During the course
of our lifetimes we make many
significant and
difficult choices that affect us. These
choices affect
our personal and professional lives.
Therefore, we
make these choices with much thought and
care. One of the most difficult and important
decisions I
have made was
changing careers.
Changing careers
at this stage of my life, mid-life, was
very
difficult. Preparation for my new career
required me
to resign my job.
The former position was providing a
major portion of
my family's income and most of the
medical
benefits. Some means of earning a living
while
preparing for a
new career was foremost on my mind
during this
stage. If I spent to much time and energy
pursuing a job to
provide a means for supporting my family
while retraining,
I might not do a sufficient job of
retraining for a
new career. Another difficulty equally as
important as the
the financial one was the possibility of
failing at a new
endeavor or not being able to find a new
job. These possibilities made me feel
uncomfortable and
insecure. If I failed or could not find a new position,
what
would my family
think of me? Failing at a new career
would also cause
me to lose confidence in myself. These
concerns, failure
and financial, and not finding a new job
made this
decision very difficult.
The decision to
choose a new career was an extremely
important one. The sole function of a career is not just to
provide a means
to make a living; it should have a larger
purpose. The work I was doing did little for
others, and
in fact, served
only a small, special interest group. In
addition to
pursuing a meaningful career, a career should
be satisfying,
and make some significant contributions
to
other people's
lives. Therefore, I choose to become a
teacher. It is important to have a career that is
satisfying,
and that would
allow for helping others achieve their goals.
Making the choice
to change careers was important but
difficult. If
through my new career, I could contribute
something
positive to others; then I will have felt that I
made the right
decision. Improvements can only come
through
change.
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