I’m Thankful For Change
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What happens when a language-loving mathphobic liberal arts major enters a top MBA program and ultimately the business world? Follow Plan MBA's adventures as she discovers her Plan B career. |
Today (Nov 22) seems like a good day to start blogging again. Not because it’s Thanksgiving, but because once again my life is on the edge of a big change.
I started this blog in 2009 because my life was heaving with change. I was leaving the life and journalism career I’d built in South Florida to get an MBA at the University of Virginia. It was nothing I’d ever planned for myself and I didn’t know what to expect.
I started the blog to keep my friends and family up to date on my new life. But it soon morphed into a way for me to process all the new things I learned and new experiences I had. I was lucky enough to be chosen as an official blogger for my MBA class, and soon my classmates were part of the blog, telling me that often I was writing what they were thinking and feeling. I felt like a voice for my Darden community and I liked that. (Check out the current crop of Darden student bloggers here.)
Then I graduated. And I pretty much stopped writing altogether.
I had lots of excuses — new city, new job, wedding planning, blah, blah, blah. The truth was I felt out of my element writing about the working world, especially the corporate world. What was OK to say? Would I get in trouble? I went from feeling like I owned my experience to feeling as if I didn’t really own anything. I experienced all kinds of interesting things — developing a new product, working for six different managers in my first year, living through a massive layoff and restructuring, not to mention ice fishing, learning to road bike and getting married — but I wasn’t sure how or if I should write about them.
It was a frustrating 15 months. I missed writing, I missed sharing what I learned and I missed connecting with others who experienced the same things. I felt more isolated than I expected. So I’ve decided to start blogging again.
The impetus was change. My husband and I are moving from Minneapolis (aka the Frozen Tundra) to Los Angeles in January for his job. I’ll be going from a typical corporate desk job to working from home and traveling occasionally to visit customers. There will be lots of new and I’ve learned writing is the best way for me to embrace that. Striking the right balance between sharing my experience and protecting my company won’t always be easy, but I’ve discovered it’s worth trying.
So this Thanksgiving I’m thankful for change, second chances and any readers who are still hanging on with me. Here’s to getting back on the horse.
