Like most of you I started working when I was 15. Just a waitress at the local restaurant
working for minimum wage and tips; oh it was a fun job all right, don't get me wrong. I worked with some friends from school, and had a lot of fun during my time there. And from there I went to college, no I didn't take much time off from work then. I wanted to work through school, after all a girl needs some spending money. And the day I graduated I went to the placement office and answered the first ad I read, I got the job. I proceeded to work another 10 years there without a break. I didn't have kids so I didn't even get a "break" from work with a maternity leave. When I left that job I went to another, spent another decade there. And now during this horrible recession, my hours are being reduced at work. Hey, I know I'm lucky so far, at least I've still got a job. But still I'm a bit scared.
For the first time in 25 years I have to sit down and look at my life. Look at my desires, create a resume'. Yikes. So that's what I've done. And you know what? What I've realized now and maybe even for the last 20 years is that I don't really love what I do for a living. Ok, so maybe not everyone does. Maybe I'm deluded into thinking that we should be able to do for a living what makes us happy. As my brother always says (and I'm sure somebody quotable before him) "If you do what you love you will never work another day in your life". What a concept. Do what you love. How simple.
Great, but what if you didn't figure that out until you were 40. What then? Can you really go back to school at 40, do you have the time, the money, the desire to retrain? I'm not sure that I do. What if at 40 you realized you were destined to be an Interior Designer. Sure 25 years ago when I showed an interest in it who would have ever thought Interior Design would be what it is today. What with HGTV and the DIY network all the rage. I could have been screaming into a megaphone too. No, my Mom said, "honey, you got to be able to make a living, take business classes, learn to type, that will always keep you employed". Not bad advise, I love my Mom and she was only looking out for me. But oh, had I known then, what I know now…I so would have followed my dreams.
OK, so maybe I have to settle for being my own decorator, knowing that I have talent in color and style selections is my own little fantasy. Maybe I'll never be famous or employed doing that for a living. Ok, I can probably live with that. I'll just redecorate my house a lot, give friends advise if they want it, settle for decorating the office. And have the satisfaction knowing that when people come to visit my home they will say, "hey your house looks nice."
But what else, there has to be something else. The sum of my adult working life just can't be mediocre can it? Did I just skate through the last 20 years of my life settling for a job without passion? Yes…no…well maybe.
These shorter hours at work have forced me to sit down and think about some things. Stuff I probably buried way back in my head and didn't think about when I was working 60 hour weeks early in my career, or when I was falling in love with my husband or even when we set down roots in our first home. These are the things I now have time to ponder. What do I like, what am I good at, how can I make that into a career?
And you know what? I've decided this is a good thing. I'm turning my upset about my hours being cut into an opportunity for change. I'm not saying it's not going to be a struggle. Losing several hundred dollars a month income is going to be painful, I may need to find part-time work, if I can. But it's giving me a chance to say, "hey, here's your chance for change". Here's my chance to learn to live on less. Here's my chance to look at my likes and my dislikes and maybe turn that into a new career. Maybe I can't be an interior designer, but maybe I can break into real estate. I love homes. I have good business skills. I'm good with people. I know how to sell. I could definitely stage other people's homes. Now is the time, right? Housing prices have dropped into reasonable ranges, the interest rate is as low as it's been in 40 years. It's a buyer's market. The market has to recover at some point. Maybe with the right training and someone who's willing to give a 40 year old a chance at change I could actually do something I love. Maybe then in 25 years I can look back and say a definite "YES, I loved what I did for a living, I wouldn't change a thing."
working for minimum wage and tips; oh it was a fun job all right, don't get me wrong. I worked with some friends from school, and had a lot of fun during my time there. And from there I went to college, no I didn't take much time off from work then. I wanted to work through school, after all a girl needs some spending money. And the day I graduated I went to the placement office and answered the first ad I read, I got the job. I proceeded to work another 10 years there without a break. I didn't have kids so I didn't even get a "break" from work with a maternity leave. When I left that job I went to another, spent another decade there. And now during this horrible recession, my hours are being reduced at work. Hey, I know I'm lucky so far, at least I've still got a job. But still I'm a bit scared.
For the first time in 25 years I have to sit down and look at my life. Look at my desires, create a resume'. Yikes. So that's what I've done. And you know what? What I've realized now and maybe even for the last 20 years is that I don't really love what I do for a living. Ok, so maybe not everyone does. Maybe I'm deluded into thinking that we should be able to do for a living what makes us happy. As my brother always says (and I'm sure somebody quotable before him) "If you do what you love you will never work another day in your life". What a concept. Do what you love. How simple.
Great, but what if you didn't figure that out until you were 40. What then? Can you really go back to school at 40, do you have the time, the money, the desire to retrain? I'm not sure that I do. What if at 40 you realized you were destined to be an Interior Designer. Sure 25 years ago when I showed an interest in it who would have ever thought Interior Design would be what it is today. What with HGTV and the DIY network all the rage. I could have been screaming into a megaphone too. No, my Mom said, "honey, you got to be able to make a living, take business classes, learn to type, that will always keep you employed". Not bad advise, I love my Mom and she was only looking out for me. But oh, had I known then, what I know now…I so would have followed my dreams.
OK, so maybe I have to settle for being my own decorator, knowing that I have talent in color and style selections is my own little fantasy. Maybe I'll never be famous or employed doing that for a living. Ok, I can probably live with that. I'll just redecorate my house a lot, give friends advise if they want it, settle for decorating the office. And have the satisfaction knowing that when people come to visit my home they will say, "hey your house looks nice."
But what else, there has to be something else. The sum of my adult working life just can't be mediocre can it? Did I just skate through the last 20 years of my life settling for a job without passion? Yes…no…well maybe.
These shorter hours at work have forced me to sit down and think about some things. Stuff I probably buried way back in my head and didn't think about when I was working 60 hour weeks early in my career, or when I was falling in love with my husband or even when we set down roots in our first home. These are the things I now have time to ponder. What do I like, what am I good at, how can I make that into a career?
And you know what? I've decided this is a good thing. I'm turning my upset about my hours being cut into an opportunity for change. I'm not saying it's not going to be a struggle. Losing several hundred dollars a month income is going to be painful, I may need to find part-time work, if I can. But it's giving me a chance to say, "hey, here's your chance for change". Here's my chance to learn to live on less. Here's my chance to look at my likes and my dislikes and maybe turn that into a new career. Maybe I can't be an interior designer, but maybe I can break into real estate. I love homes. I have good business skills. I'm good with people. I know how to sell. I could definitely stage other people's homes. Now is the time, right? Housing prices have dropped into reasonable ranges, the interest rate is as low as it's been in 40 years. It's a buyer's market. The market has to recover at some point. Maybe with the right training and someone who's willing to give a 40 year old a chance at change I could actually do something I love. Maybe then in 25 years I can look back and say a definite "YES, I loved what I did for a living, I wouldn't change a thing."
