Switching career fields is more common than you think

Americans are pulling a career 180 — moving from one industry to a completely different one — more often than ever before.

A 2021 poll conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce showed 41% of Americans were looking to switch industries for their next job. The reasons for changing career industries ran the gamut, from financial to job satisfaction, and the pandemic resulted in a shift in how some workers approach job hunting.

In the same poll, 32% of Americans who lost their job during the pandemic said they were looking to work in a different industry, with 46% of workers in the leisure/hospitality industry feeling this way.

Meet some Western Pennsylvanians who left their old careers behind in pursuit of new professional passions.

Retail to real estate

Addie Perkins Galey

Addie Perkins Galey’s jet-setting job with American Eagle took her to famous musical festivals like Coachella and provided access to musical artists, but the experience left her feeling unfulfilled.

So the Fox Chapel Area High School and Penn State University alumna made the switch from international corporate social media marketing executive to real estate agent.

“As much as I loved the creative side, I felt like I wasn’t really making a huge difference in others’ lives and knew I needed a change,” Perkins Galey said. “It was very scary. I left a salary, benefits, my team and my career life as I knew it for six years,” the Aspinwall resident said. “Do I regret it? Absolutely not. If anything, taking that first step into the unknown allowed me to build the confidence I needed to start my new career.”

Her job duties at American Eagle included operating global social media channels, curating in-store playlists, interviewing up-and-­coming musicians and celebrities and managing blogs. Now, she’s a member of Berkshire Hathaway-Team Rost.

Perkins Galey, 36, received her real estate training from the Alan Kells Schools of Real Estate. Her broker paid for the training, and it took about six months.

The daughter of a homebuilder, Perkins Galey said she always found beauty in homes and architecture.

“Buying and selling a home is one of life’s biggest events. Stress shouldn’t be a part of the equation,” Perkins Galey said.

Her advice to folks thinking about making a big career change?

“Do it. It’s never too late to start over. It might be scary in the beginning, but if you align yourself with something you’re passionate about, you’ll succeed. We spend so much of our lives working, so you might as well put that effort and dedication into something that really speaks to you,” Perkins Galey said.

Welder to nurse

Emily Swengel

As she approached high school graduation, Emily Swengel of Ross said she started to “freak out” about what to do with her life.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I wanted to do something hands-on that didn’t involve four years of education,” Swengel said.

Swengel enrolled in a two-year welding program at Pittsburgh Technical College and graduated in 2021.

“It was tough,” Swengel said of the welding training. “But it felt cool to do really hard work.”

She found employment with a starting hourly wage of around $18 but found it difficult to land big welding jobs.

“Welders have a lot of good opportunities, especially for big construction projects — but those were hard to come by,” she said.

Swengel’s mother encouraged her to pursue nursing.

“Turns out, my momma was right. I’ve always cared for people — it comes very easy for me — and welding wasn’t gratifying,” Swengel said, adding her working conditions often included solitude, no heating or air conditioning and monotonous tasks.

“My last job, I was the only female welder, and they didn’t even have a ladies’ restroom,” said Swengel, 22.

After completing a two-year associate LPN nursing program at PTC, she now works at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in the medical surgery department.

Her nursing job pays more than welding, at around $21 per hour, but Swengel hopes to continue her education and earn a bachelor’s in nursing.

“Nursing training was mentally hard with a lot of memorization, but it’s very gratifying,” Swengel said.

Education to management

Kyle Harris

His days of having summers and long holiday breaks are gone, but Kyle Harris of Vandergrift doesn’t regret leaving a career in the public education system.

Harris’ first career path was as a behavior specialist in school districts including Penn Hills, Kiski Area and Woodland Hills. Duties included breaking up fights, monitoring behaviors in classrooms, redirecting negative behaviors and observing students in quiet rooms.

After the pandemic, Harris, 52, sought a career that provided more income.

He is employed as an executive account manager for Keystone Cleaning Services, based out of Leechburg.

“My emotions were initially the fear of the unknown as I didn’t know what to fully expect supervising adults over the age of 20. Now, I’m comfortable in what I do and wish I would have made the switch sooner,” Harris said.

Harris is responsible for managing more than 15 facilities in the Pittsburgh region.

Leaving the academic world meant more work days for Harris.

“The biggest adjustment was not having summers off and working when there’s holidays,” Harris said. “But the biggest benefit was the people I met in my last three years with Keystone and navigating throughout the city of Pittsburgh.”

Religion to responder

Ryan Lucas

After serving in active ministry for eight years, Ryan Lucas of Vandergrift left his vocation at the United Church of Christ for a new job as a first responder, eventually becoming a paramedic.

“I originally wanted to be a paramedic because I felt a call to truly ‘love my neighbor’ and care for others in their time of need,” said Lucas, 35.

After graduating from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in small business management, Lucas briefly worked in the banking industry until the call to ministry led him to enroll in the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where he earned a master’s of divinity with a concentration in church planning and urban ministry.

“As a first responder, it’s very difficult to see someone at their worst and then not always how the patient has recovered,” Lucas said. “As a pastor, I journeyed with parishioners and saw people grow and change throughout the years. It’s opposite ends of the (career) spectrum, and both have their hurdles and joys.”

Lucas grew up in Rimersburg, Clarion County, and said his faith has always helped to lead him in his decisions.

