Philadelphia Salaries 2010: Second Acts

What happens when you reinvent yourself during a recession?

Natalie Valentine
Old job: Special projects producer, CN8’s Your Morning.
Last day: January 6, 2009.
Why: Station closed.
In transition: Meetings; freelancing as a makeup artist.
Aha moment: “It wasn’t one moment, or one meeting. It was more of a journey of figuring myself out and building confidence. Then, when I really started to work on my website [Natalievalentine.com], I felt like I was taking a big step forward.”
New job: Independent television producer, developing new lifestyle and reality talent and program concepts.
Advice: Put yourself out there — and adapt. “Consider commuting to New York. Use Facebook and LinkedIn to build your network. Take on an interim role in another industry. Take a class. But don’t apologize for not having a job; just pick yourself back up and do what you want to do.”

Kathy Snead
Old job: Legal secretary, Greenberg Traurig.
Last day: March 4, 2009.
Why: Laid off.
In transition: Socialized “like it was my job”; took a 10-week class at the Women’s Business Development Center, where she wrote a business plan. Aha moment: Realized “There weren’t any jobs for legal secretaries, and even if I found a job, I’d be paid less, working more. … I remembered I’d always promised myself I’d do something else once my kids were grown.”
New job: Founder of Center City’s KS Outsourcing Solutions, offering small and start-up firms soup-to-nuts advice so they can work without a support staff.
Advice: “You have to help yourself. No one person is going to do everything for you, but if you have a vision, an idea of something you want to do, and you have one specific thing you need help with, people almost feel ownership in what you’re doing, and they’ll help.”

Sal DEPrisco
Old job: Engineering manager for Johnson Matthey.
Last day: December 2005.
Why: Division closed.
In transition: Project manager for Oreland-based Russell Roofing, generating sales, overseeing projects.
Aha moment: Russell Roofing was receiving more and more “whaddya think-type” calls about roofs being poorly maintained by (non-Russell) solar installers. “Then the light went off” for DePrisco’s bosses. “They thought, ‘We got Sal, he’s a chemical engineer.’”
New job: Director of operations for Russell Solar, a new division of Russell Roofing. Advice: “Understand the needs of your prospective customer. Not the wants; the needs. Then give them what they need in the most scrupulous and responsible way. Even in this economy, even in these days, there are still ways to sell services and expand businesses.”