More Magazine's 10 best jobs for women over 40

Are you in your 40s and trying to decide how to reinvent your life, as well as rebuild your 401(K) in time for retirement after its been devastated by the recession? You're not alone.

Many women in their forties are now trying to restart careers, whether it's because of a job loss, it's returning to work after taking time off to have a family or it's deciding to put your career first after your husband built his.

I definitely fit into the last category. With my first marriage, we had to decide whose career would come first. My husband got the priority and I had to move with his career moves. My resume was filled with a lot of dead end jobs as I moved every three or four years.

I needed to jump-start a career at the age of 39 and decided to go back for my MBA. Finding work in my early 40s wasn't easy, but with the MBA I was able to restart a career. Now I've got 25 books on the market and my own business. Going back to school allowed me to find and fulfill my passion.

If you're looking to restart your career, you're probably wondering what you should do next? What jobs should you consider? WalletPop was given an exclusive look at an upcoming story in More Magazine on Oct. 27 about the best career moves for women over 40.More worked with The Polling Co. first to determine what women wanted out of a job. Here's the top five things women want:

1. Meaning, to feel that you're contributing positively. (98%)
2. A job in a growing field with a bright future. (89%)
3. A high level of control or freedom. (87%)
4. A job that's appropriate for a woman over 40. (79%)
5. A chance to work a flexible schedule. (73%)

More wanted to answer these desires plus find jobs that would allow women to earn above the national average salary for women ages 40 to 59 -- $33,176. Career changers tend to shoot up the ladder because they bring both passion and maturity to the job.

"You have more maturity and more knowledge, and a great many of the skills you pick up in one industry are transferable. If you take advantage of the experiences you have, you'll advance more quickly," Amelia Warren Tyagi, co-founder of the Business Talent Group, told More Magazine.

I've found the key to successfully reinventing yourself is to find ways to meld your life experiences prior to your reinvention with those skills you gain by going back to school. Before choosing your career move figure out what you can take from your prior life experiences and improve on that knowledge with education. Be sure it fits your passion as well, because that will be what gets you the job as a career changer, along with the maturity and experiences you bring.

After polling women over 40, More Magazine then worked with experts and scoured employment statistics to put together the top 10 career moves for women over 40. We introduce you to the top 10, but read the Oct. 27 issue of More Magazine for more specifics about what education you'll need and how to break into the field. Here they are:

Community Service Coordinator/Manager, also could include Volunteer Coordinator and Program Director. Salaries range from $42,110 to $73,470 for most with the top 10% earning over $96,000. The field is expected to grow by 48% by 2016.

Personal Financial Adviser or Financial Planner. Salaries range from $46,390 to $119,290 for most with the top 10% earning over $166,000. The field is expected to grow by 41% by 2016.

Environmental Scientist also includes Hydrologist, Environmental Ecologist, Environmental Chemist, and Ecological Modeler. Salaries range from $45,340 to $78,980 for most with the top 10% earning over $103,000. The field is expected to grow by 25% by 2016.

Registered Nurse including Critical Care, Emergency, Oncology and Clinical. Salaries range from $51,640 to $76,570 for most with the top 10% earning over $92,000. It is projected that 587,000 new nursing jobs will be created by 2016.

Computer and Information Systems Manager also includes Chief Technology Officer, Management Information Systems Director, and Information Technology Director. Salaries range from $88,240 to $141,890 for most with the top 10% earning over $166,000. It is projected that this filed will add 43,0000 jobs by 2016.

Education Administrator including Principal, Assistant Principal, Provost, Dean of Students, School District Administrator, and Director of Student Services. Salaries range from $68,360 to $102,830 for most with the top 10% earning over $125,000. Many who currently hold these jobs are expected to retire in the next 10 years.

Strategic/Crisis Communication Professional including Crisis Manager, and Strategic Communication Specialist. Salaries range from $38,400 to $71,670 for most with the top 10% earning over $98,000. It is projected that 43,000 new jobs will be created by 2016.

Accountant including Public Accountant, Management Accountant, Government Accountant and Internal Auditor. Salaries range from $45,900 to $78,210 for most with the top 10% earning over $102,000. The field is expected to grow by 18% by 2016.

Human Resources Specialist including Job Analyst, Compensation Manager, Employee Benefits Manager, Training and Development Manager and Recruiter. Salaries range from $35,020 to $67,730 for most with the top 10% earning over $84,000. It is projected that 147,000 new jobs will be created by 2016.

Small Scale Niche Farmer. This is for those with a passion for farming who want to start their own business. Earnings range from $26,800 to $76,230 with the top 10% earning over $97,000. Small farms are growing at the rate of 10,000 a year.

Lita Epstein has written more than 25 books including "Surviving A Layoff: A Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Your Life Back Together" and "Working After Retirement for Dummies."