My New Direction (very looong!)
Posted
Thursday, July 31, 2008 8:30 PM
"What if your current challenge is a call to action, a rallying cry that will prepare you for the next phase?" I read this today...and it's fitting. Last night, after going to bed, DH and I talked for a long time. I love this man. I love that he is supportive and encouraging! I've whined in past blogs about my job ... and it's gotten to the point where I sometimes cry at night knowing I have to get up and go in the morning and in the mornings, I dread getting out of bed and going to work. I work with wonderful people (except for the few jerks - see previous post). But, the job is stressful. I do medical administrative work for the administration of a growing medical group owned by a health system and the work piles on, the reward for good work is more work, the company grows, but the staff doesn't and being owned by the hospital - the hospital administration also piles on work due to their short staffed offices. There is always hurrying to finish projects, open offices, etc. I don't mind fast paced, but when deadlines are nearly impossible - it's not fun or rewarding.
Anywho - last night we're talking and I asked DH (who has 7+ years of education) how long college credits last, etc. and we got to talking and he is 100% supportive of me returning to school to pursue marketing. This means - I have permission to resign! My plan is to start slow since it's already late and getting close to
the beginning of a semester. I plan to introduce myself back into
studying with some online non-credit courses related to enhancing my business (my community website) first. The thought that I'm 38 and won't finish until I'm 41 sort of did cross my mind, but I'll still have over 20 years to work in a career that I love!
We're at a place in our lives (not just starting a family, etc.) where I don't have to work. I must say that the only thing I will miss from this job is my income. My resignation means I will not have the luxury of "spending money". It also means that the responsibility of health insurance falls to my self-employed DH, which is costly. I do have enough saved to pay off my car, so that will be helpful.
Other areas benefiting from my resignation: devoting more attention to my teenage daughter. I feel like between my work schedule, her tennis, her volunteering at the hospital - she doesn't get much one on one from me and a lot of her summer has been spent at home alone or running with friends. She'll graduate high school when I graduate from college. :)
Another area: the community website I developed which can generate income at some point. I just haven't had the time to actively market it to our community. I've been running radio commercials and a few other advertising options...but with work and family, it's always something I manage evenings and weekends. I will, however, have to get creative on how to go about "free" publicity. Still, I'm hopeful! I invested a lot of time/money into it where it is low maintenance now and paid up for the next year or so.
I've made up my draft plan: My boss is on vacation now. When she returns, I go on vacation for 8 days. When I return, I'll give my 2 week notice. Classes start 9/17. If my schedule allows, I can maintain a longer part time status as a consultant to help train my replacement. I really want to leave on good terms and I know my boss is going to be very upset. When I started, I never met the person I replaced. But the company was relatively small and the position grew with me (it's overgrown!). I do fear that they won't be able to retain someone because of the work overload...but maybe I'm being too self-confident. But, my performance review went so well, my boss became a friend, work developed into so much more than an administrative position (I created our company logo, create marketing materials, even manage one of our department's office staff now, etc.).
Sorry so long! It's just so much to think about all at once. I needed to write it out!