Exploring Work and Career: Part Two

This is Part Two of a three part series. Today I am sharing my experiences of exploring work and career and some of the negative and positives sides of choosing a career.

When I finally ‘settled down’ it was as a draftsman/person, drawing land and property surveys and housing developments and subdivisions.

I stuck with drafting for almost two years. The longest I’d ever held a job. In the beginning I loved it. It was all new and I was constantly learning. And, I had a great boss and mentor. But, after about a year it was the same old math, just a different map. I tried to stick it out, but ended up quitting, again.

My next two jobs were in manufacturing and lucky for me they paid very well. After working only six months in the second position I had earned and saved enough money to quit and return to school full time without working.

I decided to complete my associate’s degree in nutrition. The coursework was a breeze since I’d had a personal interest in nutrition for years. But, I was bored to tears. Again I forced myself to stick to it and I did graduate. A few months later I passed the ADA’s (American Dietetic Association) national examination on the first attempt and worked in dietetics for the next five years.

Again, I stuck it out because I thought it was the mature thing to do. But, I hated it. My personal interest in the transformative power of nutrition didn’t translate well into the well-controlled hospital environment I found myself in.

Plus, I had to interact with people all day, co-workers, doctors, patients, etc. I had no down time, no time to work alone. As a true introvert this was extremely draining. Since I am also highly sensitive the sadness, pain and suffering I witnessed every day was overwhelming. Combine this with a career that held no real opportunities to learn or to explore anything new and I entered one of the darkest periods of my life.

I had settled down and finally stuck to something. To the outside world I was mature and successful. On the inside I was depressed, unhappy and hopeless. I had stopped learning and exploring. I wondered if this was all there was to life.

Then, in 1995 my Dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and died less then two years later.

This was a real wake-up call for me.

After my Dad died I quit my job with the hospital and walked away from a career in nutrition.

I began exploring again, at least on the inside, and I started asking myself the hard questions: What did I want? What gave me joy? What did I love to do? What was I good at? Who was I? Why was I here? Who did I want to be?

Exploration is one thing. Paying the bills and meeting my responsibilities was another.

So, in 1998 I took an entry level job as third shift office clerk for a distribution and transportation company.

This was the first time I had ever done any type of office administrative work. I had avoided this kind of work for years because it was ‘women’s’ work and I had never wanted to be classified that way.

But, I found that I loved it and I thrived.

The next decade was spent learning, exploring and climbing the corporate ladder. I started two side businesses early in my career and continued to read and explore.

I thrived in this career and environment for a long time because it fit me. You can read more about ‘how’ in my post “What my J-O-B Has Given Me”

For the last two years this career has no longer fit. I outgrew this career, but kept trying to stick it out.

After all, I am not a kid anymore. I have bills and responsibilities.

Those arguments don’t hold water anymore, and tomorrow, in Part Three, I’ll share with you what I have been doing on the side for the last two years and I’ll share a new beginning with you.