Career experts, aviators, psychiatric technicians, fitness trainers, Teachers/Coaches and anyone else with first hand knowledge in these respective areas, this is for you.

I am 29. I have a 10 month old baby girl. I recently passed the GED test with my scores in the top 86%-99% rank, meaning in the top 1%-14% in each of the subjects given. I spent 10 years as a critically successful artist. However, due to the financial aspect(I refuse to go commercial and I have a family to feed), and the fact that I'm burned out, I would like to take full advantage of my recent layoff from my "day job", and find a new passion/career and excel in it, both for myself and my family.

After an entire year of 'deliberation' with myself and my wife, I have formulated a plan to obtain a vocational certificate while I am unemployed, and then to get a better job than what I had before, so that I can realistically pursue my degree.

However, I have had a great deal of stress stemming from my background, which is where you guys come in:

- Ages 15-18, I had spent some time in two private psychiatric facilities on four different occasions for depression/suicidal thoughts. Two of those were for documented 'attempts'. I was just crying for help and going about it the wrong way.

.Obviously, I dropped out of high school. I now have a GED.

.I have a misdemeanor "hit and run (property damage)" on my record(2004).
-4 years probation for this incident, 3 years for the hit and run, and 1 year for driving without insurance.
-I spent a night in the holding cell (2004).
-4 days in county jail as a result of a "failure to appear" stemming from that same case (2006).
*Apparently, if this charge isn't already, I can have it exphunged.

.The car that I had was repo'd due to the fact that it wasn't insured on the night of the accident.
-that has account has been settled and taken care of, monetarily anyway.

I ran myself into $3,000 in credit card debt with business that I started in 2006 and incorporated in 2007. One of the reasons why I am burned out.

I know that this is a train wreck, but I need another shot. Question is who'll grant me that opporitunity? The choice in certificate will also effect what degree that I major in.Here are the vocational fields that I am considering:

.Aviation certificate- civilian or military(Pursue an Aviation, Science, or Psychology degree after)
.Psychiatric Technician certificate (Psychology)
.Fitness/Athletic Trainer certificate (Kinsieology, Psych, definately a teaching credential)
.Health Care certificate- Psych(as mentioned), EKG Tech, Dental Asst, etc.

I've researched ALL of these to DEATH. I can repeat the cert guidline info backwards and forwards, I do have an interest in ALL of them with the execption of Health Care other than Psychology. But, which is the more promising field? Who will hire me?

I'm going to exphunge my record, but how far will that stretch on my record?

I'm going to clean up my credit, but I need a better job, and how far will that stretch on my credit report?

What should I do?

Congratulations on obtaining your G.E.D. and the high scores! That's a great step in the right direction. I also commend you for doing your homework and trying to suss out a workable job-to-career path.
I can't answer all of your questions, but I have some experience as a job-hunter and can refer you to some helpful articles. I also think a chat with a professional recruiter or other placement expert would be beneficial. They can assess the real potential impact of your criminal record. Basically, I think if you handle it right, this is not necessarily a train wreck. People with worse backgrounds than you find work every day.
The main thing is, you have to be ready to explain each circumstance honestly and in a way that makes people want to hire you. Everyone has made mistakes, and in some situations, it's even beneficial experience for a job (working as a counselor, for example.) Explain why it happened, what you learned and what you are doing about it. But be succinct. (You might want to practice answering these questions with a friend.)
I am not sure your mental health treatment as a teen-ager would even come up. Regarding your credit history, it will depend on what kind of job you are seeking whether it will impact you. I have had past credit issues but so far it has never been brought up by a potential employer. Also note that more and more businesses run background checks on prospective employees these days, so that makes it crucial that you bring up the information first by answering relevant application questions thoroughly and honestly.
Yes, this may allow them to screen you out up front. But if a background check brings up something you should have put on the application, you probably aren't going any further with that company anyway. If you are honest and you can show you have changed and want a chance, many people will meet you halfway. Then the question becomes whether you have the right skills and experience and whether your personality fits into the company culture.
Try to relax and remember how many people out there in the workforce have things in their past they aren't too happy with. Tons of them are working, many of them have succeeded and some of them are now bosses with the power to hire. If you are a good person with skills and determination, someone is going to want you on their team.
You have done a lot of hard work to get on the right track, so keep moving ahead and don't let fear sidetrack you. I wish you the best of luck!

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