By C.J. Liu

As a career coach, I have noticed over the last year that many of my clients found a silver lining in the down economy. They used it as an opportunity to change their career. The slowdown allowed for introspection on their overall happiness level at work and they made useful discoveries.

For most people, the roadblock to happiness at work is lacking clarity about what job they'd rather be doing. Sometimes, all a person knows is that they don't like their current job. I believe that the way around this roadblock is a study of the heart's desire. While logical analysis can play a role, it's only part of the solution to the problem.

By Anne Fisher

Dear Annie: I'm a week away from my 54th birthday and, man, am I getting discouraged. After being laid off from a fairly senior job in May, I've spent the past few months networking nonstop, and managed to get three interviews. One interviewer never got back to me at all, and the other two both said I am overqualified for the jobs they have to offer.

I suspect that "overqualified" is corporate code for "old and expensive," so I tried to explain that I am more than willing to take a step or two down in position and salary (both my kids are out of college now, and our mortgage is almost paid off), but I still hit a brick wall. How does one get around being seen as "overqualified"? --Highly Experienced

Joe Turner, the Job Search Guy

"I was fully qualified and it makes no sense."

"They simply don't know how to hire."

"They told me that I was overqualified."

Randy Block, a seasoned career transition coach and consultant in the Bay area, hears these comments often.

If you're an "older" job hunter, more than likely, you already know that the ultra competitive job search process in today's economy is especially hard on you. Part of the challenge you're facing is a major generation gap between Baby Boomer job hunters and the Gen-Xer hiring managers of today. As Block noted, "30-somethings don't want to hire their parents. Unfortunately, that's how we often come across - as their parents."

By Carol Tice

If you're looking to make a career switch but need to stay employed, you can learn on the job through an apprenticeship program. Many apprentices are paid from the start, though at a lower rate than they'll earn once their training period is complete.

Probably the best-known careers entered through this route are electrician and plumber, but you can apprentice in a wide range of jobs, from accounts-payable clerk to wastewater treatment plant operator. The U.S. Department of Labor oversees hundreds of official, defined apprenticeship programs (http://www.doleta.gov/oa/), and a spokeswoman said the agency plans to add new apprenticeship programs for growing fields such as healthcare and "green jobs" involving energy efficiency or conservation.

CareerBuilder.com writer

The average American spends a lot of time at work -- more than 1800 hours a year -- but do you love your job or are you frequently daydreaming about being somewhere (or anywhere) else?