Fay Sommer always thought of herself as a born artist. But her mother told her a life in art might not pay the rent.
So Sommer put art on the back burner, and when she enrolled in Eastern Michigan University, she studied physics and business. Her degree led to a job with a subsidiary of Ann Arbor-based Flint Ink, which blossomed into a 20-year career culminating as director of new product development.
But this fall, a few months after Flint Ink was purchased by an international buyout firm, Sommer's impressive title was erased, along with her job. Regaining her footing as an unemployed professional was a difficult adjustment, she said.
"You had that mode of getting up and going to work,'' said Sommer, an Ann Arbor resident. "I was thinking, 'I've got to get another job, I've got to get another job.'''
Sommer is representative of many area workers who after years of solid employment find themselves starting over. Although not often reflected in local jobless statistics - which show Ann Arbor's unemployment as being the lowest in the state - tough economic times in Michigan have led to local layoffs across most job sectors this year.
But with the new year, Sommer has new hope. She decided to make a go of her passion, which mixes digital photography and art. She's now shooting weddings, family portraits and business photos. She's mixing the commercial work with her artwork, which involves digitally "painting'' photos to create eye-catching portraits. She's also gone back to school, taking classes in Internet technology at Washtenaw Community College.
Sommer says she's back on track, but getting motivated to try something new took some soul-searching:
"When I stepped back and looked at it, I said, 'Would it be fulfilling if I just jumped back into the job market? Do I want to spend the next 10 to 15 years in the industry, or creating something that is really me?'''
Getting a fresh start
After Sommer was laid off, she contacted John Agno, a business coach who helps executives and managers who have been downsized. Agno said most of his clients these days are Baby Boomers.
The first steps include shaking off a corporate culture and discovering your true passion, whether it's resuming a past profession or starting all over again, he said.
"If you've worked for an auto supplier or an OEM (original equipment manufacturer), that corporate culture is ingrained in the way you think,'' Agno said. "If you're put out to pasture, you don't have a clue what to do.''
"We spend a lot of time on who are you and what do you love to do,'' he said. "Then we look at 'OK, how do you monetize that.'''
Agno encourages clients to tap into social networks, such as former business partners, fellow workers and customers, which he says results in finding a new job about 50 percent of the time. He has less faith in scanning help wanted ads, consulting with recruiting firms or trolling the Internet for open positions.
"You want to communicate where you are, where you've been and what's next for you - and get their ideas and counsel about what they think you should be doing,'' he said.
Source: "Starting over in your career can be daunting but also rewarding" The Ann Arbor News, January 1, 2006
Research by the Center for Academic Integrity ("CAI"), a think tank affiliated with the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, shows that undergraduate business students do more cheating than just about anyone else. 
