Career Change

How do you know when it’s time to change careers? I feel like I’ve chosen the wrong career. I enjoy writing and editing, but am I any good at it? It depends on who you ask. And there lies my conundrum. Journalism is a very subjective business – one person can think a piece of writing is excellent, while another can think the same piece is subpar. I don’t like that.

I like clear-cut rules. I like to know what’s right and what’s wrong. I’ve considered being a nurse – you pull the wrong cord – it can be a grave mistake. You pull the correct cord – everything’s fine. There’s no gray area there. Of course I’m sure nurses would say that there are gray areas, but at least for the day to day activities, there seems to be a clear right/wrong way to do things. The problem with the nursing idea is that I don’t like blood and bodily organs, and I have a shaky hand. I can’t draw a straight line and you expect people to want me to poke them with a needle? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t want Nurse McShaky pointing anything sharp at me!

I feel like I should do something in healthcare, because that’s where the money and job security is. But, if I’m not passionate about it and don’t enjoy it, won’t I just want to change careers again? But how do I know what I’m passionate about when there’s so many things I haven’t done? I just don’t know what to do.

Plus, the time and money it takes to go back to school is a factor. I already have a Master’s degree. If I go back to school for another degree, I’ll feel like I’ve wasted 5 years of my life. I’ll feel like I should have spent those 5 years on something in healthcare, something that I would have reaped more benefits from. But a lot of people start over. I don’t think of them as failures or wasting their lives, so why do I think that about my own life?

13.1 MILES!

I just completed my first mini-marathon! May I say a-woo-hoo!
Am I crazy? I just might be. I don’t love running by any means. Actually I can’t even feel like I can say “I ran the Indianapolis 500 mini marathon.” I didn’t run it. I jogged it and walked it. I think there’s a difference. Not in effort of course, but in time, talent perhaps. I did train … for a while last year. Then I got a new job in January and the training went out the window until a month ago. But you know what? I finished and I didn’t quit, cry or throw up (three things I really wanted to do at about mile 10). So, now I know I can do it! What else can I do? I thought my husband was crazy last year when he suggested we do a mini. But hey, I did it, so now I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do! It’s a great feeling.

eArThQuAkE!

An earthquake in Indiana. Weird. Isn’t it scary to think that the whole earth could shatter at any moment, quaking itself down into nothing? Now, I’m not sure if this is really possible, but to my 10-year-old mind, it could. Like a hard ball of old brown sugar at the bottom of the bag – you can pick it up and it stays balled up, but all you have to do is shake it or squeeze it and it falls apart. I believe in God, so I think that s/he could do the same to Earth: just shake us up a bit. Make us realize that we need to really LIVE and to try new things and be nice to people.