Why I chose to move on from a good job

I write this piece in anticipation that it might serve as a reminder as to why I chose to resign from my job in the thick of uncertain times to chase something I’m not even sure will work out. I also write this in hopes that it might find someone else who is feeling dissatisfied at their day job and wondering what to do about it, wondering what it would be like to quit for something better. Here’s my take on that.

I was at my job for nearly three years. It started as an internship while I was in my MPH program-I was eager for relevant experience and excited about public health research. My internship felt like someone else’s, though. I was happy to follow through on my tasks, but those tasks were outlined for me. Of course, this is how many internships go-someone has work that needs to be done, and if you’re looking for experience, you take that. I think I tried to convince myself that I was happy with my work, but without that feeling of ownership, of making it my own, it was a project I just turned in-it didn’t turn me on. After my internship ended, I was hired as a part-time program coordinator, then after graduation from my MPH program, a full-time project coordinator. I won’t go into detail about those days, months, years of working at my job because that’s not what this piece is about. This piece is about why I decided to leave it, and all that you and I need to know is…