By Rex Roy, for AOL Find a Job

This is not your typical story from AOL Find a Job where a detached journalist reports on a trend, personality or opportunity. This is my story of personal reinvention.

This story comes with any number of caveats, including the realization that my situation is unique. But so is yours. The purpose behind my writing it is to demonstrate that an individual can successfully change careers, although the definition of "successfully" is up for debate.

The Back Story

Your author grew up in a family that knew the business of advertising, and after he graduated from college, he entered the field. Full-time and contract positions helped me develop a varied skill set that culminated with my becoming a Senior Vice President and Group Creative Director at a major advertising agency in Detroit. This was in 2000.

The new job went wonderfully, and my team produced award-winning sales materials that were distributed across the country. We developed new creative and production processes that reduced costs while maintaining quality. Everything was perfect.

However, just as I had been hired to solve a particular challenge my employer faced, in 2002 a management change at the company's highest level was instituted to solve a different set of problems. This was the beginning of my end. In 2004, I was "released" from my duties. Given that Detroit began free-falling into its serious recession near the close of 2003, this was not a good time to be an executive out of work.

The Response To Disaster

My initial actions were to start a job search. I obtained professional help to revamp my resume and networked with colleagues across the Midwest. I solicited interviews at other major agencies, but while I did everything right, the search in the rapidly declining market was fruitless. Openings for positions like mine simply didn't exist in the Midwest.

Upon realizing that it would be unlikely for me to land another high-paying job as a creative director in advertising, I assessed my saleable skills to see if they fit other positions that were not director-level. I was a proven manager, a professional writer, and an accomplished amateur photographer. Were these worth anything?

I quickly realized the abundance of "managers" in the job market. It seems like anybody who's ever told somebody else what to do claimed to be a "manager," so I focused on my creative skills. These were differentiating. I applied for various writing positions at ad agencies around Detroit knowing that there are more positions for writers than creative directors.

Aside from several short-term projects, nothing significant came from the efforts, but I felt good about the fact that I was thinking and acting practically. Even though the jobs I was applying for paid significantly less than my previous position, at least I was trying ... and that counts for something when you're out of work.

My efforts yielded no major successes for the better part of a year and suddenly it was 2005. My home that I had barely afforded on my executive's salary still wasn't sold, and my 1040 tax form for that year revealed that I was currently making less than when I was just out of college. Our finances were awful as some 20 years of savings and retirement funds were being tapped to prevent defaulting on our mortgage.

At some point in 2005, I shifted my focus away from my comfort zone of advertising to automotive journalism. Colleagues often voiced opinions that I would make a great writer for a car magazine. I took their advice and began networking to find contacts within the automotive editorial community.

As they are today, traditional magazines and newspapers were having a tough time, but several years ago new opportunities existed on the Web. I was fortunate enough to make contact with an editor at the automotive juggernaut of the net, Edmunds.com.

The risk factor for the editor at Edmunds.com to offer me a couple "test run" stories was minimal, and I'm glad he took the chance (thanks Rich). This one opportunity made a huge difference for me, and I didn't waste it. Edmunds.com got some of my best writing ever. By 2006, I was a regular contributor. This single success figuratively kicked open the field, and subsequent successes followed.

At this point on my new career path, I still wasn't busy enough so I continued to look for other opportunities ... any opportunities. By sheer coincidence (if you believe in coincidence fine, but I believe in providence), I met a publicist from Motor Books International, a large publisher of automotive titles. One thing lead to another, and MBI offered me the opportunity to write and photograph a book, Motor City Dream Garages.

At this point in the story, people's reaction is often, "Wow Rex, you wrote a book. You're published! So are you rich yet?" The reality is vastly different. I tallied up my time and expenses for the small retainer I earned writing the book and my hourly wage averaged out at $9 ... literally about what I made in five minutes at my old job. One doesn't get rich writing a book with a first-edition print run of only 8,300 copies.

My Current Form

The intervening years brought more opportunities to write for more publications. In the last six months I have competed my mental transformation from advertising to journalism, even thought I haven't stepped foot in an agency in 18 months.

Reflecting on the last four years uncovers unexpected tracers that link past successes to the present. Don Sherman, a former editor of Car and Driver magazine, wrote the foreword to Motor City Dream Garages and cajoled an associate of his at The New York Times to review the book in The Gray Lady's automotive section. The review was blistering, however, my reaction (one of welcomed criticism) earned me the opportunity to write several features for that noted publication.

Having the occasional byline in The New York Times carries a certain prestige, and this may have influenced additional assignments that I've been fortunate to be offered since that relationship began. Today, I write regularly for publications including The Detroit News, WindingRoad.com, AutomobileMag.com, and TheCarConnection.com, as well as this section of AOL and AOL Autos.

Lessons Learned

What can the recently fired or laid-off take away from my story? I've pondered this sincerely and can offer little more than some straight-forward advice plus a few observations.

In a down market, consider all options, even those offering less prestige, challenge, and remuneration than your last position.

If you cannot re-enter the field you just left, make an honest assessment of your skills and be open minded about where those skills might be valuable.

Consider the advice of family, friends, and trusted colleagues.

Understand that starting fresh in a new career requires the energy to conquer a steep learning curve and the humility to "pay dues."

Work hard for small successes because success often begets success ... but unfortunately, this is no guarantee.

Lastly, the harder you work, the more tired you'll be but the more likely you are to be "lucky."

The Sober Reality

While I now consider myself a successful freelance journalist (after all, you're reading my story), I make the same money I did when I was 28 ... some 18 years ago. My salary is less than half what it was before I was laid off five years ago. We completed a short sale on our magnificent large "I'm an ad executive" home and moved to a fixer-upper home half its size. Just months after we closed in August, the credit market froze.

This does not make for a typical fairytale ending to this article. Unless one considers other aspects of life.

I remained married throughout this ordeal, and these struggles have made the relationship stronger. It may seem sappy, but this success is much more valuable than my byline in The New York Times.

Of course, life can stink when you're between jobs, but the reality is that life is much more than a job or lack thereof. Remembering this may be the most valuable advice I can offer.

(Note: The author's photo was taken by the professional photographer Evan Klein when the two were on assignment for Corvette Quarterly.)

Rex Roy is a widely-published freelance journalist from Detroit. He can be reached (and his book can be purchased) through his Web site, www.Rex Roy.net.

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