Beauty Maven and the Computer Beast: I’m a Complex Gal

A lot of people have asked me about my career change, not quite understanding the dramatic shift.  "You are going back to school?  BEAUTY school?  You have a college degree, a fabulous job.  You make great money, and you get incredible benefits!  The government gives amazing job security.  Why in the world would you leave all of that?"

 

Huh.  There are a lot of very positive and happy adjectives there: fabulous, incredible, amazing!

 

Simply put: I am not happy.  Yes, I make good money, I have good job security, and I get good benefits.  But those things aren't more important than my happiness.  I've been on this career path for eight years, ten if you take into account college.  I have struggled with this decision for a very long time now.  I have carefully weighed the pros and cons.  What I have realized is that we spend a huge portion of our waking hours at our "jobs", and if you are severely unhappy in your field of work, then that bleeds over into the rest of your life and lowers your quality of living.  Call me selfish, but I'm not willing to do it anymore.

 

Some facts...

 

We will take averages here: a twenty four hour day, a nine hour work day (with lunch), eight hours of sleep, with a normal Monday through Friday job. We have sixteen hours a day when we are awake, alert, and living our lives. Nine hours of that is spent devoted to our careers, and that doesn't account for time to prepare for your work day, for driving time, overtime, or people who work more than one job or are on call.  That nine hours alone leaves seven hours "free" time (and I use that term loosely) if you're lucky.

 

My own personal hours before school were as follows: preparation, commuting, plus time at work = twelve hours per day, Monday through Friday, devoted to work.  That left four hours each work day free.  Again, I use that term loosely because there is cooking, cleaning, chores, and errands that are other duties and not leisure activities.  That time really isn't all "free" time.

 

I love life.  I mean, I am truly a passionate person, and I want to get the most out of this experience on earth.  For me, work is a means to the ends.  I work to live, I don't live to work.  Work is the catalyst for my experiences so that I can afford all I want to see and do.  So when you are in a position you are miserable in, you soon discover there are changes that must be made, because staying in that position is not only detrimental to your happiness in life overall, but it's unhealthy.

 

In my current job, I commute forty five minutes each way to and from work.  I dislike driving with the rest of the morons on the road, and I resent them putting my life at risk on a consistent basis.  It's also a supreme waste of time and (gas) money.  I spend eight and a half hours in a cubicle, behind a desk, staring at a computer, alone.  I had perfect vision my whole life until I stared at a computer for two years, and my vision has continuously worsened since.  My body has been deteriorating with lack of movement, and I have to work extra hard to stay in shape.  The work is mundane and monotonous.  It lacks a creativity and hands-on interaction that I positively thirst for.  Also, being alone isn't all it's cracked up to be.

 

This is another point of confusion for those that know me.  Yes, I am an introvert; an INFJ to be precise.  So why would being alone bother me?  Well, introverts don't necessarily like to be completely secluded, thank you very much.  I enjoy positive interaction with intelligent like-minded individuals.  Just having someone to talk to periodically throughout the day can be a pleasure.  I also like to meet new people.  I love to study different types of human beings.  I am fascinated by all of our differences and how we experience life differently.  I am definitely a people watcher.  Sure, at the end of the day I am thrilled to go home.  It's my happy place and where I gain my strength and energy from.  If I am unhappy or having a bad day, home is the only place that can bring me out of my funk or comfort me while I relearn how to breathe after an upset.  My home.  My domain.  My warm and fuzzy.  That's the introvert in me.  But interacting with humanity can be pleasurable and entertaining.

 

In contrast, I am going into a career that feels completely opposite of the one I am in.  I'm going into the beauty industry.  Aesthetics, to be exact.  Skincare.  Mind, body and soul care.  This is the feel-good profession.  Your job is literally to make people happy and feel good about themselves.  It's incredibly gratifying.  Plus, people treat their estheticians as they do their hair stylists: we are therapists without the need to "fix" them.  They can vent and relax and just get it all out … and I get to listen to a lot of crazy interesting things about people's lives.  It's fantastic.  I'm on my feet, moving, interacting with people who, for the most part, want to take care of themselves and are living a healthy lifestyle.  Giving skin treatments is very relaxing for me.  It's warm, quiet, everything smells good, and I'm promoting an atmosphere of calm. 

 

I'm also a "toucher."  I love to touch and be touched, although the latter I am kind of particular about.  Touch does amazing things for people.  There are scientific studies that show you can heal through touch, with the energy in your body and surrounding us.  I've seen it first hand, and it feels great to give that to people.  Sometimes, the only way a person can truly relax and heal is through being touched.  It's amazing.

 

I also get to do makeup.  For a living.  Since I was a very small girl I have loved makeup, lotions, anything that can beautify the skin.  Transforming people through makeup is just plain fun.  Now, I'll get paid for it! 

 

Waxing.  Not much to explain here.  Sure, it's great to see people happy with their beautiful smooth skin, but there is a small, sweet little delight in the sound of stripping wax from someone's body and feeling their little jumps, seeing their tiny winces of pain … it makes me smile.  I love it.

 

What more can I say?  This career path feels good to me.  It feels right.  I am doing things that I enjoy and that feel really good.  It feels so different than when I got my college degree.  This doesn't feel like necessity, it feels like desire.

 

Still, even after my explanations, you may not understand.  Oh well, can't say I didn't try. ;)

 

Really, all that matters is that I get it.  The Husband gets it.  He says to me, "Honey, I understand. You are all about change, finding something new that suits you.  We'll figure out how to make it happen if it makes you happy.  Yeah, I may have to scramble a bit, but I do so gladly.  You keep me on my toes, and I love you for it.  With you, I am never bored.  With you, life is an adventure.  From day to day, I never know what to expect.  That's awesome."

 

He is my perfect.

 

Yep, that's all that matters.

 

<3