Leap of faith

Two weeks ago, I quit my cushy accounting job at a large consulting firm. I took a leap of faith to finally feel like I wasn't settling with my life.

Not many would understand a decision to restart my life. After all, I worked hard to become a CPA. I was going down a pretty successful path. It is undeniable that I could have led a very comfortable life as a CPA, with a great salary and great job prospect. So what was wrong? There was always something missing. I couldn't help but feel that this was not the right path for me.

Growing up, I always wanted to go into healthcare. I was fascinated by doctors, nurses, surgeons, aides, techs, any profession that involved the treatment of patients. I went into college as a pre-med student. And unfortunately, life got in the way. I hit a few bumpy roads due to my health, and then fear took over. I didn't think I could make it far enough to become a doctor, nurse, or physician assistant. Thus, I decided to become an accountant, since it was a 'safe' career. 

But to anyone who is ever in such a situation, let me just tell you now. Life is way too short to be 'safe'. Being safe won't lead to fulfillment, it won't lead to happiness, and even if you attain the success that everyone dreams of, you won't feel successful. This is the fork on the road that we call life that I found myself on. One way led to an eternity of sitting behind a desk and computer, and figuring out tax savings for my clients. And the other way led to my ultimate dream of working in a hospital and treating patients. No offense to other accountants, but the first option didn't sound like living to me.

A lot of people have given me advice that fulfillment does not have to be found in your career, it can be found through other means. I disagree. We spend a very large chunk daily at work. If you are absolutely miserable with the work that you do, it is pretty tough to find fulfillment elsewhere. The misery would just transfer over to all other aspects of your life. That is exactly how I was feeling in life for the past 3-4 years. I managed to do well in my professional life, but it wasn't what I was meant to do.

Thus, I took that leap of faith, and with the support and encouragement of my husband, I quit my job to focus all of my efforts on working towards admission into PA school. I hope to get into PA school by next year and hopefully become a PA in the next four years. I haven't been happier now that I am working towards my dream and can actually realistically visualize myself attaining that dream. I know it won't be easy, and it is going to be a long grueling journey, but I would take this over being a CPA any day.