As a child of immigrant parents, I didn't have many career paths to choose from. The top three job options I could choose were doctor, nurse, or lawyer. The funny thing is, as a kid, I loved any area I was able to be creative. For example, I loved art classes and creative writing, but those were not skills that were encouraged. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why—my parents just wanted to make sure I did well in life. But what they enforced in me affected what I viewed as success. If I did not have certain accolades, I was not successful.
So I went to college to be a nurse, even though I hated dealing with blood or any form of bodily fluids. I learned quickly that it was not for me. I changed my major to Public Health and graduated. I soon realized without a master's degree I could not find a great paying job.
Now I’m stuck…
During this time, I was frustrated. I did all that I thought I was supposed to do, but it felt like I followed a path I didn’t even want to do in the first place and I was struggling.
Life took a huge turn. The pandemic hit and I used this time to make a change. I quit my job at the time and I transitioned into the tech field. I did something that ended up being the best decision I could have made for myself, but also one of the most challenging things I have done.
The reasons being…
- Choosing a path that no one around me has taken.
- Taking a huge leap of faith and wasn’t sure if I would succeed.
- Moving into something even though I had a lot of doubt and fear.
Redirection is hard especially when there's no map on how to navigate it. I had to change what I was taught success was, and l had to change the plan I had for my life. The biggest thing I had to do was change my perspective of my situation.
Things I had to think through…
- How do I navigate even though I have no examples?
- Is this something I actually want to do, regardless of other people’s opinions?
- What are things I have to unlearn that are causing me to get in my own way?
This career change is what made me start my self discovery journey. I soon learned that this redirection was needed and was not a negative thing even though the process was difficult. Looking back, I understand that every experience I went through played a role in shaping who I am today. I learned a lot about myself and rediscovered my strengths, realizing that certain parts of me that I thought were negative, were actually beneficial in certain circumstances. For example, I’m an overthinker— turns out it's not always a bad thing. For my career, it's a strength. This process also stopped me from letting myself stay in the “box” other people placed me in.
Have you ever experienced redirection? If so, how did you handle it?
Resource Hub:
1. I took this quiz to discover my top 5 strengths. I highly recommend it:
2. I tend to do a quote and verse of the day and I found these to be encouraging:
Quote: “Redirection is a course change to your destiny, not a failure”
Verse: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Light and love!
-Christina
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