Dear CareerBabe:

I am a cartographer earning about $46,000 whose corner of the government is being downsized, and rearranged. The tension in the office is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

It is time for a change but I am 50 years old with 23 years of civil service with Uncle Sam. What do I do now?? Are there any good books on writing resumes? Are there any good books on job hunting advice? What should I be doing? I don't know what I'm worth outside of government!

Dear Beltway:

I sense that you have done your job in a narrow niche within government and have not kept up with the "trends" of our times, and now this "lack of movement," so to speak is catching up with you in an overwhelming way. Remember: you have choices. You can either overwhelm yourself with negativity and see yourself in a tunnel with no light or see yourself on the cusp of a new lease on life at the age of 50, which is not considered old any more!

Be careful that in leaving Government service you are only looking at staying in your field when you might find other areas of opportunity for yourself. I would suggest forming a good support group -- especially of people who have made successful transitions, going to 40+, the job self-help organization for people over 40 (the DC phone number is 202-387-1582), and attending job fairs. Go with the attitude that you are trying to explore rather than the attitude that you must come home with a job! Talk to everyone. You are there to GET information.

You are correct in seeing that cartography is a very specialized field and leaving civil service can be two huge difficulties. If you want to stay in your field, Web sites that might interest you are http://www.ggrweb.com/jobnews or http://www.geodesigns.com/gdi_resu.html. Another new wrinkle are car companies including dashboard computer direction capabilities.

Do not try to make this transition alone. You will be able to find new work. It may take time, but if you can see this part of your life as a new "adventure," you are far more likely to be successful. If you go to any bookstore, you will find an abundance of career books, so let me just recommend a few: Job Hunting for Dummies, published by IDG (International Data Group), When Smart People Fail by Carole Hyatt and Linda Gottlieb, and FIREPOWER! (Available for $11.95 + postage from 1-415-281-5981)

Best of Luck!