If you had told me a few years ago that I’d be back in school in my 40s—older than my professor, surrounded by classmates half my age—pursuing a new career in Human Resources, all while raising kids and working full-time, I would have thought you were out of your mind. But here I am, doing exactly that.

Starting a new job is much like getting on a bus. You secure a ticket (job offer), arrive at the bus stop where you get on (first day onboar