Thomas, 39, of Horsham, now cooks for the elderly or the too-busy. "I don't feel like it's work," she said.
Her career rebirth came via training from the Philadelphia Women's Opportunities Resource Center, which provides technical assistance and low-interest loans to fledgling entrepreneurs.
Food is the future for Ryan Pollock, 25, a laid-off architect who is renting a Fairmount store to create Rybread, a cafe that will serve sandwiches that reflect the tastes of various American cities.
With the help of his father, Pollack said, he will "make people happy with my food, something I always enjoyed." Throughout his childhood, Pollack helped his family with its catering business.
"I never had ego tied to being an architect," Pollock said. "If this fails, at least I'll have tried."
That's the spirit, Thomas agreed. "If you sit around and do nothing, nothing will happen to you. Stick to it and don't give up."
Looking for a fresh start or new career direction after a layoff? The first step might be to consider polling your friends to learn what they think your strengths are. Or recall what moved and captivated you when you were in high school or college. And you might think about an encore career in a field that does social good, such as teaching and elder care. Read more about it at here. And, to learn about career options and alternatives, read a transcript from Monday's live Web chat with Robert Chope, a psychologist with the Career and Personal Development Institute in San Francisco.
Previous articles in the series, plus Jane Von Bergen's "Jobbing" blog and an interactive map of jobless claims, are at
Contact staff writer Alfred Lubrano at 215-854-4969 or alubrano@phillynews.com.
