After writing about my discoveries earlier this week I had a few ongoing moments of clarity/confusion regarding my career choices. I had really considered going into education instead of financial planning. It's what I had been interested in before I started doing business school, which I did more to please other adults in my life than for my own personal interest. So I sort of assumed that my interest in it wasn't coming from a genuine place and I decided to sit on my GGU acceptance letter for awhile instead of enrolling immediately.

I've researched and planned and researched some more the possible routes for getting into teaching and it all seems nice and good and all. But as several of my friends have pointed out to me since I started questioning my decision to leave behind financial planning, I speak passionately (rant, even) about financial topics far more often than I do about education. The lifestyle of a financial planner is more suited to my preferences. For instance, a private practitioner could set her own hours... I could wake up at noon if I wanted. I could work until 3 AM if I wanted. I could even take time off to write if I wanted. Additionally, the level of enjoyment that I get out of making Excel spreadsheets is something to worry about, except if it led to me making a living off of it. Also, I could hire my own receptionist instead of being one myself...

Add to that the level of personal frustration that I feel when I see graduates at Emperor's leave into the wild blue yonder and come back weeks later frowning and saying things like "if I had known what running a business would be like, I'm not sure I would have done this," and "I feel so unprepared to run my own practice." It's not that we graduate bad acupuncturists--quite the contrary in fact. We graduate excellent acupuncturists, but the traits that make a good acupuncturist are not the same as the traits that make a good business manager/owner. A little training in the basics of owning a practice can go a loooong way to easing the fear and frustration that results in not understanding the way things work in the legal/financial/business world. Not to mention how far in debt most of our graduates are because of taking out student loans. I can sympathize with that, as well as conceptualize ways to deal with it and manage it. When I fantasize about teaching (yes, fantasize), it often involves lectures about money management.

I'm weird, I know that, and I also have an unfortunate tendency towards indecisiveness. But I'm also almost started on classes for my Master's degree now. I spoke with my adviser this afternoon and once I've got financial aid all worked out, I'll be able to register and classes will start in just a couple of weeks. I'm nervous, and happy that I finally am at a decision--as I always say, I don't make decisions, they make themselves and then tackle me when I least expect it. :P