Career changes

Life never ceases to amaze me. I mean, it is all a God 'thang'...and I love how it ebbs and flows like the waves on the shore. God seems to use crazy things to show you things about yourself and I am not sure exactly what he used this time but, I realized that I have not placed a true value on my time in the workplace. I have been complacent, I guess.

Explore this....

Right now...with the new year, I've made a decision that my time is worth more than a mere $20k per year. I mean, not that I am better than anyone else, but I need to put some things into perspective. In reality, I have a degree, I have loads of experience doing graphic design--just for the 'fun' of it---not because of being trained in the field...but because I have it as a natural talent....(guess that is why scrappin' appeals to me), I am a very quick study and can pick up on computer programs fairly easily (almost eating them up until I accomplish something), and still, I have a job that anyone who walks off the street can have (meaning no experience, no degree, etc.). I sort of stumbled into the position and I have advanced rapidly...even though the money end doesn't reflect so.

Don't get me wrong, I love what I do...maybe not because of it keeping my interest or allowing me to fully utilized my God-give talents and abilities, but because I can switch between tasks freely, not have a supervisor breathing all over me and because I tend to have great flexibility in the position. After being a stay-at-home mom for over 16 years, there is safety in that alone! I tell my husband all the time that 'work cramps my style'...ehheheheee! I have never had to be so dedicated to a position other than being a wife and mom. Anyway, I guess I had a moment of realization just before New Year's Eve. I realized that I have been like a ship with no true direction, just being tossed to and fro in whatever port is nearest. Just riding along in a lull, not truly aware that I even lacked direction...yet, secretly knowing it was so. It was like a defining moment...something woke up inside me...deep inside, and said, you are worth more than this job offers and it is time to move on to a new place. I think it was the moment that I realized that 2 of my sons are working jobs that pay almost 2x what I make---and they are both still in college....no degree, no special training, nothing that truly makes them different than me other than the fact I HAVE the degree. Evidently, I did a major boo-boo. I settled for something less than I was worth.

What does one do in the face of such revelation?

Set a GOAL!

So my goal has been to raise the bar. I decided that I should be in a position (entry level), that is in the $30k salary range. My goal is to pursue avenues I might have otherwise not travelled due to my own constraints that I seem to inevitibly place upon myself. I want excitement, freedom (well you know what I mean), a career with possibilities for advancement and one that will allow me to fully develop my talents and abilities. I want more than to be a mere 'glorified' secretary who pours herself--- talent, time and all, into a dead-end job.

Step 1:
Rework my resume---done!

Step 2:
Contact a friend to review---done!

Step 3:
Mail off resume to a prospective company that could offer just what I think I want---done!

Step 4:
Wait.

Step 5:
Wait. (well it has only been less than a week since I mailed it!)

Step 6:
Open email from friend who reviewed resume only to find that she is retiring from her GM position @ the local LARGE hotel chain....and who says for me to fill out a form called the "Predictive Index", cause she wants me to apply for a position with her hotel----an ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGERS position that starts out @ $34k per year. WHAT??? She is leaving.....(health reasons), but is really certain that in the 3 years that we have known each other, I fit the position well. OK...fax her my PI forms------done!

Step 7:
Wait.

OK, OK...we get the picture, right? It is scary, you know what I am saying? I have never worked in the hospitality industry, yet many interior design students do venture this way. I have little management experience, (but maybe enough to land the job). Fear. Uncertainty. I know how Tanya worked, yet she assures me that is not what I would be asked to do...as a matter of fact, she is not sure why she did it. Fast paced, exciting, busy, excellent benefit package, possibility of travel on occaision.....OH and discounted hotel rooms all over the world! LOL Always apprehension with the prospect of a total change in direction.

So, God opens the doors, we make a free-will decision and either walk in His path or shy away based on whatever lies satan is telling us. I hope that I will soon have a decision like this to make and that I can make the right decision based on much prayer and faith that God is in control and that I just need to go along for the ride. I hope that the position that does come my way will fulfill all of my needs for a career change.

I think I want to actually be the captain of my ship now. I think I can do it as long as I set my sights on the things of God and not of man.

What do you think?