Difficulty In Making An Important Decision Essay

, Research Paper

Difficulty In Making An Important Decision

Assignment: Describe a particular time in your life when you had difficulty

making an important decision.

During the course of our lifetimes we make many significant and difficult

choices that affect us. These choices affect our personal and professional

lives. Therefore, we make these choices with much thought and care. One of

the most difficult and important decisions I have made was changing careers.

Changing careers at this stage of my life, mid-life, was very difficult.

Preparation for my new career required me to resign my job. The former position

was providing a major portion of my family’s income and most of the medical

benefits. Some means of earning a living while preparing for a new career was

foremost on my mind during this stage. If I spent to much time and energy

pursuing a job to provide a means for supporting my family while retraining, I

might not do a sufficient job of retraining for a new career. Another

difficulty equally as important as the the financial one was the possibility

of failing at a new endeavor or not being able to find a new job. These

possibilities made me feel uncomfortable and insecure. If I failed or could

not find a new position, what would my family think of me? Failing at a new

career would also cause me to lose confidence in myself. These concerns,

failure and financial, and not finding a new job made this decision very

difficult.

The decision to choose a new career was an extremely important one. The sole

function of a career is not just to provide a means to make a living; it

should have a larger purpose. The work I was doing did little for others,

and in fact, served only a small, special interest group. In addition to

pursuing a meaningful career, a career should be satisfying, and make some

significant contributions to other people’s lives. Therefore, I choose to

become a teacher. It is important to have a career that is satisfying, and

that would allow for helping others achieve their goals. Making the choice

to change careers was important but difficult. If through my new career, I

could contribute something positive to others; then I will have felt that I

made the right decision. Improvements can only come through change.