Switching careers: Following their passions in teaching

The economy may be slowly climbing out of the sinkhole it was in for the past two years but that still has not translated into jobs. Unemployment remained a high 9.7% in January, and experts fear that those positions are gone forever. As a result, more and more Americans may be forced to reassess their career choices.

When considering a career switch, take the time to do a self inventory, recommends Dorothy Cann Hamilton, founder of The French Culinary Institute and author of "Love What You Do: Building a Career in the Culinary Industry (iUniverse).

"We've always had people tell us who we are, and we have to listen to our inner selves and say, 'What is it I like to do? What am I good at doing? What is it I can see myself doing for the next five years at least? What is my responsibility in all this?'" Hamilton said. "You may want to become a trapeze artist, but you have a family, three children and a mortgage to pay. That's not going to happen."

Once you've figured out your options, see if you can marry your passion with the skills you already have. If you want to go in a totally different direction, do your research and talk to those in the field about how you can acquire the necessary skills. If going back to school, whether for a master's or a certification program, is part of the equation, interview the students and graduates. Visit the career placement officers.

"No one is here to go to school," says Hamilton. "Everyone is here to get a job. So you should look at job placement."

Michael Phaneuf took that into consideration when he left his corporate job to become a teacher. He and Tricia Williams, a chef who became a chef-nutritionist, share their stories of transformation.