Starting over again

[Star Tribune, January 13, 2010] The economy has funneled thousands of Minnesotans into new jobs or even completely different careers. One of them is Mike Krieg who was laid off from his job as a Northwest Airlines mechanic in August 2005.

"I had 26 years there. That was all taken away in just one day," he said. Krieg found work as a machinist but was laid off a second time in May.

After research, interviews about the future job market and with the help of HIRED, which provides job training, he decided to pursue a new career as a biomedical technician. The 56-year-old Burnsville resident is taking classes at Dakota County Community College and has a mentor at the St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Shakopee, where he hopes to begin an apprentice/volunteer position before the end of the year.