Second Act
After spending twenty years in the health information field, I longed to do something different with my professional life. I was working in a job that I hated as an HIM director and felt that I was not using the skills that I had developed over the years. I dreaded going to work every day and counted the minutes until quitting time. I became a "clock watcher." The clock watcher is a person that watches the clock from the time they arrive at work until their work day is over. How did I end up here? What can I do to change the situation? The health information field had been good to me over the years by offering a good salary and opportunities for advancement. I wanted to stay connected to HIM but in a different capacity. I decided that I was going to go back to school and earn a master's degree in adult education. My goal was to teach HIM courses or get into the training and development field.
As fate would have it, my job was phased out. This was a "Thank You God" moment. The timing was perfect because I had only four classes left to complete the master's degree. This was the start of my "second act." As a middle-age woman, how do I chart a path that will fulfill me professionally? How do I calm my fears about venturing out into a different career? Can my family withstand the financial issues associated with transitioning to a new career? The answer did not come to me overnight. It took many weeks of doubting myself and soul searching to snap out of my uncertainty about the future.
Once I completed my final research project and walked across the stage to receive my master's degree, the answer was clear. I had already accomplished something great and it was up to me to chart the path of my "second act." I am determined that my "second act" will be the best time of my life.