Investors in Wall Street were more optimistic yesterday as the buying pressure pushed the market up over 900 points, the largest one-day gain ever. Nevertheless, uncertainty about the current state of the economy continues to weigh on Sandwiched Boomers. Today we share more stories from readers who are looking for direction.

Barbara writes that she is concerned about making a career change in these uncertain times. She tries to gather information from people who work in the field she is interested in pursuing and she relies on her friends for support while she considers the change.

“I graduated from an Education program 10 years ago. Although I’ve worked in the position, I have never felt it was my calling. I have finally made the decision to leave teaching and want a career that pays more than I would make being a teacher. I would also like to enjoy my time at work and feel connected to what I am doing. I worry that I will not find a position because of my lack of experience and education in a new field. I worry that I will not make enough money to buy a home, enjoy life and retire comfortably.”

Mary has spent years focusing on her family but now that she wants to look inward, she’s not really sure how to do it. In the past, she often used humor to put things into perspective, but now her confusion about how to move forward is palpable.

“I’m a single mother of five children and frankly, the last 12 years have been spent surviving. I managed that and then some. As silly as this sounds, I have achieved all my long-term goals and the lack of new goals is almost as stressful as the journey here. I was so focused on stabilizing this family, I never thought about what comes after the right job, the right house, the right ratio of adults to children. I feel completely and utterly adrift. I’ve always been the most successful at coping by being able to triage incredibly well and only focusing on whatever crisis was going to cause one of the three H’s, Health issues, Hunger or Homelessness. When it comes to things outside those three…I don’t really know where to start.”