Switching careers: from office assistant to plumber

It's been a tough summer, with high unemployment and even higher underemployment. But the Bureau of Labor Statistic's jobs report for August showed glimmers of good news, with the private sector once again adding jobs, 67,000. Job website Indeed.com also continued to see growth, with areas like manufacturing seeing a 67% increase in the number of jobs posted since last August and construction up 34%.

That could mean more work for Raven O'Neal, who is training to be a licensed plumber. The Brooklyn, N.Y. resident bounced around different jobs in search of a career. She thinks she found it working on pipes. She shares with WalletPop her tale of a new direction.

Raven O'Neal has been a baseball instructor, a salesperson and a model. A year as a billing assistant had her casting about for a new direction. An ad for the non-profit, NonTraditional Employment for Women (NEW), led her to think about trades like plumbing and electrical work in 2006.