Money, Money, Money

If you are in a dead-end career, your industry trends indicate work will continue to be outsourced, or it's just time to look into another type of work, now is the time to do so.
Funding is available for retraining, however you need to ask and to research.

One of the first places I would go, to seek funding, is the school(s) I am interested in attending. Please make an appointment with a Financial Aid Officer (FAO) who can point you to several funding sources. Right now, with the economy and the number of layoffs, I am uncomfortable suggesting you take out a student loan. Therefore, talk to your Financial Aid Officer about grants, scholarships, and workforce investment act funds. There are most likely many other types of funds, however your FAO will be the best person to guide you but please emphasize you are not seeking a loan due to your layoff, etc.

Also, many of the State agencies (employment or unemployment offices) work with agencies which are awarded Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds. Call your local office to locate the agency handling these funds and make an appointment to visit the WIA Specialist.

There may be requirements you need to complete prior to visiting the WIA Specialist. Again, your employment/unemployment office can direct you most likely. You may be required to be signed up with your local (un)employment office, you may need to take some pre-assessments, you may need to have a completed resume, etc. Follow the directions you are given - if you are speaking to a representative, take notes and at the end, summarize your understanding. If the representative has handouts, get them, read them and highlight the requirements.

The people I know have a list of jobs which are in demand and are funded - jobs which are not in demand, are dead-end, are likely to be outsourced probably will not be funded (this makes sense - why would someone train for a job that will not be there in the near future?).

Some of the in-demand jobs may not be familiar to you. Look them up at:

http://online.onetcenter.org.

Also, do not forget that some groups which service specialized populations, may have funding available. If you are over 45 years of age, you may want to look at AARP. Business organizations which support underrepresented populations may have funding. Also, look at the larger companies who are seeking a diverse workforce - there may be funding available for continuing one's education.