What have you got to lose?

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost

Soho

My mom asked me the other day, "What have you got to lose?" To answer that question, you need to learn a little bit more about me. I am first generation Filipino-American. My parents came to the U.S. in the 70's from the Philippines for a better life. They settled in Chicago, where I was born and raised. Now, being Filipino, there are only a few careers that are acceptable to most of our parents, i.e. nurse, doctor, really anything in the medical field, maybe even a lawyer or engineer. Basically, anything that will give you a title behind your name, Filipinos really like those.

I guess I'm a little bit rebellious and have no interest in making a career in any of those fields. Well, not really interest, more like talent, I have no talent in any of those fields. These jobs require science classes. I don't have the desire or focus to retain knowledge in this field. I just did not do well with my science classes. Instead, my interest and talents are found in the liberal arts, psychology and english. These are the classes I succeeded in and eventually got my degree in. With some "encouragement" from my mom to go into the medical field, I declared Health Information Management thinking this would be a happy middle ground for the both of us, this lasted for one semester. After a changing my major a few times, it's a wonder I still in finished in four years. So back in 2003, I had a B.A. in Psychology with an English minor. If you have a Psych degree, you know it pretty much gets you no where. You eventually have to go back for a Masters or a Ph.D. if you want to find work in this field.

I did go back to school, but for a MBA and it's been two years since I've worked. Due to my lack of employment, my mom has been "encouraging" me to reevaluate my life and consider a different career path. In other words, go back to school and get a nursing degree. If I had only gotten that nursing degree in the first place I would have a stable job and a real career, like everyone else who finally gave in to their parents. Yes, everyone I know who has gone into the medical field has a real job. And everyone else who didn't is still trying to find their way. But doesn't that give us more motivation to prove ourselves to our parents? To borrow from Kanye West, it makes us want to work a little bit harder, better, faster, and stronger because what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.

So, what have I got to lose? You can only gain when you go to school. Gain more knowledge, marketable skills, a new network. But what I would lose is my passion. I would feel like I'm giving in. I would lose my determination in finding the perfect job for me. I would lose a little part of me. I took the path less traveled and I'm trying very hard to make that difference.

Ever take the path less traveled? Did you lose anything?

P.S. I will forever be grateful to my parents for giving us that better life and for always supporting education.

Sometimes you have to quit

"Never give up, but know when to quit." - Unknown

Recently (finally) watched Up In the Air. There's a line in the movie that got me thinking - "At what point were you going to stop and go back to what made you happy?"

It also reminded me of a line from a Friends episode: The One Where Rachel Quits - "As long as you got this job, you’ve got nothing pushing you to get another one. You need the fear...if you quit this job, you then have motivation to go after a job you really want.

Lately, we've been hearing about people quitting their jobs with flair. Maybe if I had quit with flair, I would've gotten my 15 minutes of fame, and landed another job! All joking aside, why did I quit a perfectly stable job that I was good at and was well liked. It all came down to what makes me happy. It wasn't that I was UNhappy, I was just NOT happy. I didn't look forward to going into work and dealing with the same things over and over. Part of the reason I was good at my job, was because I had my routine down to the minute. I could do it in my sleep. I walked into work five days a week and did the same exact thing 8, sometimes even 10 hours a day. I was bored, unmotivated, and unchallenged. It left me unfulfilled. 

I worked there part-time while going to school for my undergrad. After I graduated and while looking for full-time work, I got the opportunity to intern at a radio station. It was unpaid and I was no longer in school so I didn't even get credit for it, but I LOVED the work I did there. I was happy! I actually looked forward to it! I stayed for over a year hoping to get employed, unfortunately it went out of business. My experience at the radio station finally helped me decide what I wanted to do when I grow up. 

In the meantime, I had the chance to make my part-time job into a full-time job. I had nothing else lined up, so I took it, plus it gave me health insurance. I always planned on getting a Master's degree and after a few setbacks, I finally decided go for a MBA. I worked full-time in the days and went to school part-time in the evenings. After two years I had a MBA to my name and quit my job a week later. Don't worry I gave them plenty of notice, like six months notice. They knew when I finished school I would be leaving. I might have stayed if I had anywhere to go, but working for a small office where was no room for growth, no promotions, and no salary increase, wasn't doing it for me anymore.

Almost two years has gone by and I still don't have a job. Was I naive in thinking just because I had a MBA to my name I would be getting job offers left and right? A little. Did I think that my job experience, education and passion would land me my dream job? Of course. Do I regret quitting? Not at all! Quitting my job gave me "the fear" and the motivation to go after what makes me happy and I'm not giving up until I find it! 

Do you need "the fear?" Are you doing what makes you happy?

To blog or not to blog

"The difficulty is not to write, but to write what you mean." 

- Robert Louis Stevenson

New York, NY

It's already been a month since my birthday! Which means it's been a month since I was in NYC. I was lucky enough to find a last minute and reasonably priced ticket so off I went for my very first time to NY! It really is a wonderful and magical place and six days is simply not enough time to explore! It's a city I will be seeing again!

To be honest, I'm still a little apprehensive this whole blogging thing. I've never believed in sharing my life online, especially to strangers. But I've come to a point in my life where the (secret) writer in me can no longer keep my thoughts to myself. I don't know if it has anything to do with turning 3-0 in eleven months, but I feel I've learned a few life lessons along the way.

I am only human and as with life, nothing is perfect. This blog won't be perfect. There will be mistakes along the way, mostly because my thoughts come faster than my typing. But without mistakes we never learn. My only hope is to send you some inspiration. So join me on this journey as I look back on the life lessons of the past 29 years and look forward to what's next.