Professional Woes...Advice Needed
8:15 AM | Author: Jolena
I had a conversation with one of my friends at work yesterday about our jobs and what we really would like to be doing professionally and it really made me think about where I'm going in my life. She's a commercial interior designer but is working as an administrative assistant currently because the housing industry is so volatile and she and her husband need at least one stable job between the two of them. I am the office manager of a little company, which means I do everything from event planning to HR to IT stuff to project management to whatever else needs to be done. I'm closing in on 2 years working here. Somehow it's not where I expected to be right now. I got my degree in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership, which I thought would put me on track to be running a recreational company at some point. It doesn't really seem like I'm getting there. I spend 8-9 hours a day in an office setting, mostly at my computer. It's quite the struggle for my somewhat ADD personality. I just don't know that I'm best suited for a desk job. Of late I've found myself daydreaming all too often of what it would be like to do something i actually enjoyed. What would it be like to want to go to work every day? Now, if I only had a clearer idea of something I would actually enjoy, that would help! I really liked my job for the first year, but this second one has been slowly killing me off. It seems such a waste to spend so many hours doing something just because it brings in a paycheck. By the time I get home, it seems like so little time is left to do things I actually enjoy.

So here are some of the things I've contemplated doing to change this situation I've found myself in. If any of you that actually read my blog want to comment on which path you think I would most enjoy, or have any ideas that I haven't thought of, please let me know!

  1. I could go back to school for an MPA. This would give me more business experience, but potentially put me back in an office situation. Not that I hate that, but I definitely want the subject matter of my job to be more interesting to me than the current medical IT research subject of my current job is.
  2. Do the Family Recreation masters offered at BYU with the intent to teach, probably at the JC level and maybe later do a PhD and teach at a university.
  3. Get a job at this very cool company I know, called Aspiro (http://www.wherehealingstarts.com). I would be a wilderness guide and be out guiding groups for 8 days and then of for 6. It's quite the crazy lifestyle, but potentially I could work into the management levels because of my other job experience and maybe the schedule would change. I really like this idea, but I can't seem to reconcile how that would have any positive affect on my dating relationship and that's really important to me. Yet, it'd be so much fun!
  4. I could stay at my current job and just ride the storm and hope it gets better over time. Maybe the roller coaster interest level in it is normal. I make decent money and like the people I work with, so it's not all bad by any stretch of the imagination.
  5. I could look for a whole new job in...well, that's the big question, in what? I'm roped to Utah County at the moment and that doesn't give me a huge list of options. Any ideas of good places to job hunt? I'm not having so much luck in the places I've looked.
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3 comments:

On August 14, 2008 at 10:27 AM , Kirst said...

My votes are with 2 and 3...What does the Bill think of number 3? I think you would have a blast in the wilderness and working with the youth, Social hazard that it is. If it doesn't work out I think you could be an incredible teacher, ultimitly teaching some of the fun rec management courses you loved so much.

 
On August 14, 2008 at 11:10 AM , Tori said...

Hmm, I don't think 3 would be good. I think that one of your "love languages" is quality time. I think that you need consistant, regular time with anyone you're dating in order to be truly happy. If you got married while working at that job, trust me, you'll be thinking about your husband and missing him the whole entire time.

As for option 2, it's appealing, but I think you're the kind of person who needs to lead as well as teach. So teaching could be good, and you've absolutely loved some of your teachers, but they all have tons of practical experience too, don't they? That's what makes them such good teachers.

MPA. That could get you the credentials to eventually run your own business or at least be at the top. But this could be something that maybe you can do online. That way you could continue getting a consistent income while working toward improving your skill set.

If you do happen to make things permanent with a certain person you're dating, it would be excellent for you to have a consistent income while he finishes school. But if you could maybe do more schooling, you could get a different job. When you're in my position in a few years, I think you'll be happier if you can keep working or doing something recreation-like along with having kids.

Even if you are a stay-at-home mom like me, I think you'll still want to return to work when your kids get older. I think you'll be very happy if you have some sort of advanced degree. If you don't get it now, you'll probably end up getting it then.

Those are my slightly scattered thoughts that make a lot of assumptions that may or may not be accurate. Hope it helps!

 
On August 21, 2008 at 11:18 PM , Kelly & Tasha said...

You know, . . . I hate the whole getting a new job, changing careers, and deciding what path to take. All I can say is that through all the confusion, if you are consulting the Lord, that, at some point, the Spirit comes through to light the way in a particular direction. For me, as you know, this doesn't seem to happen till I'm at the end of my rope and then somehow, everything seems to fall into place. It's a painful process, however. I trust that you are consulting the Lord, thinking through all the pros and cons of each option, and looking at your desires. Through this, something will come out a little clearer than the others and feel right. Of course, you may need to decide and just move in that direction, telling the Lord to stop you if it's not the right path. Good luck in your decisions. Let's talk soon!!! We're due for a good sister to sister talk. Maybe we can make an evening of it and play tennis or something.

 
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