About 6 months ago I began a new job. I was really looking forward to it. It was a big improvement from my previous jobs. The pay was excellent compared to my previous jobs. So that was a big upside especially in this economic climate.
Over the years I have been pursuing furthering my education in the field of psychology. My bachelor’s degree allowed me to get this new job. I recently earned my masters is sport psychology. It has been a goal of mine to become a psychology professor at a university. To have a legitimate opportunity to obtain such a position I need to earn my PhD. So I began this process shortly before starting this new job.
Also over the past ten years I have been becoming increasingly involved in photography. I finally reached the level of competence where I thought I could begin to pursue photography professionally, at least part time. As I build myself up as a professional photographer it requires an increasing amount of time to present the type of work a professional would present. I need to work on expanding my subject list, continually perfecting my technique, writing articles to accompany my photographs, and submitting them to editors.
So as I began this new job a lot of thoughts began to flow through my mind. This job pays well with increases yearly. There are great health insurance benefits. There are good retirement benefits. There is stability. All of these things maybe close to or better than I would have with careers as a professor or photographer.
I began to wonder, why am I killing myself to work full time, and pursue my PhD, and become a professional photographer? Should I be content with what I already have? Is it worth my time and effort to pursue these other career options if they are not going to get me to any better a position than I am already in?
I have found out recently that it is worth my effort to pursue these goals. After working for nearly six months I know that this is not the job I want for the rest of my life. I still dread going to bed each night because I will have to wake up and go to work. My job may be comfortable but it does not captivate me. I desire a job that I look forward to every day of my life. I think that is what I will have with a career as a professor or photographer. I am willing to get up early in the morning and stand in the freezing cold to get that shot. I am willing to write a twenty page paper to earn that next degree. The job I have now is something I fell into. I did not strive for it. I will embrace the job as a stepping stone on the way to achieving my dreams.
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