Societal expectations are beginning to impact my job hunting progress. I am now at a point in my unemployed status where time is a factor. Both my age and the duration of my unemployment seem to have breached society's "status quo" limit. Once the gap in your employment history has reached 6 months you are perceived as unemployable. Codswallop, in my opinion.
I have been working for the last 35 years of my life. Why is there a belief that in order to be a "functioning" human being you must work every day of your life with no exception? Part of me is enjoying my time to explore new avenues and find my passion. Yet part of me struggles with the "need" to find a job quickly! I know I will never have an opportunity like this again in my lifetime and I fear that I will regret not taking full advantage of my current unemployed state. As such I have returned to one of my core values - learning. I have gone back to school.
Being in school has shown me that it is time to leave IT and move on. Into a new realm. To be all that I can be. To take all of my experience from my IT history and apply it in a brand new way - helping people. I have been trying to tell my circle what I am doing, only to be met with resistance and disbelief. Often the comments I get are hurtful. I know that the intention is not meant to be hurtful. Most likely they are afraid for me and want to protect me. Thing is, I like to try new things. Trying something new and not liking it (or if it doesn't work out) is not a failure to me, it is a positive experience, I have learned what I don't want to do. If I let fear dictate what my life is - then I have failed.
I thrive on being challenged. I once had a boss who told me that he feared that he would lose me because he wasn't able to come up with challenges fast enough. I need to learn and grow. I need to have an inclusive, collaborative environment, a place where I feel safe to share my thoughts and ideas. The ability to try things and if they don't work out to be able to learn and move on without being judged. This doesn't mean that I will always be positive or never frustrated or overwhelmed, it just means that I will be doing something that aligns with my values.
Peace
I have been working for the last 35 years of my life. Why is there a belief that in order to be a "functioning" human being you must work every day of your life with no exception? Part of me is enjoying my time to explore new avenues and find my passion. Yet part of me struggles with the "need" to find a job quickly! I know I will never have an opportunity like this again in my lifetime and I fear that I will regret not taking full advantage of my current unemployed state. As such I have returned to one of my core values - learning. I have gone back to school.
Being in school has shown me that it is time to leave IT and move on. Into a new realm. To be all that I can be. To take all of my experience from my IT history and apply it in a brand new way - helping people. I have been trying to tell my circle what I am doing, only to be met with resistance and disbelief. Often the comments I get are hurtful. I know that the intention is not meant to be hurtful. Most likely they are afraid for me and want to protect me. Thing is, I like to try new things. Trying something new and not liking it (or if it doesn't work out) is not a failure to me, it is a positive experience, I have learned what I don't want to do. If I let fear dictate what my life is - then I have failed.
I thrive on being challenged. I once had a boss who told me that he feared that he would lose me because he wasn't able to come up with challenges fast enough. I need to learn and grow. I need to have an inclusive, collaborative environment, a place where I feel safe to share my thoughts and ideas. The ability to try things and if they don't work out to be able to learn and move on without being judged. This doesn't mean that I will always be positive or never frustrated or overwhelmed, it just means that I will be doing something that aligns with my values.
Peace
Comments
Post a Comment