Bob Parlin worked in retail for 30 years in key management positions, most recently with the Ames Department Store chain. Pushing himself to the extreme, his weeks often included 10- to 12-hour days, late-night shifts and working every weekend. Then the company announced its closing in August 2002, and Parlin used the opportunity to make a much-needed change in his life.
“I wanted to do something I would feel really good about,” said Parlin. The 52-year-old grandfather, who has always been able to connect with children, enrolled in the early childhood education program at Southern Maine Community College and went from being a manager in a fast-paced, high-volume department store to being a full-time student.
“Returning to college at age 50 with the goal of a major career change, I took things a lot more seriously than I did when I went to school for the first time in 1971,” said Parlin of Freeport, noting fellow students often mistook him for an instructor. Going back to school turned out to be a great experience, but it took a lot of self-discipline, as well as support from his wife, Anne Marie, and his two children.
“I didn’t work at all during my first year there so I could focus on my courses. It paid off for me in the long run as I graduated with honors.”
Being a male in a mainly female occupation also held challenges for Parlin. A portion of his course work included observing and interning in various child-care settings, making Parlin subject to a fair amount of discrimination because of his gender.
“People were looking at me as a 50-year-old male who wanted to work with children and made a predetermined decision without even knowing me or giving me a chance. My classmates approached the same centers and had no problem fulfilling their assignments. There were times when I was extremely frustrated, but my determination to succeed in my chosen field prevailed.”
During his second year in school, Parlin landed an internship in the preschool room at Bowdoin College Children’s Center in Brunswick. In just a few months, Parlin gained the respect of parents and fellow teachers alike. When he was hired as a substitute teacher to work in all of the center’s programs, children came to know and love “Bob.”
Now employed by the center as a co-lead preschool teacher, Parlin feels welcome and comfortable. He has the bonus of working half the hours he did as a department store manager, which means more time to spend with his family. He also doesn’t have to wear a dress shirt and necktie.
“I’m making $45,000 less than I used to, but there are no nights, no weekends, no taking the job home with me,” said Parlin. “It’s worth it as I feel I’m making a real contribution. I’m really happy. Having the opportunity to work with children and be a positive influence in their lives gives me so much satisfaction. When I walk through the door each morning, I say to myself, ‘It’s just another day in paradise.'”
“No matter where you begin, it’s up to you where and how far you go.” – Pat Long-Cressey
Pat Long-Cressey has lived in Lewiston her entire life. “I grew up in downtown Lewiston in the ’50s and came from a poor family.” Married at 17 and not earning her high-school diploma until age 22, she had children of her own before she had a chance to grow up herself.
“In my heart, I knew there was more out there for me than what I’d been given, so I decided to work hard and make some sacrifices to accomplish whatever I could.”
Long-Cressey, 52, who has two grown children and four grandchildren, has made two major career changes in the past 20 years. Working in a factory when her children were young, she felt she was at a dead-end and knew she could do better for herself and her family. She made the decision to enroll in cosmetology school and graduated from Mansfield Academy in 1986 at the top of her class. “I was the granny of my class, but had no trouble fitting right in.
“My experiences at hairdressing school were both exciting and challenging. Every weekday morning, after seeing my girls off to school, I would hop on the city bus and travel downtown to my 9 to 5 classes. Unfortunately, I had to continue working. So when I wasn’t in class or studying, I was in my basement stitching piecework,” recounts Long-Cressey, whose daughters often helped her with her studies. Sometimes she would even record her homework and listen to it while she was stitching.
“My first experiences cutting, coloring and perming people’s hair was scary. Strangers giving you, a student, complete control of their hair seemed terribly trusting!” said Long-Cressey, who passed the state boards the first time she took the exam. She set a goal for herself that she would work two to four years for someone else, then start her own salon.
In 1991, she opened Gregory’s Hairstyles, which she still owns and operates in Shaw’s Plaza in Auburn, although she no longer works as a stylist. “Working as a hairdresser has always been a positive experience in my life. It’s an art to help people look and feel better about themselves.”
Actually building the hairstyling business was also a big boost to Long-Cressey, as well as one of the greatest challenges of her life. She had never attended college or taken any business courses, yet she purchased equipment for her new business, bought hair products, interviewed employees and took care of the bookkeeping and inventory while following state regulations.
By 2001, Long-Cressey believed she had accomplished the goal she set for herself in 1986, and was ready for a new challenge. She returned to school to become a Realtor.
“During my first year in real estate, I received the Rookie of the Year award. Since then, I have been a multimillion-dollar producer for Century 21-Advantage. Real estate school was exceedingly difficult for me because I had been out of school for a number of years and was never a very confident tester.”
For this goal, she also had to become computer-literate. After struggling with the state exams, she passed, thanks to encouragement from her husband, Ken.
The financial rewards of being a real estate broker have been astounding, but most important, her confidence has soared, said Long-Cressey. “I went from wearing jeans and sweatshirts to suits and dresses. It feels great to dress professionally, grab my briefcase and head to my office.”
Long-Cressey advises anyone planning a career change to go forward because if you don’t, you will never know if you could have succeeded.
“Believe in yourself and, as the old saying goes, ‘Quitters never win and winners never quit.’ No matter how hard things may seem, keep trying. It will get easier. Read, study and learn all you can in this life and the doors will open. Just do it!”
“Working for yourself is hard work.” – Tim Callnan
In 2000, Tim Callnan resigned from designing software for medical billing systems at a successful computer sales organization.
