THE TEARS WELLED UP IN MY EYES as I slowly pulled my car to the side of the road. I was lost in an unfamiliar city and frustrated over navigating professional responsibilities that were foreign to my convictions. At a crossroads in my life, I was listening for my next turn. The hour of praying and listening that followed revealed valuable lessons in Mind's guidance that allowed me to find peace, trust, and a new job.
I had spent the first seven months of 2009 in a highly competitive sales job that yielded a healthy paycheck, but presented morally compromising situations. I found myself working at a company where managers stretched the truth about the company's capabilities, and late-night drinking events left employees sleeping in the parking lot overnight. I knew I needed to find a new work environment. Each Monday felt like a schoolchild's last day of summer break as I began a week full of 12-hour work days in a toxic workplace with intoxicated co-workers. I spent many nights looking for new job opportunities, but the online applications I submitted never received a response.
My wedding in August enabled me to enjoy two weeks of vacation from this grueling job. During that time, I continued the job hunt while preparing to move to a new city with my soon-to-be husband. Our exciting transition also brought new duties, such as paying rent in the expensive city of Malibu, California. I felt the mounting pressure to find a new means of reliable income while my husband entered into his second year of law school. As I prayed to hear God's guidance, I continually found myself torn between two options. I decided I could either return to work in sales, which included longer days due to an increased commute, a new location with a new sales team, and the same challenging environment, or I could quit my current position and commit myself to full-time job hunting for a more rewarding career while sacrificing a paycheck for who knows how long. I felt a burning desire to find another option, but I felt bombarded by statistics and evidence of lack in the job market, which made it difficult to see wisdom in giving up a current position.
