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?