I don't remember who I was talking to the other day, but I suggested she go to the local public library for help with career planning. This person was truly shocked. She said it never would have occurred to her to turn to her library for help with that. In fact, many public libraries have career or job information centers and they provide their services for free. Some even have career counselors available to help you. Others have librarians who have extensive knowledge of career planning resources. I'm speaking from experience. I got my start in the career planning field, as a librarian coordinating a job information center at a local library. We provided our patrons access to job listings, career counselors, computer assisted self assessments, career exploration resources and workshops on job searching. Check with your local public library to see if it has a career or job information center and if so, what services are available there.

Many parents who decide to stay at home when their children are born plan to go back to work when their children start school. It seems to make sense: the children will be out of the house all day so there's really no reason to be there ... or is there? Once kids start school you have to worry about who will be home with them when they are sick or have a day off. You also have to think about getting them to afterschool activities and helping them with their homework. I often wonder if it would be easier for parents to take time off after their kids are in school rather than when they are very young.

As if all the practical issues aren't enough to deal with you'll also have to make some career-related decisions if you want to return to work. You'll have to figure out whether to stay in your prior field or enter a new one. Read Back to School = Back to Work for help dealing with some practical issues.