Losing job results in reinvention

For years, Craig Pederson had plenty of work as an air conditioning installer, but that all changed in 2008.

"They just quit building, and I was laid off," said Pederson, 47.

For the first time in his life, Pederson was unemployed and had no prospects. He did some research and discovered growth forecast in the medical billing and coding field. He enrolled at Tampa's Ultimate Medical Academy, 9309 N. Florida Ave., and graduated in February with a health certificate.

Pederson is not alone. According to Linda Weldon, vice president of community relations for the academy, enrollment at the school is up significantly, particularly among older workers.

"Our demographic is changing and skewing a little older because of the current economic environment. Many who are out of work are using this opportunity to retrain for higher demand jobs," Weldon said.

Employment experts say if you can afford it, retraining can be a great investment in your future. But choose a new career wisely.

"If the industry you're in isn't hiring or doesn't have a great outlook, try to find something that really holds a lot of interest that you can get passionate about," said Doug Arms, chief talent officer for Ajilon Professional Staffing in Tampa.

If you don't have the time or money for retraining, Arms suggests parlaying your expertise into a new field. That could include networking with vendors from previous jobs, applying to companies you've collaborated with professionally in the past or becoming a recruiter for your former profession.

"You have to really take a good look at your skill set, see what elements are transferable to someone else," Arms said.

A Tampa hotel laid off Richard Burton when the economy took a toll on the tourism industry. With hospitality jobs drying up, Burton scoured his work history and created three separate resumes: one for customer service, one for cooking detail and one for janitorial experience.

Arms said workers such as Burton are right on target.

"You can start tailoring your resume to fit the specific job you're looking for," Arms said.

And while he's looking for work, Burton reinvented himself into something he never expected: a house husband.

"I try to ease her pain more than anything, I do cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing. I do whatever she requests of me because she's bringing home the bacon right now," Burton said.