My name is Kate, and I am in my 30’s in the midst of a career change.

This venture is no simple task, and it doesn’t come without risk, but talking to others who have been through the same ordeal or have witnessed others succeed in this endeavor has helped me quite a bit. For now, that is what I will attempt to do with this blog. First, I will provide some background on myself and how I ended up in this position.

I originally went to college to obtain a degree in Accounting, and graduated in 2014. I went straight to work as a Cost Accountant, sick of school and determined that I never wanted to take another test. I thought I would never be interested in becoming a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) which would have required quite a bit of self-study and test taking. I also thought that coming from a rural area of North Carolina would make me a well-suited candidate for the manufacturing industry. Just a year and a half later, I had walked into the same window-less office and felt like I was putting myself in prison a few times too many, and had also dealt with far too many unprofessional characters. This post is not about toxic work environments, so I will not digress. I left for another job at a CPA firm, starting fresh as an auditor in the healthcare field.

My new job was full of opportunity. I was young and energetic, and took on every task as I always had: determined to be the expert, which coincidentally was also one of the core values of this new organization. I never loved the work, but wasn’t raised to expect to love my job. At the very least, I believed that there was no other job in my field that I could enjoy more. I got to think critically, research, learn, write (as auditors do), and eventually teach, which were all activities I enjoyed. Along the way, I studied for and passed the CPA exam, obtained additional college credit hours needed, and became licensed as a CPA. In the process, I learned a lot about myself. I could successfully lead myself in both studies and test-taking, and I could do things I previously thought might be too hard for me. As a bonus, I enjoyed my coworkers, and for the next seven or eight years, I was faithful to this organization. I was treated incredibly well, had a great network within my firm, and eventually was managing my own direct reports. I cannot say enough good things about all the opportunity and positivity afforded to me during that time.

However, every year as my contract deadlines approached, I became more unfocused and restless. This mentality has always been my nature. I get bored easily by repetitive tasks and struggle to sit in one place for too long. I eventually admitted to myself that I would not be an Accountant forever, but I had no idea what to do about that realization. Year after year, although I was outwardly successful, I struggled through my tasks. I would often stay at work much later than was necessary in order to be able to do my job without distraction. I became exhausted and burnt out on a recurring cycle, and bouncing back became more difficult as I got older.

In 2020, any travel for work stopped, making life at work a little more mundane. The parts of my job that kept me engaged were all based on the people. Coaching my employees, helping them and helping other teams, teaching, and networking were quite literally keeping me going. I thought about a career change, but the only path I could find that aligned with the skills and degree I already had was recruiting. I had a lot of experience recruiting and I did enjoy it, but I was not sure I wanted to start a new endeavor in a field I wasn’t even positive I would like on a full-time basis.

When I met the man that is now my husband, the toll my job was taking on my body and mind became much more apparent. I was pulled in multiple directions, determined to give my time to him while also attempting to continue to do my job in the same way, including the late nights and extreme burnout. Finally, I knew I had to pull the trigger on making a change. The issue that remained was deciding what to do with the rest of my working life.

A lot of research went into the next step of this process. I determined and accepted that I would have to go back to school, and that I would likely have to go back to school for a long time. I will discuss this decision-making process at a later time, but for now, I will simply disclose that the choice I made was to pursue physical therapy as my new career. Since that decision, I have left my job, gotten married, moved back home to the country, begun school to acquire pre-requisite credits, and shadowed many physical therapists. Although it was bittersweet in so many ways, a weight that had been years in the making lifted off of my chest the day I left my job. The resolute nature of the decision and knowing that I had a goal for the future brought me a real sense of relief.

I hope to be able to help others who may be going through something similar, either with advice or simply by showing others that they are not the only ones in this situation. If you are considering leaving your career or are already starting the process, feel free to communicate, share your story, ask questions, give suggestions for specific posts I should write, or give your own input.

Until next time!