An Important Decision Essay, Research Paper

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.