"Tori D. needs a new career" -or- "MAKE YOUR OWN &#$@!%*&!$^#& COPIES!!"

I am in a very familiar place right now. That place would be discontent.

Tomorrow will mark my tenth month at my current job. Which means I am four months overdue for a switch. Within six months of starting a job I start feeling an itch, a jittery feeling that says I need to get outta dodge, NOW! I was determined to try to make this last at least a year just to prove that I do have some kind of staying power. And I am so close! But as close as I am, I am frustrated beyond belief.

Right now I am an administrative assistant working for a small State agency. It is a decent job. Nowhere near as stressful as my previous job (I worked in a call center- bleh), a lot more laid back, more flexibility. Paid time off from the day I started. Decent benefits. I have perks that have nothing to do with the actual job itself, such as being able to ride to work with my mom (and save my gas) since she works across the street from me, and having time to do nothing, like I'm basically doing now.

But the reason I'm so ready to move on is because I feel like my true skills, talents and education are not being put to use. I mean really, I did not go to school and get a degree to take someone's messages or run off copies. But that's what I spend the majority of my day doing. WHY??

So now it's time to figure out what I want to do. I do not want another job; I want to find my career. I'm tired of working just to pay bills. I want to do something I love. The problem with that: I'm not sure what that is!

Last Wednesday night I was sitting in my finance class (this is my first semester back in school; I'm working on my MBA) . I was sort of spaced out, and all of the sudden I had a very scary epiphany: I wasn't supposed to be there!! Like seriously, I realized I hate just about everything that has to do with business. Of course, the timing for this realization sucked, as I already have my Bachelors degree in Business Administration. But it's left me with a feeling of "Now what?" Where do I go from here? Do I have to start all over? I really don't think I can go the school route again.

I've been looking at different careers that may work for me. While none of them have me tingling with excitement, I think maybe they'll give me the freedom I want with the income to sustain me.

1. Grant Writer. Of course this would've been better if I'd been an English major, but I still have the skills needed to make this work. I figure with a couple of classes, this should be great for me. I just wonder would I get bogged down on the research aspect of it.
2. Real Estate Agent. Although I do not usually like sales, the thought of selling houses interests me. With houses, you're not pushing something on someone that they don't actually want. If someone comes to an agent about a house, they generally mean business and at least have an idea of what they want. Plus I did well in my Principles of Real Estate course in undergrad; my professor said it was something I should look into. Maybe he was right.
3. Journalist. Another of those "I should've been a _____ major" cases. I'm not sure what type or area of journalism I'd want to get into, but at one point I did have dreams of becoming Editor-In-Chief of a major magazine like Essence or Ebony.
4. Publishing. I am a complete bibliophile. I think one of the greatest things ever would be to put out my own book (which I plan on doing soon anyway; details to come). So I think it would be fun to get into that. Of course, that would mean starting all over basically, including moving to a larger area since there's really nothing here for that. This one is more of a distant option.
5. Web developer/desktop publisher. I was surprised at the number of businesses in this area who do not have websites or decent flyers, business cards, pamplets, etc. There is a need for all of this and I think it would be a successful career move. However, if I went into this I'd have to partner up with a lot of people since I am not the best as far as graphic design, etc. But it is a definite possibility.
6. Event/Wedding planner. For some reason, I can organize things for other people a lot easier than I can for myself. This includes putting together events. And if I were truly a people person, this would be great! But with my temperment and disposition, this may not actually be a good idea...

So I really just don't know. I'm being pulled in so many directions that I'm not sure what to do. I'm praying, researching, praying again. I'm thankful for this job, but I know there has to be something better for me.

BTW, at one point in time I did have a passion. Fashion design. Since one fateful night in 7th grade when I saw a fashion show televised on CBS, I knew that was what I wanted to do. So what happened? Well, I got pressured into doing something more "realistic." Instead of going to an art school (I heart SCAD) or a university that offered something comparable to what I wanted, I ended up going to a state institution where no such thing was available. The closest thing was a general Art degree. And then it was, "Well you can't do anything with an art degree." So by my second year I said "F it" and went into business.... So, yeah, that's what happened.

Aight, time for me to go sit in this class where I don't belong.