Want to change careers? Do these five things first

Megan Vaites worked in product information and design roles at the same company for 20 years. But a desire lingered to follow in her mother's and grandmother's footsteps and go into nursing.

She considered changing careers. But with a steady job and children at home, going back to school always seemed unimaginable, she says.

"Two years ago, I was on the phone with my grandmother and she said, 'Megan, you're a good mom, but those kids are going to go, and then you'll need something you feel fulfilled at,'" says Vaites, a Pittsburgh-area resident. "I started taking classes at a local community college not long after that."