Change can happen quickly. In matter of a month I changed careers. This was not the plan. I was to continue doing the same thing I've done for the last eight years. I was to work with young people, supervise and develop a young staff, record and report on the impact of an organization and live life as normal. Let’s be clear, normal hasn’t been normal in over 18 months. The pandemic has changed the way I work, where I work, my commute and how I spend my time.
But this is a different kind of change. I was contacted by a recruiter via LinkedIn about an opportunity outside of the youth development sphere. Usually, recruiters were initiating conversations about executive director roles. This was different, I was being contacted about my interest in evaluation and research. Although these are skills I possess and have improved in graduate school, I had never been exclusively sought after for them. I was intrigued. I had an energetic conversation with the recruiter and within a week she emailed that executive director wanted to meet with me…in person! I was excited to have the conversation but didn’t put too much weight on the meeting, I mean I was happy in my current role and I'm great at interviews. Then I realized this was the first in person professional meeting I would have since the pandemic shut down in our city. My no weight meeting instantly felt heavy.
Within a few days I met with the ED, and we had an awesome conversation about expectations, direction, and culture. The vibe was great but again, I was happy in my youth development, small nonprofit bubble.
Exactly one week after the in-person interview, I was offered the job. I couldn’t believe that less than a month before I had no long-term plans for change. I was preparing as always for the next program cycle at my current organization. Now I was faced with making career change. I didn’t take the decision lightly, I talked with friends, my parents, and my partner. I thought about the impact on my family and the young people with whom I worked so closely.
Ultimately, I was convinced that I would need to take a leap of faith. I had to have faith that I was being sent on this new journey for a reason. That this new opportunity was to fit into the masterplan of my life. That taking the brave step into a new organization was the right thing to do. I didn’t know exactly what would come from taking the job, but I had to take the first step into this new adventure.
I accepted the position and started a month later. Although I will continue to write about nonprofit work, I will also include this new lens as I navigate the other side of the ecosystem. I guess now you can find me here.
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