International Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
speaking of professional ambitions...
I just finished answerign the QOTD and had an email from DH. Our exchange was basically him telling me he's got an article published, and me responsing about getting stains out of a pillowcase!!!
It really hammered home to me how far removed I am from anything professional. While there is nothing wrong with being a sahm, and I cherish these days (for the most part), and feel strongly about being ehre for W and M, I still regret giving up my 'career' post PhD.
So, what is one thing you've done that you're really proud of, and one thing that you wish you had done/followed thru with?
Mum to W (4) and M (nearly 2)
Re: speaking of professional ambitions...
I always wanted to get my Masters. When I graduated from college, I applied to several programs but I decided not to go. I didnt want to take out any more student loans and plus I knew in the back of my mind that if I went back to the States then I would have to break up with my DH who was my BF at the time.
Anyway, 5 years later I finally got my Masters. So I am happy because it was something I always wanted. Plus, I always wanted to write a book (I dont want to publish it or anything but as a kid I used to write all the time) so I am working on that now.
The only problem is that I am having a hard time finding a job now. So being a SAHW can be really boring. Considering that unemployment here is really high 20%, I try not to feel so bad. But I know that I had moved back to the States I would probably have a great career right now.
I'm really struggling with this because I have no idea what my ambitions are. I think, if I could just figure out what I want, I'd be ok...but it seems to be beyond my reach. I really wanted to earn my law degree, then realized I didn't want to be a lawyer. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of money, and I feel bad because I'm not using it, but I know I wouldn't be happy as a lawyer, so what's the point.
Basically...I'd like to at least FIND an ambition, then worry about achieving it.
exactly.
I have a hard time with this as well. After just a horrible experience at university it took me ages to graduate and I had absolutely no self-confidence at all. I ended up temping for a couple years and then just kind of fell into my current job. I like it but it's not exactly challenging (I'm an executive assistant to the director of a university department) - obviously, I spend way too much time on the nest/bump!
I have no idea what I want to do though - I appear to be pretty unambitious, I like knowing I can leave the office on time every day and never bring home work but I would also like to not be a secretary forever! I'm thinking of taking some classes while I'm on maternity leave - maybe becoming an accountant, I love numbers. I don't know!!
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks
I would like to be a lady who lunches. I would be super rich. Meet my friends, have lunch, go to museums, the theatre, travel, the spa, raise money for charity, have a trainer, ride horses perhaps.
I feel this life would be amazing. Judge if you wish.
Bio
Does he have a brother? Or if not, will you share?
On a serious note, I had my 20 year career (worthless now that I'm here in nowhere OZ) but I always wanted to just be a SAHM or SAHW. I only had a career because I like to eat.
I'm in the same boat as onesly - I can't decide just yet. I wanted to do international trade out of college and did just that. I got my first choice job working as a management trainee at the largest shipping company in the world. Then after a few years I realized it wasn't for me and decided to go to law school (something that had been in the back of my mind for a while). I liked law school, and even studying for the bar, but I don't really love being a lawyer.
So now I'm wishing I'd stayed in shipping/transport/logistics (you can work anywhere in the world) and realized that the company was the issue, not necessarily the job. Funny enough, at the beginning of law school career services gave us some personality test and it said I should work in transport. Most of us didn't get lawyers and were like, "uh, thanks, law school. Jerks."
Or, when I'm feeling really bleeding heart-y, I want to do international development. But I'm not sure I have the heart for that, and Spanish isn't really a good language for it. It's really interesting to me, but I'm not sure I could bang my head against the same wall day after day and feel like nothing is getting better. Africa as a whole isn't much better off since the 70s despite the tons of money we are pumping into it, you know? It's just a disheartening field and I'm not sure I could handle it, PLUS take a huge pay cut from what I get now and maybe have to go back to school and take out more debt.
At least in my case, nobody ever talked to me about student loans until I was a senior in high school. I mean as a kid, people always ask you what you want to be when you get older but they never tell you that you might to go into extreme debt to follow your dreams.
It seems that a lucky few get to do what they truly love. I guess as I get older, I realize that it is hard to have it all.
I would love that, too.
As silly as it is, I am really happy I left my old firm's in order and organized. And I am really, really proud I saw one case all the way from beginning to final disposition to destruction of the file. It was my file to organize and maintain from beginning to end. And my boss told me "I guess you really are leaving now that we have finished [it]." I was really proud of how well I handled that file -- it was a chemical release/insurance case and drug on for 14 years.
There are two things I wish I'd continued with: dancing, which I gave up when I figured out that God did not give me the body of a ballerina, and my history education degree. I am sorry now I didn't try for the double major.
Sometimes I wish I was still in the Air Force. I would be nearly finishing pilot training now. I always wanted to fly and I was so close... now, when I see the T-38s flying over at Kennedy Space Center...the astronauts training for who knows what (seriously, space program?)...I get teary-eyed. When I first moved back to the States last year, I looked at commercial piloting, but I couldn't fathom getting further into debt. I even applied to Embry-Riddle to pursue my second bachelors in air traffic management (my second choice, next to flying) and got accepted. $39k/yr, ouch.
It's something I still think about every day. I've been working on paying off debts -- haven't even started on student loans, yikes -- so, maybe it's still possible. I'm pushing the age limit...I'll be 27 next week.
