6. Good Work in Health Care

Many health professions are among the top job growth areas in America, which explains why the American Hospital Association actively encourages hospitals to recruit midlife career changers.

You don't have to be a doctor or nurse to work in health care, of course. There are more than a hundred other areas of specialization – from music and art therapy to occupational health and safety – all generally known as the "allied health professions."

In response to health care labor shortages, new opportunities are opening up for streamlined training, including train-while-you work positions.

For instance, at Cozby-Germany Hospital in Grand Saline, Texas, employees are offered the opportunity to advance their skills and education when the hospital needs employees in higher-level jobs. They don't set age limits, but they do consider whether an employee will be long-term. Those who make at least a two-year commitment, and live up to it, don't have to don't have to pay the hospital back for financial assistance provided in the form of loans.

There's strong demand for numerous positions that require one, two, or three years of training, including "imaging technologists" who work with X-rays, MRIs, mammograms, and other imaging diagnostics; clinical lab workers; registered nurses; medical assistants, and homecare attendants for the disabled or elderly. Health institutions also need non-clinical workers, for instance, in information technology and record keeping.

In some areas and occupations, you may be able to find part-time work at a hospital while participating in a clinical training program for a new career.

And finally, if you have worked in the health care industry in the past, you might consider returning. In Atlanta, Emory University Hospital has established re-entry programs, offering a fully paid eight-week training program for qualified employees who agree to work for the hospital for one or two years.