Meena's Musings | January 2023
A fresh start.
How many of you have been waiting for this day? I sure know I have! A New Year always brings in so much alacrity and ambition. It’s a day to manifest a better life for ourselves and our loved ones.
To kick off this new year, I wanted to share my personal journey with all of you.
I took a bold step about 2 months ago; I decided to quit my job and change my career.
Here is how it all started -
I was working at a Fortune 500 company, and quite honestly, it was a great role. Overall, I was proud of my position, and the work-life balance was excellent. Little did I realize though, that life had other plans! I happened to come across a career path that urged me to dig deeper. Through umpteen conversations and research, it became a no-brainer that that area of work would be a perfect fit for me in terms of my interest, personality and skill set.
Once I knew I was ready to venture into this discipline, I feel like everything that followed happened really quickly. It’s been an emotional ride. The uncertainty of the future (especially in this economy), whether or not I’ve taken the right decision, and being one of the first in my family to venture into this relatively newer field are some of the thoughts I have had to battle with. What took me a while to accept was the six years of capital and education I had put into getting my first two jobs, all of which I felt like I was throwing away to enter this new specialty. Honestly, I did not anticipate such a massive change at this point of time.
I have had great support from my family, and that has been reassuring. A constant reminder to see the bigger picture helped. I also learned that those six years of education were not ‘wasted’, as every decision I have taken has led me to where I am today.
The moment I made peace with my decisions, the optimist in me kicked in, and I was able to focus my energy on figuring out how to swim in this unknown ocean.
I am working really hard right now, balancing my education, personal life and the holidays. It is a tough few months but I am aware that it is a great investment for the rest of my life. I am registered in an intensive bootcamp, reading books, listening to podcasts, attending workshops, and I am super involved in the various LinkedIn communities. It is an invigorating journey, and I cannot wait to see where I will be a year from now!
One way that I keep myself motivated is by celebrating my wins. A new beginning means a revamped LinkedIn, a fresh resume, and a new response when someone asks me what my profession is! As they say, success is a series of small victories!
Given that we spend a majority of our waking hours at work, being content in our professional life matters. The best part is, WE can make that happen.
For those of you who are going through a similar journey of embarking on a new beginning, or are scared to take that first step, know that we are all in this together. You got this!
Happy New Year 2023. Here’s to more fulfilling careers!