Starting 2022 I never expected to do a complete 180 in my career but for some reason I had a nagging feeling that something was about to change. At the end of 2021, as we moved into the new year my best friend kept reminding me that this year we would do all the things and do it for us. We meant at school, we would throw ourselves head first into every opportunity and take the bull by the horns.

As we moved week after week, the fire we began the year with started to dim more and more. The environment became more toxic and everyone seemed to be negative. It was exhausting. I know no one expected for this to be what 2022 held and I felt suffocated by the idea that no matter what I did nothing would change. Management was stuck in their ways and bound by rules and regulations, there was no growth for me. I brought this up multiple times and felt that after 7 years they were falling on deaf ears.

I persisted, because I love these kids and know I can help them push through. But in the back of my mind I had this nagging feeling that something had to change.

In 2021 I considered doing a course to further explore the world of digital media i have fallen in love with but as fate would have it the money i saved up for months had to be used for something else and that idea fell through the cracks. Fast forward to 2022 and the idea again crossed my mind but it would still be a distant idea until I could save enough to pay for the course.

I asked around to various industry professionals, did some research and found that Red & Yellow creative school of business was where I needed to be, but damn, are they pricey. Looking back now I can see exactly why, they are excellent, comprehensive and know their stuff.

Even with this decision I had no intention of leaving education. Until one day I walked into the principals’ office, like I’ve done so many times before, to have the same fight for my subject, my students and myself. Information Technology is not an easy subject by any standard, every year our numbers drop from gr10 to 11 to 12, which is normal, but I felt these kids were not given the necessary opportunities to thrive in the subject, it was frustrating. I walked into the office ready to fight and left totally deflated. There was nothing more I could do. I had proposed possible solutions only to learn that at any school and ultimately in the education department, it was all about the numbers. It was about how good the pass rate of the school looked, not on empowering the kids. Another meeting later that afternoon further solidified what I already knew but didn’t want to see. These kids are not being seen as individuals with different needs and abilities, all they are, are stats in a flawed system. On my level in the food chain there was nothing I could do to change that. I was shattered, I knew it was time for me to go. It was not an easy decision to give up fighting for these brilliant kids but it was something I needed to do for myself.

I called my husband crying and told him what had happened and that I would be resigning. Thank goodness he didn’t try and talk me out of it. I came up with a convincing plan for what I would do and how we would make it work. I was so determined that I believed my own last minute plan and convinced my family and my best friend it would all be ok. In reality I didn’t truly have a plan. I knew I would study and then start looking for a junior position in a whole new industry. That was it.

The next day I handed in my resignation.

It was incredibly freeing. I believe that day I felt the peace of the Lord on another level.

Until the doubt set it. I was losing the security of a government job. Looking at medical aid options nearly changed my mind. It wasn’t just myself jumping into this. It was my family, my husband and kids, we were all being put on the line. 

There is something about moving in faith that really can’t be messed with tho. I’ve seen this in so many big moments in my life and God showed up for us again. Not long after resigning I got offered an interview for a position in an industry I never worked in. I managed to sign enough campaigns to be able to pay my studies in full before I left the school and put away enough should I not be able to make money for a few months.

I believe in manifesting, putting what you want out into the world and doing the work to achieve your goals but in those moments i realised that if i didn’t take that leap of faith that i was the one holding myself back and blocking my blessings. 

Sometimes we cling onto something so tightly because it’s comfortable or because it’s easy, not realising that sometimes it’s in the uncomfortable positions, where we challenge ourselves, that we are able to grow and prosper. We pray for these big dreams but are we ready to do the preparation for God to open those doors? It isn’t easy but I knew staying in a teaching position was not going to get me to where I’m going.

That path still isn’t clear, but I’m putting in the work. For a month after I stopped working at the school I had no new prospects, I started studying but my other income through my blog has slowed down to almost stand still but I continue to push.

Today, half way through the year, I’ve got a new job I adore. Which did come from that initial interview btw. I’ve finished my course in digital marketing at Red & Yellow and I’m on the road to building a whole new career. None of this could have happened without the support my husband and family gives me, but more than that it would be impossible without the blessing which I’m sure is directly linked to that leap of faith.