Hi, I'm Lauren

I'm Lauren and I'm looking for a career change...and what better way to do that than to put things aside for awhile and take a two-month road trip!

My career identity crises started on a road trip to Canada a few years ago. Three of my friends and I were crossing into the country when the border guard asked us the dreaded question, “What do you do?” “Teacher, architect, teacher,” my friends rattled off one by one. Then came my turn. My palms got sweaty and my throat turned dry. “Um, consultant...” I asked more than told the completely non-threatening Canadian authority figure. “What kind of consulting?” he sternly questioned. Shit, wrong answer. My friends all rolled their eyes at me as we drove away from my embarrassment.

Part of me wishes I had a straightforward description of what I do. Saying I work in business, or that I do the numbers, or that I work on projects just leaves people with a blank stare. Sometimes I would try to simplify it and tell them I work on Excel spreadsheets all day. I watch their blank stare slowly morph into an expression akin to going to the dentist or shopping for a used car. The worst was when my boss recently told me, “I could do your job, but I would kill myself if I had to do that work all day.”

Nice.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve enjoyed a lot of the work I have done. I’ve completed an MBA in Sustainable Business and started a green development company. I’ve worked hard and at times been very happy with what I am doing. But every two years or so, I hit a breaking point, and suddenly realize, I AM BORED. So here I am, ready to embark on a journey to go out and find something that will keep me engaged and that I am truly passionate about.

I try to live by two mottos:
· Work hard, play hard and
· What’s the worst that can happen?

The first has allowed me to have great jobs where I've worked my ass off which led to great relationships. I’ve found that the harder your work, the easier it is to play. People are a lot more willing to give you time off or let you work remotely if you have proven yourself as a valuable piece of the business. The second has allowed me to take risks and realize that the things you tend to worry about really aren’t that big of a deal.

I’ll follow these mottos as I start looking. I’ll keep my mind open to new opportunities. I’ll trust my instincts and have the confidence to push my boundaries. I’ll try things and I’ll probably fail. Because hey, What’s the worst that can happen?

-Lauren