I'm written up as one of four women whose lives changed by getting a "net" job. Here's the transcription of my part of the article by Michael Kador.
JAMIE SHEA
This administrative assistant virtually doubled her salary by moving into cyberspace
Jamie Shea, a single mother with three children, struggled for years as an administrative assistant at a variety of companies in the Seattle area. The most she was ever paid was $15 per hour. In the summer of 1998, Jamie's eyes were opened to the salaries people were making online. She immediately wanted to tap into this growing market, so she decided to go to a nearby technical college (Every state has technical schools and community colleges offering training programs such as this.) The trick, as always was how to support herself while in school. Jamie searched out every kind of assistance she could find - food stamps, U.S. student financial aid, a grant for tuition, a student loan, a single parent monthly gas voucher for $15. For the first five months of school, she got a student work study job for $7.50 an hour. Shortly after, she started taking on freelance Web jobs. Also, she was playing in a band at night.
 To focus her studies, Jamie took a two-week "transitions" course sponsored by the state of Washington's Employment Security department and the Private Industry Council. (Virtually every state has similar resources.) "The course talked about resumes and interviews," Jamie recalls, "but the most helpful thing was the battery of tests they gave me to ascertain my skills." The results made her path crystal clear: Web design was the ideal career because it combined her strengths in graphics, communications, and science.
Jamie landed some financial assistance, went to school full time, got straight As, and on the strength of a one-year Web Technician certificate, landed a contract job with a temporary employment agency that places people with Net-based firms. These days, she works 30-35 hours per week -- three days at Concur Technologies and two days from her home. Her rate is over $30 per hour, which translates into about $1000 per week, far more than she ever earned in any of her previous jobs.
Jamie's advice to other women boils down to four points: First, take yourself seriously. "I had been the main breadwinner in two marriages, but I still subconsciously thought the man was the one who was going to become a success, " she says. Second, make a list of all the things you want - money, benefits, title, travel - in a new career. "The important thing is, don't limit your list to what you think is possible now. What would really make you happy?"
Finally, she recommends that you do whatever it takes to get practical experience as soon as you can. That might mean an internship or even volunteering. "Nothing brings home what you're learning faster than an actual project you need to deliver," Jamie says. "If you don't feel at least 30 percent over your head you're not going anywhere. Don't be afraid to not know - you can pick it up as you go along, just as everyone else is doing."
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