the way, recruiters and counselors point out.

As you’re reworking your resume and plotting your job search, some things to keep in mind include:

• Look for hybrid jobs that draw on diverse arrays of multiple skills.
• Network.  “You’ve built personal and professional networks over the years.  Now use them!”
• Stay flexible.  Even if that means taking a pay cut, working a temp job, or changing your career path completely.

We at WVFC wish job seekers the best of luck, and urge you to remember- you bring a wealth of experience and savvy to your job search and mid-career change.

Serious, not Solemn: If you were wondering what all the buzz was about the landmark lecture series, TED Talks, check out this clip from graphic designer Paula Scher,whose clients have included the New York Times, Citibank, Target, The Daily Show, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and the Public Theater.  Below,  Scher talks about her idea of Serious Play, and about pushing towards change and creativity in her career.

— Elizabeth W.