They say that variety is the spice of life. Does this phrase make any sense to you? It really does not work for me. I mean, I like spicy food as much as the next guy, but can one really liken it to something as generic as “variety?” Maybe I am being too literal. Hm.
Readers, I know I say this a lot, but I am so ready for a new direction in my life. Mainly, I am referring to my career. If you can call it that.
Is the work that I do challenging? Not very. Is it rewarding? Not at all. Essentially, the only redeeming quality it has is that it provides me with monetary compensation that allows the other areas of my life not to fall into arrears. But is that really enough?
“Sure,” you say, “for goodness’ sake, Megan, just be happy that you have a job!”
Yes. I am indeed happy to have a job in the most basic sense. Then why I am I daily tested not to just turn heel and walk out the door?
I am not going to be one of those people who blame all their issues on other people. If I learned nothing from Stephen Covey, it is that no one can make me feel or react a certain way. Sure, maybe sometimes their intentions are to generate a specific result, but ultimately, I should be in control of my own expressions and emotions.
That said, I recognize that the best way to remedy the daily feelings of frustration may be to remove myself from them. Please believe that I am trying my best to do so. Unfortunately, that process is not moving as quickly as I had hoped.
You may recall that I had a goal of finding a new job by the end of summer. So far, that has not materialized. As always, there are a few hopeful possibilities in the works, but alas, the process of job hunting is never quick and easy. If only I possessed all of the experience, education and qualities that were required of every job I found interesting. But the applicant pool is deep, it appears. I am not the only one out there looking for greater career fulfillment.
The funny thing is, if you were to come to my parents’ house and hang out with us, you would find that both of my parents are singing a similar tune. To be clear, my mother is working for a coffee shop chain and doesn’t “need” to work, but she would like to line up a “real” job before she quits. Understandable.
My father is a different story. For all of my life, my father has worked a full-time, 9 to 5, business-suit required job. He has done a wonderful job providing for his family, but he always made sure that his free time was spent with us as well. It’s hard to beat my dad.
He started his career in the field of accounting. Not the most glamorous, but well-suited to his aptitudes and tendency towards fiscal conservation. A little later in life (in his 30’s), he made a career switch to financial work in the health care field. While this proved to be more monetarily rewarding, the stress level of dealing with health care professionals is a bit higher. He is 56 years old and not quite at retirement age, but I think that he would retire if he knew that he could. My mom likes to joke that now it is her turn to get the high-paying job and my dad to stay home with the “kids” (a.k.a. their two Jack Russell Terriers). Maybe this will happen. We’ll see.
My well-thought out solution to all of our assorted job-related ennui is to think of a business plan that utilizes all of our advanced degrees and work experience, quit our jobs and go into business for ourselves. Unfortunately, a business that incorporates finance, health care administration, counseling, coffee preparation and library science does not immediately come to mind. I suppose we could convince my brother to bring on his veterinary skills, but still.
So until someone comes up with this miraculous business plan, I will stay put and continue my search. It may lead me to take the desperate leap back into retail, but at least it would be something new, right? Maybe that is what they mean by “variety.”
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