Hi Microbeing:

Your post stood out to me because I recently went through something very similar to this. I completed an undergraduate degree and, being largely uncomfortable with the notion of stillness, jumped directly into a graduate program within which I was studying Midwifery. There were many things I loved about the program – I loved working with women, I loved the babies, I loved the births…but it was HARD, too, and eventually I began to think that my heart wanted to go in a different direction.

It took about four months of constant angst and deep thought (how could i abandon something I had spent so much time, effort and money on??) but eventually I did leave that program (and I wrote an article about it for Tiny Buddha: http://dev.tinybuddha.com/blog/moving-on-isnt-failure-5-lessons-on-changing-paths/). The moment I left that program, it was like a 10,000 lb weight had been lifted from my chest. I finally felt like I was honoring myself and my true direction.

It’s hard to walk away from something that you’ve devoted resources to, I get that, but it’s about 50 thousand times harder to stay in a career that you dislike all of your life simply because you feel obligated. Give yourself permission to pursue a different path and the world will open up in ways you never thought possible. I promise you. Your heart knows what it needs.

All my best, please keep us updated.

Ashley

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by tinybuddha.