Do what you love. Love what you do.

I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my life career-wise. I've never wanted to be the type of person who goes to work just for the money. I'm also the person who needs to work. I love to work; I just want to love what I do. It's just taken me a while to figure out what exactly that might be. I think I may have finally figured it out...

Here's the story...

I got a business degree because I like business. I'm good at business. Business makes the most sense to me. The problem with business is that unless you study something specific (like finance or accounting or something), there are so many different types of jobs you can do. It's not as clear cut as studying to be a teacher or a nurse where you know exactly what your career path should be. I've always told myself that I would go back and get my masters degree. It would make me more competitive in the business world and, honestly, I just like school. I've said many times that the next time we move (most likely this next fall), I will not put it off any longer and go back to school while I still can.

I have been researching different masters' programs and career paths though and nothing seems to fit right. I don't love marketing, I don't love management, and I definitely don't love accounting or finance. Being good at business is not enough... I need to love what I do and be passionate about it! There's no way I am spending the time and money on getting my masters degree just to end up doing a job I don't love.

Okay a little tangent here... My husband is wonderful at challenging me. He is also amazingly supportive of just about anything I am passionate about. He loves what he does and wants the same for me. He loves waking up, going to work, and realizing that he is getting paid to fly jets. He always asks me about my future and what my dreams are and then sincerely wants to figure out how we can make them happen for me. Seriously, he's amazing right?

Well, a while ago he pointed out how much I love working on computers, specifically websites. I will spend hours reading tutorials on HTML and working with Adobe programs like Photoshop and InDesign. It's what I do now at work but I want to do more and I want to work for myself. So... I am now planning to go back to school for technical training (maybe even another degree?) in graphic design/web design. I seem to have gotten more than enough confirmation over that past few months that this is what I am supposed to do. So, I'm trading the prestigious idea of getting my masters degree for something more fun and practical. After getting the training and certifications that I need, I would love to combine that knowledge with my business degree and experience to start my own small business online designing web pages, or any type of design that someone wants (i.e. invitations, logos, ads, etc.). It's a career that I can not only take with me every time the Air Force moves us but its also a career I can do from home, therefore not having to put my career on hold when we decide to start a family.

So there ya have it. I think I finally know what I want to be when I grow up... a freelance designer. As soon as Jake gets his next assignment (July 30th) and we find out where we will be moving, I will enroll in school. At that time, Jake will have just been promoted to 1Lt. and given a raise, which will help to relieve the pressure of me no longer working full time. The timing should be perfect. I just need to make it happen. For now, I am planning, saving money, and dreaming of a day when work no longer seems like work.