PSU Magazine Fall 1998

to do what he wanted. There was just one problem: he wasn't sure what that was. "I was really confused," says Pinkerton. "I wasn't clear about what my skills were. I knew I probably needed some kind of training. But first I needed direction." Pinkerton took career interest surveys, and in the fall of 1993, began a three-part degree at PSU: human resources, general business manage– ment, and computer information systems-three interest areas where he'd scored high. When he graduated in 1997 with a degree in information systems, Pinkerton was worried that his age would be a detriment. Instead he found that age wasn't a factor. "If you're ener– getic, positive, and enthused about the position," says Pinkerton, 52, employ– ers respond to that." He turned down offers from the CIA and IBM to go into computer security for Intel. "With a name like Pinkerton," he jokes, "don't you think a career in security is a good bet ?" S ometimes knowing what you want is elusive. You look at the classifieds and see a dozen jobs that sound good or none at all. With 20,000 possible jobs identified by the U .S. Department of Labor, finding the job that fits can be like trying to pin the tail on the donkey. "Looking at the classifieds, you force yourse lf into that pigeonhole and only see a small piece of what's out there,'' says Louise Paradis, another Career Center counse lor. "For people who can't get to the center, I some– times recommend the book Do What You Are to help them get started. It can also be helpful to ask yourself what you don't want to do." Just ask Leslie Powers. Restlessness was a theme in Powers' life. Vaguely unhappy as a nurse, she tried changing spec ialties with in the profession and moved from Washing– ton to Portland. But nothing seemed to help. The feeling that nursing just did not fit her personality grew until in 1993 she became, she says, "totally miserable. I was constan tly angry at my job, but happy when I was away from work." 14 PSU MAGAZINE FALL 1998 Finally she was driven to career counseling and after a few false starts she discovered computer programming at Portland State. "I really loved it,'' Powers says. "It was creative, challeng– ing. It seemed like it fit my personality. It was just plain fun." Powers was able to cut back to part time at work and take classes full time. "It was a big hurdle to let go of all the years I'd invested and the experi– ence I'd gained in nursing,'' says Powers, 38. "Sometimes school was hard and I wondered if maybe nursing wasn't so bad after all. I was also worried about competing with 22-year– olds for jobs once we graduated." Fortunately, part-time nursing kept her in touch with the dissatisfaction she felt in that profession. "You spend so much of your life at your job," she says. "If it's not a good fit, it's not worth it. Four months after graduating, Powers found a job with a computer firm focused on the health-care indus- try. Her new position will require continual education and an emphasis on research and development. "It's hard for me to imagine being bored or unhappy now," she says. hat holds people back from reaching for their dream job? "Fear,'' says Career Center Director Cumpston . "Fear of the unknown; fear that they can't make the grade; fear of taking the risk." What gets them through it? "When you know the work you want to do, and you get to do it,'' says Gemma, "it is rewarding beyond measure. It makes work not something to dread, but something you can 't get enough of." D (Melissa Steineger, a Portland free lance writer, wrote the articles "Sharing Spirit" and "100 Days at Sea," which appeared in the spring 1998 PSU Magazine.) Leslie Powers '98 left a 12-year nursing career behind to start O\Cr in a field she loves-computer programming.