Every year during the holidays, I enjoy attending the annual family Christmas gathering to see how everyone is doing. I thoroughly enjoy seeing every family member and savor every bite of food. The older I get, the more it means to me.
I come from a long line of proud, strong, blue-collar workers, and my brother and I have the privilege of being the first in our extended paternal family to graduate from college. We’ve both had the opportunity to work in blue-collar situations, and we have a healthy respect for hard work and experience. My college diploma is useless if I don’t know how to apply everything I have learned so I am an active supporter for including a lot more hands-on practical work experience in the college process and a lot less theory.
This year, I find myself in a unique situation. I am currently between jobs and using that time to help family and develop my writing and blogging skills. I have a plan for the things I want to do, but it isn’t a short process that can just be explained in a sentence. This is the crux of the problem. How do I succinctly explain to people about my career transition without lapsing into a diatribe of my work experiences which have pushed me to a breaking point?
There have been circumstances under which some people had jobs they hated and worked them until retirement because responsibilities demanded that they do so, and for many people, those circumstances still exist. It is not lost on me that I am privileged to be able to take the time to find a new career that I actually love. I used to love working in libraries, but at some point, I lost the passion for it. I’m blessed that I can look for another career that brings me joy. I am blessed that I can take the time to look for a job where I can actually respect my boss and trust my coworkers. I don’t mean that they need to be like family, but I just want to be able to respect my boss as a good manager and trust my coworkers as hardworking, non-backstabbing fellow employees. There is no way to say that in a short sentence when someone asks you how work is going at the annual family Christmas celebration.
I know what the plan in my head is, and I have my notebook where it has all begun to take shape. I know that I am seeking freelancing and independent contracting work involving my writing skills. I see how it will work in my head, but how do I explain that so it doesn’t look as if I’m just rambling about without a traditional full-time job? I didn’t think about this beforehand, and I found that I didn’t quite know how to quickly sum up what I was looking for when asked about work. It tumbled out as something like, “I’m looking for a job that lets my use my writing skills and possibly some ministry type work. I would also like to be able to set my own schedule so I can do more to help my family when I am needed.”
Looking back, I couldn’t help but think how ridiculous it sounded, but even now, I’m trying to figure out how I could have said it better. It was all the truth. I am looking for freelance or independent contracting work that lets me work from home and set my own schedule to be of more assistance to my family members when they need me since they matter more than work. I want a job that makes use of my writing and research skills. I am hoping to do some Bible ministry work simply by sharing the Word in blog form. I eventually hope to write some books and publish those. That sums it up!
I don’t know what my family members thought when I was explaining it, but I am assured of one thing. They love me regardless of whether I was making any sense. As I move forward with my writing, I hope to share it with them so they understand just exactly what I’m doing. It may not look like a traditional “9 to 5” job, but it’s the career I want and the work I feel I should be doing. I’m going to do all the steps to make it move forward, and if I fail in the end, I’ll learn from that. If I succeed, I’ll keep going and learn from that, too.
While I might not have been able to explain it the way I wanted just yet, I’m not going to let that hold me back from moving forward. It’s one of the hardest things about a career transition. It’s difficult to explain when you are in the middle of it and don’t have all the pieces in place just yet. If you are experiencing the same thing right now, just feel encouraged that you are not alone in the process. I’m right there with you.
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Inspirational Verse for the Day:
“In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.” Psalm 86:7 (ESV)
All Things Subject to Change 