“Life is a constant journey of discernment, and I’m committed to listening to God’s persuading voice and loving others through our differences and diversity,” Lucas said.

Career cornucopia to life coach

Monica Squires

For much of her life, Monica Squires struggled to find her purpose.

The 58-year-old Harrison resident grew up in a small Southern towns in North Carolina, Georgia and, later, the metro Washington, D.C., area.

After graduating from Howard University, she worked a series of jobs that included foster care case manager, truancy specialist, early childhood educator, substitute teacher and transportation gigs.

“I was tired of the same thing with no change in how I felt with my personal life as well as my job, career and financial state,” Squires said.

A near-fatal accident involving a fire truck provided a light-bulb moment for Squires.

“Life, for me, was turned upside down and then came self-purpose discovery,” Squires said. “Initially, I got quite a bit of negative support or lack of support from family and some friends. That was the worst part.”

The criticism stemmed from Squires’ decision to get certified as an abuse, trauma, addiction, alcoholism and recovery coach.

She opened her own life coach business, Changing Mindsets, in 2020.

“The emotions now that I’ve completed my career 180 are ones of gratitude, purpose, mission focus, blessed and feeling good about being in the business of providing solutions for businesses, groups, couples and individuals who want to go from just surviving in life to thriving,” Squires said.

Banking to businesswoman

Jessica Rehling Vukmir

A college senior thesis paper on business marketing came to fruition in an unlikely way for Jessica Rehling Vukmir of Fox Chapel.

After graduating with a degree in marketing, business and French from Northern Kentucky University, Vukmir took a job in the payments processing division for a bank in Cincinnati.

“I was 22 and had just graduated and was open to learning anything,” Vukmir said.

Promoted to regional vice president in a few years, Vukmir met and married her husband, Eric, relocated to Pittsburgh where she “started a new life … where I didn’t know a soul” and later became pregnant.

“I didn’t know what or where at that point, but I made the leap to my hardest career to date: stay-at-home mom. My two babies were now my two bosses,” Vukmir said.

After the birth of her second daughter, Vukmir was drawn to reenter the workforce.

“I’d been working since I was old enough to babysit — that was 12 back in the 1980s,” said Vukmir, 46.

A shopping trip to a specialty store called Dovecote in Aspinwall led to a new career in retail for Vukmir.

“The owner asked me in her sweet Southern accent if I wanted to work there, but I had two babies under 2 at that point and just didn’t know if it was possible. So she told me that I could be a buyer for her, and that’s how I got my start in retail,” Vukmir said.

Several months later, Dovecote’s owner decided to sell the business.

“My husband said that I looked ‘all lit up inside’ at the possibility of this dream coming true. So we made the leap, and I was the new proud owner (in 2015) of Dovecote Aspinwall,” Vukmir said.

The pandemic tested not only Dovecote but all of the tight-knit small business owners in Aspinwall.

“Covid hit, and we were all in survival mode. I was a stay-at-home mom again, plus the teacher, and it was not the best times of our lives, but we made it through,” Vukmir said.

The Aspinwall business community united to help everyone remain in business.

“We had to come up with creative ways to keep the lights on and had the best and busiest few years ever in business,” Vukmir said.

In 2021, a business across the street from Dovecote on Brilliant Avenue became available and Vukmit opened her second business, Nouveau PGH Designer Consignment.

“I knew I wanted to open a full-blown consignment shop and, again, it all just fell into place with me. That thesis was 100% manifesting at work,” Vukmir said.

“I’m so excited about what the future holds as we are still growing both businesses and having such a wonderful community in Aspinwall and Pittsburgh,” Vukmir said.

Nurse assistant to farmer

Kira Karpinski

As a child, Kira Karpinski of Gilpin had her sights on agricultural pursuits.

“When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said farmer,” Karpinski said. “For me, being a humble farmer was all I ever wanted.”

As a teen, Karpinski began working in long-term health care as a hospitality aide in Lower Burrell.

“Most people in my family worked in nursing in some capacity, so it was pretty much assumed I would follow in their footsteps,” Karpinski said.

Karpinski went on to earn her nursing assistant certification and enjoyed her job and helping the residents, but long hours and mandated required overtime competed with her responsibilities as a mom to three young children.

After her fourth child was born, Karpinski left a “highly stressful” job at 29 and began a new hobby involving painting custom leather tacks for horses.

“I taught myself how to tool leather, cut and finish it and even sew by hand,” Karpinski said. “I started making some money from it, and it really grew a fire.”

She left the nursing field completely in 2014 and started Double K Leather Works in 2018.

In 2020, Karpinski took the first step as a farmer with her first garden and the purchase of a pig, chickens, sheep, cows, turkeys, goats and more.

She added haymaking and rotational grazing on the 11-acre farm. As leather sales dipped in 2020, Karpinski concentrated her efforts on farming.

“I learned as much about homesteading and permaculture, mostly from YouTube channels. I absorbed it all, and it felt right to me.”

Next came an egg delivery service in 2021. After developing the farm’s infrastructure and increasing animal herds in 2022, Anarchy Acres Farmstead was born.

“I’m still a leather worker — always will be — but I’ve truly become the person I always wanted to be, it just took a pandemic to let me become who I am,” Karpinski said.