Career Changers, Anonymous

So I'm reading the Suze Orman Book- Young, Fabulous and Broke (excellent for basic information) for about the fourth time and trying to make sense of it. She spends nearly a whole chapter on careers and how to deal with starting out in them. Which is where I step in. I'm trying to decide whether or not to stay at my job for another year. I've been here about a year, and gotten a raise, and it's going fairly well. But it's difficult to decide whether I should try something different (to show flexibility) or stick with the same position (to show loyalty). It's amazing to get out in the working world and discover this. That you're actually expected to ork about 50 years of your life, day in and day out. Very confusing. And boring.

I read that women have to be challenged more than men. That's why, this author surmises, so many elect to stay home with their kids. Because it's guaranteed they won't be doing the same thing two days in a row. This author was saying that many men are comfortable with being in their jobs for long periods of time before retiring, while women wanted and needed different things to do. Of course I just read an article in the home paper about a woman who's been the secretary for a local law firm for fifty years. She's 84 and still goes to work every day. It is amazing. Then again, I think, she elected to live in my tiny town in North Carolina.

So I'm on the verge of figuring out where I need to go from here. I wish it were easier. I wish I had a sign from someone that it was time to move on. But so far, nada. There was a job I applied for back in May- when I was convinced I needed to change, and quickly! but I didn't hear from them until today. When they think they might want me in the position. The good news is it pays a lot more than I'm making now, I would have much better benefits, and I'd be doing something I'm thinking about doing anyway. The bad news is I'm probably going to graduate school next fall and am not sure it's worth it to switch careers at this point, for the next ten months.

Some decisions obviously have to be made, and they're going to be serious ones. But I'm hoping that with some guidance I'll be able to make the right ones.