Single in Stilettos

My quarter life crisis

Yeah, I have no idea what those things on the board say, but that's how I feel... except put the stuff on the board in english.
Have you heard of this? I hadn't until recently when I found a book sitting on my coffee table that really got me thinking. No, I can't remember the name of it. And if my roommate knew that I started reading it, she'd probably be a little embarrassed.

I always imagined myself to be happy working. I'd have the ideal job, I'd do good in the world, make a difference everyday. As it turns out, its not that easy. Those "fell good" jobs sound good in theory, but the pay is crap.

Then you have my job...

The pay... is decent. The work... is tedious. Do I feel like I'm helping improve the world? Um... no.

So, as of recently I've been contemplating a career change. But to what? That's the problem. When I first started college, my friends coveted the assurance I had in my major. Most of them were undecided, yet I forged ahead, excited and determined. Until my junior year. Then it all came crashing down. I realized I wanted to make money and help people. That kinda threw teaching out the window. Okay, so. Fine.

At this point I decided to switch my major to nursing. I did that for a year, then I decided to double major because I couldn't do without my music. Then it came.

Burnout.

I'd been in college for four years already and I hadn't graduated. I watched many of my friends graduate and go into the real world. I envied them. That's when I decided I had to get out. Now. So, I did the math and figured out what would get me out of school the fastest. So, I graduated with a B.A. in Music. I'm one class shy of being accepted into nursing school... microbiology... ugh.

So, here's the problem now. I feel like I'm in a deadend job. I have no interest in government. I try, honest... I do! But I've never been much of a politician. So the dilemma continues.

When I was home over 4th of July, my entire family (we're talking extended family... like 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousins) were disappointed to hear I wasn't a teacher. I've always interacted well with kids, and I enjoy being around them. Just not all the time. Although, the more I work, the more "summers off" sounds great to me... maybe worth the paycut.

Yeah, so my family votes for teaching.

Well, not my entire family. My grandfather is a doctor and was excited when I was planning on going into nursing. He still votes for nursing... plus, the pay is better. Nursing is something I could see myself being good at. I like helping people, and I've actually developed a much stronger stomach that I had in high school. Well, my grandfather is the one that paid for my college to begin with, so his opinion weighs heavier than most people's.

Okay, so that's a vote for nursing.

The job I currently have, yes, its in government but it also requires a lot of business sense. I'm constantly putting events together for work or church. I'm organized and HUGE into planning. I've thought about going back to school and getting my MBA. My friends are constantly telling me how business minded I am... plus, business pays.

Yeah, so my friends vote for business.

Then, just last week I was talking to my friend Andrea and she mentioned that she thought I'd make a great lawyer. Could I hack it? Back in junior high I wanted to be a lawyer for battered women. Is it sad that I still think sometimes that I want to be a divorce attorney? Maybe it comes from watching my mom go through divorce, after divorce, after divorce. But law school? Scary much? The pay would be good (unless I did the battered women thing... that'd be nonprofit and the pay would be crap). But I'd have a whole lot of schooling to do.

Hm... could I do law as well?

Yeah, so I've thought and thought over the last few months trying to figure out what to do with my life. I can:

1. Continue in my current career field and continue advancing... but be miserable.
2. Get out of this job, look for a new one in event planning. I'm good at that stuff and maybe I wouldn't have to go back to school to do it... although, I won't do weddings. Ugh.
3. Go back to school and get my MBA in Health Administration, so instead of being a nurse, I'd be a CEO in a hospital or something to that degree.
4. Go back to school and get an MBA in Arts Management and do like my friend Shana did. Get a job at a university doing fund raising for the arts.
5. Go back to school and get certified as a teacher. Then I could teach. Feel like I'm making a difference in the world. Plus... summers off. That almost makes the paycut sound worth it.
6. Finish the one course I need to get into nursing school. Get accepted to an accelerated 1 year program for nursing. Ta da! I could be a nurse in as little as a year and a half. But I'd have to quit my job to go back to school... that kind of school is full time.
7. Apply to law schools. Yes, I'd have to take the LSATs, and I doubt I'd be able to bend-and-snap my way through that one. Plus, I'm not blonde. Yeah, but I'm smart and witty. I could see myself kicking some major butt in a court room. However, I can't see myself going back to school like that. But its an option nonetheless.

Yeah, so that's my list of options. I've been weighing each of them for awhile now. However, I'm not any closer to figuring out what to do with my life than I was a few months ago.

Yeah, all this makes me think I'm ready, I could do it. I could meet a guy, get married, have babies, and just stay home for the rest of my life. This corporate world sucks. So, if you find an old fashion down to earth kinda guy that's tall, nice, and not totally unfortunate looking... send him my way.*

*Disclaimer: This is not an equal opportunity for all. I reserve the right to reject any persons based on age, incompatibility, lack of person hygiene, or anything else I can find wrong with him.

But I'll do my best to give him a shot.

posted by Me @ 9:02 AM