Ellie Langer admits that, when she was in college, she didn’t know what she wanted to do in life.

But being the “pretty practical type of person” that she is, she went into computer science because getting a job in that industry would be relatively easy. At the time, computer science was just starting to gain momentum, and lucky for Langer, she was good at what she did. She was hired by a well-known company, earned her master’s degree and enjoyed a rewarding career in software development and design.

“I was good at it and that gives you a certain sense of satisfaction.” Although she never really felt a particular personal connection to her job, it did pay well and afforded her flexibility which, at the time, was unheard of. “And who walks away from that?” she asks.

At some point, well into her career, her company began outsourcing its jobs overseas. Then one day, her entire project was transferred to Ireland. She flew there to set up the department and train the new team. Langer was offered the opportunity to transfer to Ireland and keep her position, but with her family and life here in the States, she declined and walked away from the company.

She spent a month enjoying being unemployed but then realized she wanted to start working again. Armed with a highly impressive list of experience and credentials, she composed her resume and began looking for jobs in her field.

But her job search was in vain. “I was applying to jobs and I certainly had the qualifications. I certainly had the experience … but I wasn’t even getting callbacks. Forget callbacks. I was sending out resumes and not hearing anything. My new job search was disheartening to say the least, and I quickly found that being a woman over a certain age was a clear detriment, regardless of my skills.”

While it was discouraging at first, Langer started to rethink her life and what she wanted out of it. “I started to feel like maybe this is a sign to do some soul-searching and think about whether I really want to do this or not.” Seizing this moment she began to think about what she really wanted to do instead of something that she felt she should do.

Once she gave herself permission to do that, Langer realized that what she really wanted to do was to become a professional organizer.

After reading an article written by a professional organizer in a local newspaper, she decided she would call the author and ask to take her out for a cup of coffee to hear firsthand what it’s like to do this for a living.

Turns out, it was the perfect first step. ”This woman was so lovely and so generous with her time and spent two hours on the phone with me. I hung up and I said, ‘That’s it! This is what I’m doing.’”

Langer became a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and took hours and hours of courses while also reading dozens of books from leading industry authorities. The process took many months, but she said, “From the minute I made that decision, I just felt this thing inside of me saying, ‘This is what I want to do.’

“I always liked the idea of having my own company. Not that I ever knew what the company was going to do.” She immediately threw herself into entrepreneurship and discovered how much she actually enjoyed it. She took classes from a small business association on various subjects including how to structure a business and keep track of the finances. She came up with a name for her business, Skyline Organizing, learned how to form an LLC and started creating a website. “I just liked that—running the company, tracking my vendors, doing spreadsheets, coming up with my advertising budget.”

Langer began her new career in earnest by apprenticing for other professional organizers. “I just offered my services because I needed to learn the ropes and needed to see what the job is like and have some experience under my belt before I went off on my own.”

People think that just because someone is organized that they are suited to that type of career, she explains. “It’s really not about that. It’s about understanding how another person works and thinks.” In her first career in software, there was a lot of psychology involved because she had to understand how other people think. “If I am trying to design the most efficient and intuitive user interface then I need to know what someone would think would be the next step.”

Her new vocation goes way beyond just being organized, she explained. “You really need to be able to work with the other person’s skills—or lack thereof—and figure out what will work for them. Because what might make perfect sense to me may not make any sense to someone else. A lot of this is really understanding what will help the person even if it’s totally different than what I would do. You have to meet people where they are.”

In some ways being an organizer is nothing like she thought it would be and in other ways it is exactly what she thought it would be. “But every assignment that I have, every client that I work with, I come away thinking that I really helped this person and it’s just the best feeling in the world,” she said.

“I know I’m not curing cancer. But I am dealing with somebody who is having a problem and I am helping them and it’s a very good feeling. The personal satisfaction is through the roof.”

Langer’s very first client came through the generosity of another professional organizer who had a client who needed more time. When the organizer was not able to accommodate him she recommended him to Langer. Attending chamber of commerce meetings, joining several Facebook groups and strategic marketing also led to more clients. When her local high school and her shul held a raffle, she donated a two-hour session of her services as one of the prizes just to get her name out there.

Many people think all that professional organizers basically do is come fix up closets so they look pretty, Langer said. Sure, plenty of clients come for that very reason. But the job is so much more. “I have clients where I do paperwork for them because they are just too overwhelmed and it prevents them from moving forward. People get stuck.” Some clients hire her to help them sort out their finances and set up systems to pay their bills on time. She’s had clients inherited estates and had no idea where to even start. Sometimes she organizes estate sales or assists people who are downsizing. She helped move more than one client from a large home into a retirement or assisted living facility.

Then there are the fluff jobs. “I had this one client who had a very high-profile job and had this magnificent closet full of high-end designer clothes but just didn’t have the time to deal with it.”

It’s been over three years since Langer switched careers and she remembers how scary it was when she first decided to pursue this dream. She advises people who want to make a switch to take it one step at time and make sure to learn from others.

“You have to think long and hard if you are willing to make a total change in direction or not,” she reflected. “You have to know yourself whether this is the time to rethink your life. But if you are in a position where you’ve always wanted to do something, don’t think that you are too old. Because it is never too late, if you have the interest and the desire, to try something new.”

“Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life,” Langer said, quoting Mark Twain. “I never understood that phrase until now.” There are moments when she just looks back at her day and can’t believe how much fun she had.

Looking to get organized? You can contact Ellie through her company website www.skylineorganizing.com.

If you know someone who might like to be featured in an upcoming Her Second Act article, please email [email protected].