I’m changing jobs and I’m having a lot of feelings

For the last year and a half, I’ve been working at a vet clinic. When I started working there, I thought that I either wanted to be a Veterinarian or a Veterinary Technician.

I eventually realized that I wanted to go the English route, and if you want, you can read about that decision here.

Deciding to change jobs

When I decided I wanted to change my major to English, I knew that I wanted to work in something that would be more like my future career.

I was also getting a little tired of picking up dog poop every day. And also the stress that comes with working in the vet medicine field was way too much for me, especially since I didn’t see a future for myself in it.

I just wanted a job that was low-stress until I got my degree.

Looking for a job

I started to look for a job, and I knew that it was hard to get a job, but I didn’t know it was THAT hard. I looked everywhere. I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit picky. I didn’t want a job in fast food or retail. I thought that I could be a bit picky and still have options. I didn’t have many.

I wanted to work at a local coffee shop, a bookstore, a library, or something like that, but none of them were hiring. Both of my parents work at an elementary school and I thought it could be cool to work with them, but they weren’t hiring either.

Getting a Job

Fast-forward a few months and there was a substitute teacher training scheduled, and to get a job in the future at the elementary school, I would have to go through the training.

So, I went through the training, and by the next day, I had been offered a job. I put in my two-week notice 30 minutes later.

It was crazy. One day, I had no prospects, and then two days later, I quit one job and accepted another.

Weird Feelings

Being at my job for a year and a half has led me to create friendships and a loyalty to my workplace that is kind of hard to leave. Even though I’ve been wanting to leave for a bit, it’s still sad actually doing it. Saying goodbye to people and animals that I probably won’t see again is super sad.

It’s also scary. What if I hate my new job? What if they don’t hire me back next year and I have to search for a job again? I know the luck (or lack of luck) that I had earlier. The unknown freaks me out. I’ve already had a couple of stress dreams about the new job.

But there’s also a feeling of excitement. There is a reason that I wanted to get a new job. This is the next step that I need to take, no matter how scary or sad it is.

As I work my last days at the vet clinic, all of these emotions are coming to a head, and it’s overwhelming. I don’t hear a lot of people talk about these feelings when it comes to changing jobs. It may have to do with the popular idea that you hear in school that you need to study to get a degree so you can get a specific job and then work there until you retire. Nobody really talks about the jobs that get you there and how important they feel in the moment.

These feelings that come with change are weird and overwhelming, but I think they’re normal. If you’ve had the same experience changing jobs, or if you’re going through a job change now, I’d love to hear about it!

Photo by Katya Ross on Unsplash