For now, I'm so happy with the stability I have with my job. Not so much happy with the job, but the hard work and experience I'm gaining right now...I wouldn't trade it. And dangit, I'd love to go back to school. Le sigh.
Im very proud i got my Bachelors degree in a field that i love, and i then got to work in said field for 5 years - I studied photography and then worked as an Art Dealer specializing in Contemporary Photography in 2 very reputable Galleries (one in NY and one in London).
My biggest regret is i had to make a choice between said career and my husband - of course i chose my husband and moved to the back ass end of nowhere in Germany.
I dont regret the choice - i know it was the right one but i now havent worked for 2 years (well im a gym Instructor) in the Photography field and i guess i will always wonder how far i would have advanced in that career and maybe be on my way to be a Director of a gallery.
When I graduated from college, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do. I had it narrowed down to research or med school, but it was really tough to make the decision. I consider myself very, very lucky in that I was not able to figure out what I wanted to do, but also able to pursue that dream. I am so fortunate that I am able to have a career that I know I will love and that I feel I was meant to do, as cheesy as that sounds.
In terms of regret...sometimes I regret not going to med school in the US, because it would've made life a lot easier in some senses. BUT, I will graduate with nowhere near loans I would've had if I went to school in the US. And I know I'm getting a great education, it's just REALLY hard to do it in Swedish.
I am really pleased that I have my masters degree and that I did it whilst working 50+ hours per week, planning a wedding and international move. It was difficult regardless but our situation made it near impossible. I left our home at 6:45 a.m. very morning and returned at 11:00 p.m. for nearly six months everyday and in the summer, I went to school six days per week which was also on Saturday morning! I am so proud that I am using my degree in my career which is directly benfiting people with disabiltiies.
I regret not learning another language, this is my biggest regret in life.
I feel extremely fortunate and accomplished in that I have a flexible and useful career that I love and the education to back it up. I have my teaching certificate and then got my Masters in Library Science. I was working as a school librarian in Chicago before I quit to move to Canada to be with DH. I don't regret that much, even though it was a fantastic job.
Now I'm back in school getting a Masters in Education, which will be great to have (though I only started doing it to keep busy here in SA). And I'm working at the university library, which I enjoy.....but the truth is I hope to become a SAHM when we do have kids. DH argues with me; he thinks it's better for us (financially), better for my sanity, his sanity, and children's adjustment to have a mother who works. I'm not sure I can balance the two things.
I suppose there's no use in fighting about it now. We'll just see where we are when we do start a family. For now, at least I have options.
I am proud of the fact that I have a MA in the subject I wanted I am not happy that I did not follow it with a Ph.D or did anything with my MA.
I am a SAHM and am very proud of that and happy that I can do that but the things I may want to do once my kid(s) are in school.may require going back to school and I do not know if I can do that.
This is my life story too! I want to practice just so I can say that I actually practiced and hated it, instead of just "knowing" that I would hate it.
I wish I knew what I wanted to do in life at this point...
I'm disappointed that I dropped out of college to move to Switzerland for a year. It was a great experience and while I'm still relatively young. It sucked seeing my friends graduation pictures on Facebook.
Because we are moving at the end of September it's now putting me a year and a half behind. If DH and I stayed long distance I would of been graduating May 2012. Instead it will be more likely December 2013 and then me hoping I get a full time job for the Fall 2014 school year.
At least I'm going back and still have the goals... that's good right?
2012 Reading Challenge
Now Nesting from Chicago, IL My nail blog:
So I'm not PG but I hate being a teacher, hate it!
I feel like I am held back by rules made by people who have no idea what they are talking about, b/c they don't. I am very passionate about talking about kids with disabilities but working with them in a classroom day in and day out is not 100% me if that makes sense.
I look at other teachers and think about how much better they are than me. Oh well.
When I am a lady who lunches I will raise money for people with disabilities, brain tumors, children who have people in their lives who have cancer/ brain tumors/ died of the above, and education.
Bio
I am really proud that I went to grad school and got my MA. I really wish I'd gotten a PhD and become a history professor.
Maybe after the kids start school.
I'm proud of my current gig. I work insanely hard, it drives me crazy, but I love the challenge and adventure of it. Lots, perhaps too much, responsibility. I worked hard (school at night) took a chance by coming here (hard to find work), so the fact that I found such an awesome job is amazing and for that I feel I need to work extra hard.
I'm pretty nuts about following through w/ stuff, so I've finished a fair amount of school/work stuff. I probably rushed into grad school and didn't really apply myself as much as I should/could have.
My other "regret" it's not really on-point wrt to "follow through" per se, but it bothers me-- I worry that I don't pull my weight at home. I work too hard at work, and while I like what I do, I think I'm not taking enough time for me/us. My H is wonderful and very supportive and has never complained, but the 7-day work weeks are unfair when you're married and I really need to be better about establishing lines an boundaries w/ work. Seriously. Since the 1st of the year (New Year's resolution) I've made a conscience effort to be better about it, but I relapse like a junky. Oh just this one weekend, oh just one more 18hr day, just one more and I'll stop.
I really hope to find a better balance and I'm going to keep working toward that!
2012 Reading Challenge