Career Goals Adjusted

Leigh had her appointment with the RN program at UAA on Friday. The general presentation really made an impression on her and she got really excited about certain opportunities that an RN will provide for her (namely med-surg nursing and ortho nursing). But then she found out that the earliest she can plan to start classes is Fall 2012. The reason is complicated, but basically she needs to take two prerequisite courses and get As in them to be admitted and new students must start classes in the Fall semester, then they MUST take all courses in the order listed on the website over the course of 4 semesters. No doubling up credits, no skipping aroung. I understand the reasoning for this, because of the clinical nature of the program, but it was a tough pill for both of us to swallow. This puts us behind our "plans" for more than one year.

But after giving it some thought we both decided to just make the commitment to being in Anchorage for 4 or 5 years, commit to Leigh getting her RN, commit to me working full time as an attorney for these years and commit to my plans to move us to Europe for my MBA/MIB program after we're done with this "preporatory period" of our lives. While it's kind of difficult to feel stuck in a place for a period of time as long as 5 years, it's good in the way that it forces us (meaning, me) to be permanent someplace for a while. It forces me to only look for jobs in Anchorage after my clerkship is over, to focus on Leigh and her goals for a while, and to get our personal finances completely in order so that when we do have greater mobility in our careers nothing, absolutely nothing, will hold us back from taking any and every opportunity that comes our way.

So it's looking like this:

• 2010-2012: I'll work as a law clerk, Leigh will temp until she finds something permanent
• Summer/Fall 2012: We're trying to figure out a way to go to Europe for a nice trip without interfering with Leigh's Fall classes. Ideally we'd like to spend some time in Germany and a few days in Prague, then I'd like to spend a month or two at Taize before starting my new job (whatever that may be).
• 2012-2014: I'll work as an attorney here in Anchorage, Leigh will go to UAA for the RN program almost full time (about 10 credits per semester) and maybe work part-time.
• 2014: Leigh needs one year full-time experience as an RN before she can register as a travel nurse, I'll spend 2014 preparing for my MBA/MIB program by getting my application together, taking the GMAT, having my transcripts and CV translated into French, etc.
• 2015: I'll live in France full time for school, Leigh wants to work as a travel nurse in the US and visit me between contracts (every 6 weeks or so), especially when I am not in classes. By 2017 I will graduate and have worked for at least one European/multinational company and should have a lot of excited career prospects in the US, Europe, and maybe even Canada.

Ambitious? Yes.
A bit crazy? Perhaps.
Do-able? Definitely!
Is this really going to happen? Absolutely!