“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” – Henry David Thoreau

After graduating from a competitive Masters program in London, England, I move to San Diego, California to start my career. It was late 2005, and I was young and hungry for any opportunity to prove my talents, worth, and loyalty to the first willing company that would have me. I soon realized, even though I’d completed several internships, worked for a year doing research, and published a report with the British Haringey Asylum Service; many companies still felt I was “green.” So, I did what most graduates do, I settled for a lower level “specialist” style job to prove myself and advance.

I was hired as a Broker Relations Specialist at a large multi-million dollar mortgage bank. After 8-months of creating a department for the ground up, assisting other departments, making sure I was one of the few employees who was cross trained in every other departments duties, spending many weeks working 50 – 65 hour weeks, and proving myself; I was finally promoted to run the department I had spent so many months creating and building. As a company looking to save money, although I was running my department, my official title was only Sr. Broker Relations Specialist. My pay took a pretty big jump, but as dedicated as I was, HR, wanting to keep as much control as possible, wouldn’t allow me to become salaried. That would have meant I didn’t have to punch a clock. Even after all that, I loved my job. I worked for a great company, which had a president who actually cared about the employees, co-workers who cared about each other, monthly events, and what seemed like security, at the time.

That all changed when I was laid-off in November of 2009. It was the height of the economic downturn, housing crash, and recession. So, with a friend, I decided to go into consulting. She had the gift for finding clients and interfacing with their employees and teams. I brought the ability to solve problems, pay attention to details, and turn her results into usable and profitable information. We gained several contracts that allowed me to live a modest, yet comfortable life. Sadly, after a year, and several of our clients going bankrupt, I was again searching to re-invent myself. 

This time, I was determined to make something out of my real passions. I was no longer going to work a job just for money, because that, time had proven could bear fruit, but still fail to bring lasting joy. So, I set out to incorporate writing, research, and teaching into my next career. From an early age I loved public speaking, writing (poetry, short stories, and opinion pieces), and diving into copious amounts of information and sifting out the good bits for other peoples consumption. I enjoyed this not only because it broadened my knowledge base, but also because it allowed me to write pieces of information for people who may not normally get it. I started looking for teaching jobs at the college level and any writing position I could find. Every day I would wake up, and hunt for positions. All the while, working the occasional odd contract to keep food on the table, gas in my car, and my electricty on. When I was out and about, I would talk to anyone I met, even at the grocery store, all searching for my next great career.

After a few months of searching, I got a part-time job teaching at a career college. A few weeks later, I submitted a resume, and some writing samples to a large online news source, and was hire as a part-time journalist. With two part-time jobs, little free-time, and a mountain of bills beging me to get back into the corprate world, I still spent any free-time I had trying to hone my skills, and not give up. I was determined to make teaching, researching, and writing a successful career. Two years later, I can say I’ve actually made it work. I've been able to start paying off some bills and save some money for a rainy day. In October of 2011, I resigned my job and moved to Hawaii to continue teaching and writing. Hawaii has always been a place I have felt comfortable and inspired. I am proud to call this rock in the pacific, my home. I’m currently working on a career development, job readiness, and life skills textbook. In addition, I’m formulating my first novel. I can also, proudly add that next semester, I will start teaching at a local community college.

Looking back, it seems unbelievable to think of how much my life has changed over the past 6 – 8 years. I’ve had ups and downs, more work experiences than most my age, and I’m finally happy that every day, I wake up eagerly waiting for my computer to boot. Although, I make much less than before, it’s enough to live life, enjoy my friends, explore the island, have enough free-time to volunteer, and have the occasional splurge. More so, my passion for writing, teaching, giving back, and relaying information has produced a new life, new joys, and although it’s not my second career, it’s my brilliant third!

In the end, “there is no satisfaction that can compare with looking back across the years and finding you’ve grown in self-control, judgment, generosity, and unselfishness.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox