"Sometimes....
...you need to step outside, get some air, and remind yourself of who you are and where you want to be."
A poignant statement to me....especially lately. As I sit here every week and make my three employer contacts, I'm constantly thinking to myself...."but, what if I don't know what I want to do??"
From what I can remember, I was always pretty self-assured when it came to my schooling and my career. By the time I started my last two years of college at WSU, I knew I wanted to minor in MIS and Human Resources Management to go with my BA in Business Management. I had never worked in sales or retail...I spent most of my pre-college employment in an office. I was happy and comfortable in an office. I always felt like I "knew my shit"...so to speak. I was very good at my previous job and I made good money doing things I believed were quite simple. Over time I've definitely learned that there are things I'm good at (office work being one of those), but not passionate about (office work being one of those).
I've often thought about my favorite Steve Jobs quote and wonder about how nice it must have been to spend your life doing what you love....
"I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for you work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied, is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."
(Okay, agreed....great husband, beautifully charming daughter, nice home, nice car, etc....but this blog isn't about that. Stay focused)
I've always believed that I could probably do just about anything with my management degree. But, being able to do "anything" doesn't exactly scream that I know what I want. It provides no direction...just as my degree provides no direction. At least, that's how it feels for me. Sure, just as everyone says "the important thing is that you have a degree." Great. Now what.
I knew that it was time to leave my employer and being laid off was a great way for that happen because it gives me time to think about what I want. But, what if I'm not qualified to do what I want? Or, what if I'm terrible at what I want? I can't exactly go back to school when I'm still trying to pay off student loans from the first time I went to college AND the second time I went to college (oh yeah....forgot to mention I went back to school for my HR Certificate).
So, now the question is....what do I want to do?
Well, I have thought about graphic design, ultrasound technology (talk about thinking out of the box!), retail for a company that sells something I'm passionate about (i.e. Michaels or Home Depot), staying at home forever (haha...not feasible), working for a nursery (that would be pretty fun), starting a business (for what? who knows).
As you can see, my ideas run the gamet in skill and pay. Unfortunately, the ones that pay I would have to go back to school for. As much as I could ROCK a Home Depot apron, for the pay, I might as well stay unemployed for the time being.
So...that leaves me with....? What?
A poignant statement to me....especially lately. As I sit here every week and make my three employer contacts, I'm constantly thinking to myself...."but, what if I don't know what I want to do??"
From what I can remember, I was always pretty self-assured when it came to my schooling and my career. By the time I started my last two years of college at WSU, I knew I wanted to minor in MIS and Human Resources Management to go with my BA in Business Management. I had never worked in sales or retail...I spent most of my pre-college employment in an office. I was happy and comfortable in an office. I always felt like I "knew my shit"...so to speak. I was very good at my previous job and I made good money doing things I believed were quite simple. Over time I've definitely learned that there are things I'm good at (office work being one of those), but not passionate about (office work being one of those).
I've often thought about my favorite Steve Jobs quote and wonder about how nice it must have been to spend your life doing what you love....
"I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for you work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied, is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."
(Okay, agreed....great husband, beautifully charming daughter, nice home, nice car, etc....but this blog isn't about that. Stay focused)
I've always believed that I could probably do just about anything with my management degree. But, being able to do "anything" doesn't exactly scream that I know what I want. It provides no direction...just as my degree provides no direction. At least, that's how it feels for me. Sure, just as everyone says "the important thing is that you have a degree." Great. Now what.
I knew that it was time to leave my employer and being laid off was a great way for that happen because it gives me time to think about what I want. But, what if I'm not qualified to do what I want? Or, what if I'm terrible at what I want? I can't exactly go back to school when I'm still trying to pay off student loans from the first time I went to college AND the second time I went to college (oh yeah....forgot to mention I went back to school for my HR Certificate).
So, now the question is....what do I want to do?
Well, I have thought about graphic design, ultrasound technology (talk about thinking out of the box!), retail for a company that sells something I'm passionate about (i.e. Michaels or Home Depot), staying at home forever (haha...not feasible), working for a nursery (that would be pretty fun), starting a business (for what? who knows).
As you can see, my ideas run the gamet in skill and pay. Unfortunately, the ones that pay I would have to go back to school for. As much as I could ROCK a Home Depot apron, for the pay, I might as well stay unemployed for the time being.
So...that leaves me with....? What?