ome of you may not know this but I used to work as a special needs teacher. I fell into it quite accidentally after teaching at a high school for one year. I decided I never, ever wanted to be near mainstream teenagers en masse ever again. It was like living in the land of angst and laziness. I worked my first day at a special needs school not long afterwards and never looked backed. I blame my immediate switch on this gorgeous little boy with Down Syndrome shrieking ‘PRINCESS HAIR!!!!’ in my face and attaching himself to my curls for the remainder of the day. What a little charmer right? So cute.
Many years into my career, I met a very lovely lady at one of the schools I taught at. She’d been a teacher’s aid for 20 years. She really wanted to go into counselling but she was supporting her boyfriend and herself on her teacher’s aid salary (and yes, we will come back to the sponging boyfriend) and couldn’t afford to quit or study. She was fabulous at her job but her heart wasn’t in it.
I spent a lot of time planting seeds about a career change whenever we worked together. I’m a bit sneaky like that. I just think career dissatisfaction is soul destroying and I’m convinced it makes you age prematurely.
‘How’s Craig?’ I’d ask.
She’d reply ‘Urgh! He’s still a jerk. I should just ditch him.’
‘You’d save yourself a hell of a lot of money…’
And then one of the kids would start throwing their clothes out the window and we’d leave the topic to rest until the next time I saw her.
I haven’t seen this lady in about three years but she updated her Facebook status the other day…
‘Just completed my diploma of counselling in the same week that I move into my new apartment!’
Can I get a resounding hell yeah for how awesome this is?
She spent 20 years craving her dream career but she thought it was too hard and too late to make a change. Somewhere along the way she got up the gumption to get rid of what was tying her down (freeloading boyfriend) and she created the space in her life for the good shit.
I just loved reading her status so much I wanted to share it with you guys just in case you need a bit of a push.
If there’s something you’ve always wanted to do and you’ve been thinking about it for ages, do it.
Train to be a midwife.
Join a band.
Get your masters degree.
Adopt a dog.
Paint your bedroom walls purple.
Tell your crush you like them.
Take belly dancing classes.
Nothing is ever a waste of time if it’s leading towards a fulfilling life.
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Do you have anything you can’t stop thinking about? Anything that’s been niggling away at you?
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24 Comments
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Oh I love this post so much! But I’m kind of stuck with the opposite problem at the moment- I’m in that hazy post-school phase, where I’ve completed a degree my heart wasn’t in and now I’m floundering in full-time office work. I read so many articles about how to find your passion but I just can’t figure out what I would love to do. We’re so fortunate to have so many opportunities to learn and change paths, but I feel overwhelmed by choice at the moment!
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Yes me too! I’ve just decided to quit my business, and everyone’s asking what I’ll be doing next. I have no idea. But I have always thought about how lovely it might be to be a midwife.. Maybe this IS just the push I need ??
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I’ve a got a friend who just went back to study midwifery and she loves it. Do it!
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I was totally that person too! My philosophy is to just do what you want to do at the time. I plan on living until I’m a really old lady and I plan on loving lots of things in that time. I did a jewellery degree that I’m not using but I loved it and I’ll definitely come back to it – doing something is better than doing nothing!
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Yes I do. I will. x
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Oh excellent! I can’t wait to here more about this!
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I’ve done this a few times. Quit teaching kids, came to live down under, and most recently quit teaching so I can study to become a counsellor. Now all that’s left is to get a dog! A wise friend once told me “jump and the net will appear.” That’s so true, sometimes the hardest part is taking the step in the right direction. Yay for your friend! I love a happy ending!
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I always wanted to do counselling too! How weird! I always think people should just go for it. People get so weird about wasting time but the time will pass anyway so you might as well be doing something awesome with it.
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Yep! Quit my job, while pregnant, to move to another country. Started freelance writing, now starting on a children’s book. Life is too short not to do what you enjoy.
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Holy shit you are so brave! Good on you! That sounds amazing – I can’t wait to see your kid’s book!
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Taking my first EVER official dance class tonight. Something I’ve wanted to do since I was about 5… only 20 years late… but better late than never I say! 🙂
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You know it was just the other day I walked past my old dancing school and Canberra and thought how lovely it would be to take adult tap classes again! You’ve inspired me to look it up!
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I recently read one of those inspirational quote thingeys which everyone posts on Facebook (and which I usually just roll my eyes at and scroll on past), that said something like “it’s never too late to start something. The time will pass anyway”. I really like that.
I’m with a couple of the other girls here – dissatisfied with my career but unsure where to turn to next. I’m a secondary school teacher too (currently on maternity leave for 18mths), but my heart isn’t in it. Quite a few people have suggested that I should start a blog but I feel as though there’s already a squillion of them, plus I’m not sure if I’m prepared to lay that much of myself bare to the entire world.-
Blogs don’t need to be personal! There are definitely a squillion blogs but I can assure you most of them are crap. I’m a big supporter of people of trying out different things! Just see what sparks your interest. x
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Too true! After having my second baby and getting to the end of my maternity leave, I realised that I did not want to go back to my sales & marketing job. It just wasn’t in me anymore. I realised that if I was going to fork out for daycare & preschool and spend time away from my girls then it had to be for something that I loved. So I resigned, and 6 months later enrolled in the Diploma of Photography course I’d always wanted to do, and chase my dream of being a professional photographer.
There’s now 7 weeks left before I graduate and it’s been damn hard. Money has been tight. There have been doubts and insecurities. But it is hands down one of the BEST decisions I have ever made! It’s not easy, turning your back on a career you’ve had your entire adult life and chasing your dream but it is so worth it and I encourage everyone to give it a go.
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Oh I love this story it’s perfection! That’s what it’s all about right? Good luck with all your lovely stuff!
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I love this post!!!!
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Thank you! xx
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Keep them coming! Your awesome!
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The best advice! I like my day job but I love everything health and nutrition related so I am halfway through yet another degree. I have never been so motivated to study in my life either. It is crazy how passion drives you. I finished the first part of the course in record time (nutrition) and I am shocked at how much I am stalling to finish the psychology side of the course (considering that is the exact area I studied and have worked in for several years). Go figure. At least I know where my passion lies now!
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I moved to Sweden six months ago and decided I wouldn’t get a job straight away. It’s been fantastic because it’s given me a chance to do some Swedish courses and make a heap of new friends here (something I was really worried about). Now it’s time to go back to work and I’ve realised that I passionately do not want to do what I was doing before. Hmmm… problem or opportunity?
Love your posts, by the way!
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I am trying to live this post. Left my job and the organisation I’d been in for almost 20 years. I’m in the “in-between” and am starting to realise I’m not 100 percent sure where to next but I should just try a few things, testing my curiosity and see what happens. This is a great reminder!
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This post is what I wish I’d told myself years ago! After absolutely loving my job as an early childhood teacher, I left to do the full time mum thing for 6 years and when I went back I was sooooo miserable! I’ve worked part time in various teaching roles over the last four years that have made me miserable, telling myself that I just need to find the right place, the right hours, etc and THEN I’ll love it like I used to. For many years (even back when I loved the job pre kids) I had this idea that I would go back to university one day to study psychology, but for as equally long I have been talking myself out of it. Finally I realised that I can’t spend the next 20 years doing I job that doesn’t do it for me anymore and I have enrolled to do post graduate study in educational psychology next year. I can’t believe it took me so long to take the plunge, but now that I have actually gone and done it, I can’t wait!
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[…] First up, Carly from Smaggle shared this piece of advice… If you’re still thinking about it you should do it. […]
