I’m sitting in my new (I use the word new lightly) apartment in San Diego…on an air mattress…without a job…in a bad economy. And the funniest thing about that: this is of my own doing.
No, I don’t mean that I didn’t work hard enough at my previous job and got fired. And no, I didn’t steal company money. I quit my job in Columbus, Ohio with the intention of moving to San Diego to start a new career. Both my husband and I, that is. People have said we’re crazy, but who cares. Sometimes a person has to take a risk or two in life to get where they’re ultimately going. Where I was going was in a career path that had nothing to do with my degree, stuck in the Midwest.
I debated whether to make this blog about my journey from Midwest Girl to West Coast Beach Babe, but I decided against it. I want this to be about taking the risk to change your career path when the odds seem against you. Whether it’s getting laid off and deciding to look for a new career field in your town, or quitting your job and deciding to volunteer overseas – we all share similar fears and trepidations. Understand though, this move didn’t happen without forethought and planning.
I always came from the school of thought that you have to have a job before you quit your job. It makes sense, especially in this economy. But it wasn’t that easy for us, we wanted to live in California, period. And we began to find it difficult to find jobs in California while living in Ohio. We then became stuck in the renter’s cycle – each October it was time to renew our release, and then we’d be stuck there for a whole year. Something had to give.
One night, we were at Corey’s house (a childhood friend of Derek, my husband) shooting the breeze. We told him how we’ve been trying to move and things weren’t panning out. Corey responded “Just do it.” I remember thinking he was nuts…and he calmly said “What’s the worst that can happen? You’re both intelligent, educated people…you have nothing to worry about.” My husband always felt this way, but I needed a little more convincing.
Being the worrier that I am, I quickly responded with about 30 rebuttals…
“What about the lapsed job history?” or “If I tell an employer I quit, maybe he’ll think I’m too irresponsible to hire.” or “What if I can’t find a job and we’re out on the street?” ..so on and so forth.
Corey responded again, calmly, “Any employer you’d want to work for would appreciate your ambition, if not, forget ’em. And Derek, your parents, and your friends wouldn’t allow you to be in a situation where you’re out on the street.”
That moment changed my life, and here I am, 9 months later, in San Diego..Part 2.
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