During the almost five years I had spent at the financial institution that I was employed at, I had served in a variety of roles from project governance and management to financial analysis as well as time spent managing a couple of different teams. While my “day job” was most often the financial analysis and forecasting type roles, I always became excited when there was the potential for me to be put on a new project to serve in a governance type role.
How I came to the realization I wanted to make a career pivot
So I started to reflect on the times I had really been fired up about work, and they were most often when I was involved in a project, serving in a governance or management role. I loved coordinating people, being a central point of contact, planning timelines, conducting meetings, giving presentations, and generally helping people improve their processes and environment. I had also realized that I loved variety and working on projects constantly gave me something new to sink my teeth into because no two projects were the same.
So, the thought occurred to me: why not just take a job where I could do all of those things full-time instead of hoping for a new opportunity to build a process or manage a program? I had also become interested in working outside of the banking industry for a variety of reasons.
Which turned into major pivot
Given all of these changes that I desired, I made the move to be an operations manager at a tech company. It was almost the biggest 180 degree pivot you could make in corporate careers. Banking to technology and financial analysis to operations. For a while, I thought I had landed my dream job and hit the jackpot. However, I eventually realized that the fit had not been what I was expecting
Which turned into one my proudest anti-success stories
When I left that job, I felt I needed some time for decompression and self-reflection rather than jumping straight into something else. So I decided that I was going to work at a local small business part-time to decompress but still be sure I had income and stayed up on my skills. My plan was to do that gig throughout the summer, take some time for contemplation and self-assessment, and decide what I wanted my next move to be so that I wouldn’t end up somewhere that would be a bad fit for me.
Although I still had security, it was a difficult decision not to line up another corporate job before leaving the one I had. It is also worth noting that thought and planning went into this decision to make sure that I could still support myself and have a successful path forward. This path is not necessarily for everyone.
Throughout the summer, I found myself saying “I don’t think I could be any happier than I am right now!”. I LOVED my life. I had more time and autonomy to do things that I love and hangout with my family and friends, and I just overall felt so light and free. As you can imagine, at the end of the summer, I was wondering how I could make this feeling continue on.
The blank slate: why it sounds fun but comes with baggage
The problem was that I had no idea what I did want to do. Over the summer, I was reminded through having time and space, however, that my priorities were my faith in God, my family and friends, my freedom and autonomy, and my physical and mental health. As such, I knew I wanted a job or career that would allow me to honor all of those priorities. A hefty salary or title were no longer what drove me. The things that brought me joy, rather than validation, were what was important to me.
While this all sounds amazing and I was still generally happy in the fall and winter, the process of trying to figure out what I wanted to do was both exhilarating but also very overwhelming, daunting, and anxiety-filled. Would I be able to find something that could meet all of these needs and still give me a decent living? Would I be able to control myself enough if I went back to a corporate environment to not become a hyper-achieving workaholic again? There are so many choices out there now, where does one start? I’ll talk more about navigating these feelings in next week’s entry.
The most important lessons I learned out of all of this though are:
1. Curvy paths are more fun.
I have zero regrets about the non-linear and, as of late, non-traditional path of my career.
2. Every experience serves a purpose.
Even though my short spurt in tech didn’t go how I thought it would, I’m incredibly grateful for the experience because it got me to where I am today and I learned a lot.
3. Follow your heart.
Recently, I have been leaning into what makes me feel “light” and what sits well with my soul, and I’m loving it. I’m working on getting past what I think society expects of me and how others might be judging me and putting in this effort is so worth it to me.
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide, professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences for those that may find them relatable and helpful.