Looking for an occupation that satisfied his creative side, the Brunswick dad of four daughters started a new products and design company where he developed products for licensing. After a year of promoting a new product he’d developed without any financial success, he decided to try something totally different. He and his wife, Susan, a loan services manager at Bath Savings Institution, decided to use Callnan’s fine “fix-it” skills and started a handyman service.
This local “Tim the Toolman” is now in his fifth year of helping people who don’t have the time or know-how that he does. With a solid customer base, Callnan’s day is anything but routine.
“A typical day at my previous job meant eight hours working in an office cubicle writing programming code or providing support services. Now, I’m usually working outside on some type of carpentry job or handyman type of service such as cleaning gutters, painting or installing a garage door. Some days require me to do two or three different small jobs. At the end of the day, I return phone calls and schedule more work,” said Callnan. “I’ve gone from wearing a tie to wearing a tool belt,” he added, obviously happy about his decision.
If “Toolman” is asked to tackle a project he’s not familiar with, he does research online or at the library. He’s also learned a lot about time management. “Running your own little business requires you to wear many hats.”
One of his hats is coaching high-school sports. Now, since Callnan is able to choose his own hours, he can make time for involvement in interests he didn’t have the time for when he worked for someone else. For instance, you can find him on the soccer field of Freeport High School on autumn afternoons.
Even though Callnan reports his salary was cut in half when he changed careers, making for some hard financial times initially, the 54-year-old handyman claims his attitude towards life is much improved. “I feel like I’m the master of my domain. My frustration level is much lower and I have more time to pursue more enjoyable activities.”
Though his family and friends were skeptical at first, they now can see that he really needed to change what he was doing, and they have given him much support.
“The best moment was when I realized I had actually become self-directed, self-managed and self-employed and had started my own viable business. When a little old lady calls me and asks, ‘Is this Tim the Toolman?’ I’m always happy to say, ‘Yes it is, what can I help you with?'”
“Do something you love to do, and you will never work a day in your life.” – Debbie Littleton
“When 103 of us were downsized at UnumProvident two and a half years ago, it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Debbie Littleton of Auburn. Accustomed to rising at 4:30 a.m., commuting to Portland and arriving at work at 6, Littleton used to return home at 3 p.m. to get her son to his after-school activities. If necessary, she often brought work home to do later.
When her career at Unum went south, her income went to zero. Rather than draw unemployment, she decided she would try retail. After the downsizing, the single mom said her son, Morgan, who was then a teen, gave her much-needed support. “He never again asked for anything superficial or extravagant and hardly even mentioned the necessities, pretty cool for a 16-year-old,” she said about Morgan, who’s now grown and serving in the military.
“I also got a great deal of support from my family and friends. Thank goodness, some of them even hired me during the lean times.”
Littleton now owns “Joyful Hope,” a Christian gift store in the Bates Mill. She gets up even earlier than she used to so she can place online orders for her store, catch up on e-mail and make notes about whom to call and what to do for the day. As her own boss, she is in charge of her destiny.
Once she arrives at her shop, time is spent arranging merchandise and doing everyday chores, such as cleaning and meeting with product reps. She loves dealing with the customers who come in. “I listen to the most fascinating stories of both triumph and tragedy in people’s lives,” she said.
While Littleton learned the ins and outs of retail, she also learned a lot about herself, citing her labor-intensive days of making the mill space presentable before opening the store as her greatest challenge to date.
“I’m learning I’m not always right. Sometimes, it takes someone else to point out I need a day off; I’m not inexhaustible and there’s a limit to how much I can do. I’ve also learned there’s more than one way to display Beanie Babies! My work now is a far cry from the geek in me,” Littleton said. “Although my geekiness still shows sometimes.”
“My attitude has taken a 180-degree turn. I used to think I was really wonderful, and I was really thankful I was so wonderful. Now, I realize I’m a little speck on this earth for a short blip of time, so I want to do something wonderful, not be something wonderful. Now, I’m thankful I’m not so wonderful!”
As Littleton looks ahead, she keeps her sense of humor and offers these words of wisdom to anyone starting his or her own business: “Estimate how long you think it will take to get things going and how much money you think you will need. Double them both. Laugh like crazy when even your doubled estimates are exceeded and remember, ignorance is bliss.”
“Follow your heart and go for it!” – Nancy Merrill
Two years ago, Nancy Merrill of Sabattus quit her day job and allowed her longtime hobby of taking photographs to become a paying proposition.
The 40-year-old mother of young twin boys left a career that had spanned 18 years. With the support of her husband, Dan, and several friends, including a previous supervisor, she set about pursuing her lifelong dream.
As a central-coverage unit keyer at Liberty Mutual in Lewiston, Merrill verified information for between 50 and 100 insurance accounts a day. “Going above and beyond was expected, but there was no personal gratification and not enough praise in that type of field,” said Merrill, who had been taking photography classes, as well as photographing people in her spare time. She believed she could turn her hobby into something more.
Although Merrill admits she has difficulty putting a price tag on her work, she’s making more money than she did at her previous job. The professional photographer has gained more confidence in herself as she shoots weddings, takes photos of high-school seniors and photographs various sports and recreation departments, dance studios, preschools and families. Most of these assignments are accomplished while her 8-year-old twins are at school, making it easier for this talented mom to be at home with her boys and husband.
“I set my own schedule, and my family comes first, yet I’m able to meet others’ needs. I’m home in the morning to put my kids on the bus and to make cookies for them when they return from school.”
Another perk she enjoys in her new career is getting to know the people she photographs.
“It makes my day to get a hug and a thank-you for taking great pictures. I wish more people could have this kind of opportunity. As we grow older, we need to make choices that are beneficial to our own family’s needs,” said Merrill. “Take charge of your life and follow your dreams!”
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