Good Second Careers Take Some (Soul) Searching

I was reflecting today on how many different side roads I have explored professionally in the past two and a half years. I left my very intense career in April 2007, and since that time I have physically moved three times (including the move back from Asia). Anytime you physically relocate, it sucks months out of your work flow and makes your to do list a mile long page of administration misery. I’m still cleaning things up from our last move and home purchase four months ago.

In terms of career moves, however, I’ve made at least 10 major switches in the past 31 months. Sometimes, I would only get as far as researching a career: I looked long and hard at the business of photography, from stock sites to travel writing with photography thrown in. I tried some online only jobs, only to realize how incredibly isolating they can be if done 12 hours a day. I found some work that pays incredibly well (designing sites on line in code), but makes me a jittery, annoyed wreck of a person by the end of the day. I tried diligently to start over in the hard sciences, only to realize that starting a new BA when you already have a master’s degree is beyond exhausting.

Where I am now is certainly not a final destination: I teach, I still do some website work and design, I still blog, I do a lot of academic research for publication. I enjoy the mix of topics and environments. But I am still exploring, still evolving what it is that I am making this second career be.

All that to say, don’t get caught up in the idea that there is a magic second career out there for you, if only you could figure it out. The process of searching, of learning, of recreating is as important as the work itself. Evolve with your talents and your interests, and don’t be afraid to try something new or quickly walk away from it. That’s the whole point of starting a second career: getting to try the new. Enjoy it!