Comments on: Leaving just means going somewhere else

By: Erica

Erica — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:33:44 +0000

Thanks everyone. I am really floored by the positive response I’ve gotten to this post. I was so hesitant to share, and I am so glad I did.

By: April

April — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:41:42 +0000

excellent post. Proud of you for all of it. For going through all that it took to get to school again and for figuring out it wasn't for you and making that hard decision. good for you! .-= April´s last blog ..I guess I should have seen this coming. =-.

By: Ask a Manager / Alison Green

Ask a Manager / Alison Green — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:25:47 +0000

I wish I could count up for you all the people I’ve seen with graduate degrees who don’t need them for the career they end up pursuing. If it’s your passion, then maybe you can decide it doesn’t matter that you didn’t end up using the degree … but this does not sound like you were spending time in a way you were passionate about.

I am a big believer that you should only get a graduate degree if you really need it for the path you want to be on. That doesn’t sound like the case here.

I think you should be impressed with yourself for figuring it out, giving it the serious thought it deserved, and ultimately going with what you knew was right even though it scared you.

I guarantee you that far more people will think “good for you for being realistic and flexible and not afraid to change course for good reasons” than will think “quitter!”
.-= Ask a Manager / Alison Green´s last blog ..and we’re going to strip-search you before the job interview =-.

By: Alana

Alana — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:31:34 +0000

I think this is really fantastic.

Maybe only because I’ve been examining my own reasons for going back to school and realizing most of them relate to 15 year old me assuming I would have a fancy degree some prestigious school by now and that look people I haven’t seen for a while get on their face when I told them I chose not to go to school and learn a trade skill instead.

It’s so hard for me to marry the idea of being a nerdy girl with being a pastry chef. And so hard to figure out which old concepts of myself are good to be working towards and which might just be holding me back.
.-= Alana´s last blog ..As always was always it shall be. Do you really love me? =-.

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:28:29 +0000

That's a big decision. It was very brave of you to admit to yourself and to everyone else that the reasons you started this project no longer exist. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to know when it's time to move on. .-= Kim´s last blog ..The Tenacity to Try =-.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:45:17 +0000

I think it’s great that you made the decision that was hard, but ultimately right. We can get caught up in doing what we think we should do, what others think we should do. I don’t think you took the easy road – you made a very difficult decision and obviously put a lot of time, energy and thought into making sure it was the right decision. That doesn’t sound easy to me!

I’ve had to make similar decisions in my own life and I always felt so guilty at the time. But now, being able to look back, I know I did the right thing. I suspect you’ll find the same is true for you.