It is phenominal how many 'Career Change' threads appear on this forum! I came to this lifestyle through the world of working with animals. Started out as a zookeeper then moved into the Exhibit Design dept and ended up being a Graphic Artist. Through a lot of those 18 years I worked side by side with the zoo's horticulture department. Now I work with plants. The same types of people are drawn to animal work as plant work. The part that doesn't get said much when someone approaching midlife/career-change-time comes in looking for an application is that only a few people can handle the physical demands of outdoor labor. Its nice to think about working with your hands, nuturing plants..etc. but after the age of 40, skin cancer is a reality for many, arthritis is a reality for even more. Most humans just aren't built to work hard physical labor outside in the sun. Many would love to, but few actually can. There is a reason companies seek out young people for those jobs. Entry level positions in a lot of hort fields don't come with complete benefits which only adds to the misery. Now I know there are people out there past the age of 40 that work harder than many of the teenagers in the workforce, but overall I think many people looking for a career change view animal/plant work with rose colored glasses.

Ok maybe I should explain a few things that I guess I didn't explain fully...lol. I absolutely love Ultra Modern and we were going to build a very modern house before we bought this house, but when I seen this house I just fell in love with it. The house I plan to make ultra modern with my furnishing and with the kitchen. When we bought the house we knew it needed a major overhaul. What I loved about the house was that the rooms were not closed off and I knew opening them up more would give more of an open layout. Before we start knocking out any walls we did consults with several contractors. We have only knocked out the arches and part of the wall which divided the Sunroom and Kitchen from the Family Room. After we bought the house I found the Original Blueprints to the house which showed that these arches were never here. I thought it was funny how the changes I wanted to make were actually bringing the house back to it's original layout. After talking to the neighbors I found out the arches were added in the 70's and so was the Kitchen and Sunroom. My thinking was by opening the wall it will follow suit with the rest of the house. I think the "Original Kitchen" may be where my Family Room or Dining Room is. It's hard to tell on the blueprints. When the addition was built of the Kitchen and Sunrrom they also added another section of basement. Now there are 2 levels in the basement. They way they laid out the Kitchen is really unorganized and does not allow for a dishwasher and the placement of the basement door and steps make for a very difficult Kitchen Layout. The attached Garage and Rooftop deck were added in the 80's or 90's and I absolutely love it. I guess my question for everyone really is what rooms would you designate for what? What room would you put the TV in cause every room has a door or windows on the wall. As far as the Kitchen I am debating on putting on a small addition so my husband can take off his shoes before he comes all through the house? After posting the pictures on the Kitchen Forum and getting the great advice on there it was suggested that I get a structural engineer to find out if I can remove the 1 column from the Family Room to the Kitchen. My KD also suggested the wall, which I know is weight bearing, be removed and utilize the Sunroom as part of the Kitchen. I do have a Structural Engineer coming out before we make any attempt at tackling that and I also have the Contractor coming out. So no worries to all. I love this house and am not changing it they way you are thinking I just need advice on if I added on how would you do it, from the side or back of the house and where to put a 55" TV and make what room for a Family Room? I appreciate everyone's input. Thank you

juddgirl, I'm a mid-life MSW and I'll say that it doesn't lead to many low-stress, low-confrontation jobs and most entry-level jobs for MSWs don't pay enough to warrant the cost of the degree. I'm in a job market similar to the one you'll face in Tennessee and nearly everyone I went to MSW school with five years ago regrets the degree due to low pay and high-stress positions. That said, if you do attend an MSW program you will make valuable community and employment connections while you are in school, and with your law degree in hand as well, you will no doubt have a different pool of jobs open to you than the "average" MSW. My advice to anyone of any age about getting an MSW is to find five people in the area where you might want to practice, who have been working as MSWs for at least five years, and ask them whether they would advise their own child or best friend to pursue an MSW. My experience suggests that 4 out of 5 will advise against it. My DD wants to follow in my footsteps and I am working hard to convince her otherwise. MSW school is a racket if ever there was one.

Raee, I appreciate the concern, I definitely understand it. It is a good point. However, I think that does not apply to me. Of course, I want to choose a profession that suits my needs and interests. I am the one who is going to be there and do it. It might be a wishful thinking to find a job that you are happy to do, but I know people who did. So I hope I can do it too. I have done jobs that I did not want to do, and it was not the best. But.. I considered what I can give myself, and I can give what I have, and I have my interest in these professions. In choosing nursing, and interior design and in social work, I considered my interests: I am interested in people, I like helping, I love babies, I like taking care of old people, I love asking them about their life, dirty work does not bother me. From the traits are: I function very good under stress. I do have to work on not being distracted, but really it is not so bad. I do think I am intuitive and pretty patient. In asking for advice my other trait as a ADD trait is of major concern to me. I know I can loose interest quicker than other people. I do not want that to happen after I finish studying and start working. I was wondering how and what happens to others. Did they know what they are interested in if that is how they chose a profession or job. But I think the major assurance in any profession, besides personality is that the person is interested. I feel can offer what is required and more IF I am interested. Salary is not my major factor to decide, although it is important.