An unprecedented number of American educators will soon be eligible to retire. The US Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics report, "Predicting the Need for Newly Hired Teachers in the United States to 2008-09", and other statistics indicate more than 30 percent of US public school teachers are age 50 or older, and some estimate as many as 50 percent of today's working teachers will put down the chalk and move out of the classroom over the next five to seven years. Most departing teachers will be younger than 65, however, and many will want to continue working.

If you're part of this educational exodus or if you're considering a career change from some other profession, you should start researching now to find answers to your next-step career questions.

The good news is that the skills developed in the classroom or as a school administrator will translate into a business setting. The trick is to identify those skills and label them using a new and perhaps unfamiliar language -- "business speak." For example, most educators can communicate well, are experienced planners, can organize and prioritize, and are good problem solvers.

Take Stock

An in-depth personal assessment is one place to begin; who you have become since college graduation may surprise you. The Internet is full of contemplative articles and self-tests, like Monster's Self-Assessment section and the article "The Two Minute Crash Course on Picking a Field" from Richard Bolles's Job Hunters Bible Web site. Bolles wrote self-assessment classic What Color is Your Parachute?

Ask "Why?"

Be forewarned that after all this review, you may discover it is not just the schoolroom that has evolved since you made your first career decision. Richard Leider, author of The Power of Purpose offers a quiz and other resources to help address some of those deeper, what-is-my-life-all-about questions so common to midlife career changers.

Career-Change Guidance

There's lots of online help for research into career changes and 21st-century job search techniques. Here are some places to start:

• Monster's Time for a Change section.
• "Find a Job in 10 Steps"
• Monster's Job Profiles.

Face-to-Face Information

Once you've zeroed in on a couple of areas of interest (or even specific jobs), consider informational interviewing with folks already in those lines of work. Most people are quite willing to share information about their careers, and you'll get a good feel for what life on the outside is like by talking to real-world workers.

Remember: An informational interview is not a job interview. Be very clear when making an appointment that you are gathering information about new-to-you careers to help you understand your career choices. Networking resources include:

• Monster's Networking Tips
• "What Do You Need to Know for Your Dream Job?"

More Research

• Getting to know more about yourself, including identifying options that most attract you, will prepare you for your market research -- digging up information about who's hiring whom and where the jobs are.
• If you have specific companies in mind, head for Monster's Company Research area.
• Unsure how to proceed? A tutorial might help.
• AARP provides tips for those thinking of starting their own businesses.
• And if you're considering consulting or trying temp work, Monster Contract & Temporary has loads of tips and advice.

By doing your homework before you take your next career step, you can capitalize on your education experience and successfully carry it into a new setting.