The three lessons my attempted career change taught me.

In The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene, Greene discusses a human characteristic we all have, albeit, to differing degrees, called the “grass-is-always-greener” syndrome.

Greene says every human is plagued with the innately human belief that our lives would be better if we could have the one thing we desire most. That desire can be a relationship, a job, a car, or exotic vacation.

I was aware of this trait prior to reading it in Greene’s book and, for some reason, I’d believed I was immune to this belief. 

Therefore, when I decided to leave the senior living industry in pursuit of an industry that was more aligned with my idea of myself, I was surprised when I didn’t find the fulfillment I thought I would.

Quick context - in June of 2021, I quit my job as a sales and marketing manager in the senior living industry. I’d wanted to leave the industry from the moment I entered it. 

From the time I began work in senior living, I’d felt the industry was unlovely, boring, and, frankly, depressing.

Through a connection I made in Nashville, I was presented with a sales and marketing position in the interior design industry. I leapt at the opportunity immediately.

Although interior design wasn’t my dream career, I saw it as an opportunity to step outside of the industry I so deeply detested.  By my estimation, interior design was everything senior living was not.

I started work at the interior design firm in July of 2021. 

At the time I’m writing this, it’s February 1st, 2022. My last day at the interior design firm was five days ago.  

After spending a little over seven months at the firm, here are the three lessons I learned:

1.) New terminology and jargon are exhausting to learn

• Every industry has its own underground language that is not only spoken by everyone, but spoken with pride. I underestimated how exhausting it’d be to learn a new set of terminology and jargon. In senior living, most of the terminology and jargon was healthcare related. In interior design, if it wasn’t interior design specific, it was construction related. While possible, it was demoralizing and exhausting trying to learn this way of communicating. 

2) Looks can be deceiving

• Just because a profession or industry looks a certain way from the outside doesn’t mean it’s so. In fact, the easier it looks from the outside, the more difficult that profession will likely be. I learned this first hand. I didn’t start in interior design because I thought it’d be easy. Rather, design had always been an interest of mine. So, in that way, I guess I did assume that because  I was more interested in it, it’d be easier. However, I quickly learned that just because it’s got a playful and delicate exterior, doesn’t mean interior design will be a walk in the park. This is especially true if you work for a firm as excellent as the one I worked for. I noticed work-ethic, attention to detail, and sheer grit in quantities I’d never experienced it in senior living. 

3) You’re neither as good nor as bad as you think you are

• I found this to be the most refreshing lesson I learned through my time at the firm. Prior to entering the interior design industry, I do believe I over-inflated my capabilities simply because of my level of mastery in the senior living industry. (13+ years) Immediately, I realized that the level of mastery I’d enjoyed in senior living meant nothing in my new role. I, of course, didn’t expect it to. However, it did surprise me just how little of what I’d done in the senior living industry translated. Contrary to that, however, I realized that I had the ability to learn new things and support myself through dedication and hard work. None of it came easy, but I was able to improve incrementally through application of effort. 

Ultimately, I did decide that as much as I appreciate those with the ability to execute  beautiful designs, it’s not a career that suits me. 

I leave that experience with an immense respect for the designers and others who wake up and make a living in the interior design industry every day. I have a first hand appreciation for how difficult it really is. 

Overall, I am happy I took the risk to try an industry in such stark contrast to the only one I’d ever known. 

I’m proud of myself for stepping outside of my comfort zone and exploring the seemingly ‘greener grass’.

I guess my parting advice is this:

If you’re curious about making a career change, great. It might be exactly what you’re looking for. However, proceed with caution because the grass on the other side isn’t always as green as it seems.