CHANGING CAREERS
BY ELSA KLENSCH :

CAREER CHANGES: Sometimes they are welcome, sometimes they are not. But career changes are inevitable. Experts predict that young women today will change careers four to five times during their working life.

Sounds tough, and it is. I know, I have done it at least three times. But each change stimulated me, and each time I was glad I have done it.

I started out as a reporter covering hard news, got into fashion magazines, then TV and now I'm writing mysteries. My detective, Sonya Iverson, is a TV producer, and a combination of many women I have worked with. She is tough, honest, and intuitive. She is divorced, likes to date, but is wary of serious involvement.

My first important change was leaving a reporting job on Women's Wear Daily to go to Vogue. It was the first time I had worked with an all-woman staff.

Women supporting women? Forget it. Gossip was rampant and so was petty jealousy, but I learned to steer clear of office politics and focus on the magazine and its content. I had taken the job for self- development, not to be loved.

And those insecure fashion editors taught me a lot. Each of them had a great sense of personal style. Watching them made it easier for me to develop my own style. I owe them for that.

My second big career change was starting in television. I had long believed that fashion shows belonged on television. So when I got a call from CNN, it was a vision come true.

They asked me to do a show about "women's interests." That was just the job for proving how TV could spread the fashion word.

Style with Elsa Klensch went on air the week CNN began in June 1980. It was the first time a regularly scheduled program on style was broadcast internationally.

At that time I knew little about TV production and many of my suggestions were opposed. I was fighting tradition -- the way things had always been done.

But even though I realized I might be putting a glass ceiling over my own head, I fought back.

TV was so different from print. For one thing, I learneded the value of having a strong team -- and also the importance of my providing leadership.

The other lesson I learned from television was to show off my assets. One asset was my voice. So I took lessons to use it well, and to keep it distinct and recognizable. I also had my hair styled to frame my long face, and I took off 10 pounds.

After 20 years at CNN I felt it was time to move on.

I had always read mysteries, and I decided to try my hand at writing a mystery novel. I was lucky. I got a four-book contract. Writing novels is great fun, but it takes more concentration than anything I have ever done.

I decided to work at home in my study. I wanted the room to be special, so I painted it a clear red and hung - floor-to-ceiling - black-and-white prints and photos I collected over the years. The contrast of the red with the black and white helps give me the stimulation I need after so many years of working with people. I call it my sanctuary and I am content there.

Career changes are frightening, but exciting.

I have found it is not so much a matter of where you go next. To make each change a positive experience what really matters is to keep focused on the work -- and staying tough enough to remain true to your own uniqueness.