Two days ago, Dr. Ruth Simmons spoke at an event I attended on her memoir, Up Home. I read this book in the Fall of 2023 while I was in the Council on Foundations’ Career Pathways fellowship program. I later listened to it on an audible format in early 2024 because I was excited that the voice matched the author’s. Audible books are difficult for me to focus on because I am hyper aware of the sounds and visuals surrounding me. When the content is a memoir or a compelling story, I become more drawn to the lyrics. I found myself drifting slightly after she discussed a move she made in her career that conflicted her greatly at the time. She had accomplished so much and was at a place of high prestige, what most saw as the peak of success, but knew she wanted to do more and make a greater impact in the world. She also knew that she could. She was worried about leaving what society deems as a “good thing”, but was it what she wanted? I could feel my emotions stirring because I could relate to this for myself. I chuckled when she shared that a mentor told her bluntly that no one would care if she left and that she should do what she wants.

Do you daydream about a new career?

You spend your lunch breaks thinking about what you’d do in “your next life” and relishing the thought of how you would deliver your two-weeks’ notice. You find yourself browsing job boards instead of work emails, and you’re starting to become jealous of your friend’s careers, wondering how they landed such “perfect” jobs. You cringe when people ask you what it is you do because you wish it were something different. You’ve thought about leaving, you’ve even brought the idea up to friends in passing conversation. Would you leave your job “if you could?” If so, it’s time to go. – Shayna Joubert on Six Signs It’s Time To Change Careers¹

I’ve been ruminating on this quite a bit. I’ve been a web developer and designer at a private philanthropic foundation for almost 8 years and when I joined I believed it was my calling. That I would change the world in a way that I only dreamed of and that I would also make an impression on my colleagues in ways they didn’t know I would. Lately, I’ve found myself daydreaming a lot more about the endless possibilities on the horizon for me. I look up to the trees and through the petioles, contour leaf silhouettes, and overlapping cloud shapes in the distance. I reflect on who I’ve become, how my spirit hasn’t really changed in many ways from the self-confident, unassuming, naive, 20 year old art school graduate I once was. What I realize is that I was never lost, and that I have an unlimited amount of capacity to learn, develop relationships, and set my imagination free.

I haven’t applied for jobs in 7.5 years, which is the longest time I’ve been out of practice in rewriting or rereading my resume. I was a Career Advisor at Harrington College of Design where I got to coach and help students strategize in finding their dream job. I reviewed resumes, wrote referrals, critiqued portfolios, drew from my past background in museum studies, and resurfaced the joy I find in peer mentoring exercises. For fun, I often practice imagined job applications to things I wish existed in hopes that one day they do become a reality. I have not shared these documents publicly, but you may one day see a version at an opportunity that aligns with my values.

Teachers, mentors, and spiritual guides are all around us. Robin Wall Kimmerer has taught me to learn the language of our native plants such as the endangered ironweed, to listen to the sound of swaying trees, and adrienne maree brown² has expanded my learning curriculum to include fungi, mycorrhizae, Grace Lee Boggs, and biomimicry. The ironweed plant is often found in disturbed or neglected areas. It represents the ability of nature to regenerate and thrive even in challenging conditions. I must learn these ways of forging my own path through life’s obstacles so that I may slow the pace of daydreaming, make intentional waves of change, and be the best dot-connector I aspire to be. Not all weeds are as bad as their assumptions or myths make them out to be, and I have learned to unlearn what I once believed, even appreciating the benefits of dandelions, too.

1. July 1st, 2024 | Northeastern University blog post by Shayna Joubert https://graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/6-signs-time-change-careers/ ↩︎
2. adrienne maree brown’s writing in Emergent Strategy, Holding Change, We Will Not Cancel Us, and Loving Corrections have been pivotal to my own opinions and ideas. I have also been influenced by amb’s contributions in works such as Practicing New Worlds, Journal of Radical Permission, and Murmurations (from a Yes! Media monthly column). ↩︎