Article highlights mid-life career changes for women

According to a Grand Rapids Press article, the recent slump in the economy has provided an catalyst for career changes and entrepreneurial opportunities for women in Southwest Michigan.

Sharon Caldwell-Newton, executive director for the Women’s Resource Center, has seen a 20 percent increase in the number of women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s tapping into the expertise offered at the center.

“The increase is directly tied to the downsizing of the economy,” Caldwell-Newton said. “These are women who were in management and have worked for 15 to 20 years, but who have lost their jobs.

“Women often come to us a bit shell-shocked. They are grieving a loss in their lives, whether it’s a job, a divorce, a death. But when they can get past that initial shock of life falling apart, many women have taken this as an opportunity for reinvention.”

Read the Grand Rapids Press article in full here.