A new direction

First of all, my posts have been so erratic because I do not have a home computer. Yea, that's right. In fact, I haven't had one since my sophomore year of college when I let my family have it. I simply haven't had a big need for it. I blogged the most when I was employed at Eco. Not on company time of course ;) That will change very soon because I am buying a Mac Book Pro in a week or so! Since January, this is what I've been up to.

The same company that laid me off hired me back! Basically I got a four month paid vacation! I was hired to help out the Strategic Director on a project till May. The structure has helped immensely. But with that structure came some hardships. It was the first time I had to wake up before 7am and use my brain for more than a few hours at a time! I was so tired that I would come straight home and fall asleep at 7pm! Doing something other that accounting has been a wonderful change. I always thought that I wanted to be an accountant but I've learned that it's just not for me. The job tasks that I currently have assigned to me are much more appealing. They allow me to use some of my best strengths like problem solving and creativity. Knowing this, it will be hard to leave a profession that I love so much.

I've decided to take a step in a new direction. After the major earthquake in Hati, I tried and failed to get on several mission trips to help with disaster relief. I was denied every trip because I did not have medical experience. I thought to myself, how can I make this happen? Why not go back to school and get my nursing degree (BSN). To myself and most everyone else, it seemed like a drastic change and maybe border line irrational to be so impulsive. I've got a good job and I can do a lot with my accounting background. Going back to school means more student loan debt and having to deal with paying bills without an income. Also, I feel like I should be more settled at the age of 25 and the thought of getting out of school at 28 seems scary. Those of you who are a lot older than me, 28 probably seems very young. And I'm sure it is but it's difficult for me to see that at this point.

I think there is something to be said for knowing what you don't want to do in life. It's an invaluable thing to know. I'm glad I stuck with the degree I did and pursued a career that allowed me to use what I learned in school. Now that I've given it a go, I can honestly say that it is not for me. There is nothing about accounting that I find exciting or beneficial. I don't want to sit at a desk crunching numbers just to get a pay check every two weeks. I am better and have more to offer than that. I love to help other people, travel and come home at the end of the day feeling like I made a difference. I can make all these things happen if I become a nurse. I'll constantly be in situations where I can make peoples day better by what I do. I'll have the option of being a travel nurse where I can go anywhere I could possibly dream of. The work hours are great and will also allow me to have several days off in a row to do my ironman training and travel. I also have the option of advancing my career within nursing to anesthesiology which would bring in a large income with the same time off as a nurse.

I'm currently scheduled to move from my home of 7 years in Nashville to Miami. I have the opportunity to live rent free for a while and get my pre-requisites out of the way in one of the coolest (hot) places in the US. I'm single and have zero obligations so this seems like a great opportunity. It's scary moving to a new place and pursuing a new career but I'm more focused and dedicated than I was in college and I know that if this is something I really want to do, I'll make it happen. I never would have thought I'd do a half ironman last year, let alone find the time train for it. But I did. I've proven to myself that if I want something bad enough, I can get over the obstacles and make it happen.

I've got a month before I move and still have a long list of things to finish and accomplish. The next three weekends I have a sprint triathlon, a half ironman and a wedding. My job takes up the majority of my day and any left over time is dedicated to preparing for the half inroman in Glaveston, Texas. I've still got to move out of the house, filter out what I'm taking to Miami and what stays here in Nashville and get my student loan situation figured out for my classes. Needless to say, I'm going to have a lot to write about. It's a good outlet at least.