I Hate Being in the Vault

I'm an all-out-there kind of girl. Transparency is pretty much how I live my life. So having made this monumental decision, and not having made it known yet at work...is killing me.

I love my firm and the people in it. For 10 years it has been my home and my family, and that isn't over-stating it. Our firm is known for it's warm environment. And if I hadn't decided to switch careers in mid-life...I doubt I would ever leave.

I'll be sharing this blog with my friends at work once I break the news...so, work family -- this post is pretty much an open letter to all of you!

Why am I leaving?

• I'm at that pivotal point between the time my son gets married and starts a family, and the time when my parents get older and start needing me around. Nobody ever knows how long that period may be, but if I were going to make changes...now is the time.

• I have learned that I'm no longer interested in the business world -- I have 25 years to go before retirement, and staying engaged in business means: days, weeks and years filled with meetings, management, and key performance indicators! I have decided I don't want to fill my time that way.

• I'm an adventure junkie. Change excites me. Variety feeds me. Serving people is where I find my joy. As I research the nursing industry -- it seems tailor-made for me. There are so many paths nursing can take me down, that if I crave change in the future, I can explore them. The path I've been on is rather linear and defined. It is really too soon to say what area will interest me, but I am rather intrigued by travel nursing. I will be gearing my preparations after graduation toward becoming a travel nurse. These nurses travel the country taking short 3 month assignments anywhere they like, with an option to extend. I love the idea of moving around for a season and exploring areas that strike my fancy. I'll write more later on the other things I have learned about this path.

• I'm a single woman. This recession is pissing me off! But because I don't have the income of a spouse to fall back on, I am particularly vulnerable if the promised Hope and Change doesn't come, and things in this economy continue to decline. Nursing is one of those recession-proof jobs and will enable me to expand my reach far and wide if I need to. As an artist, part of me always chafed that in the "lifeboat of life" -- I'd likely be thrown overboard or eaten by the doctors, teachers and engineers who would be needed during rough times!

• I have something to contribute! Unfortunately, I have been a consumer of healthcare more times than I would have ever thought. I have been in so much pain at times, that I know what it is like to actually not care if I lived or died in those dark moments. I have spoken the words "just let me die." and given up. I have gone through painful rehabilitation requiring daily PT and sustained narcotic meds to get me through. I have faced personal demons, wandering quite close to depression during the worst part of my recovery -- and come out the other side. Combine my experiences on the patient side of things, my life experience as a leader and business person, and my passion to comfort and aid those who are suffering, and I am betting my future on the fact that I will make a great nurse.