October Question of the Month 💭 Join the conversation and receive a badge

Atroyanek · 10/17/23

I was afraid to go back to college after not taking it seriously straight out of high school. I had always been a fast learner and did well in school, but after I graduated high school; I went into living young, wild and free. Which, unfortunately, was not a good mix with college.

That was my first fear, was realizing this was not my time and dropping out. I ended up having a baby girl shortly after and she became my motivation. It was scary going back raising a child on my own, working full time, and going to school full-time with students that were about 8 years younger than me. However, no one treated me any different. I was able to make friends and succeed in getting my first Bachelor's of Science in Biopsychology with a minor in Ethics.

After a few years, I had enjoyed college so much that I went back to get a Bachelors's of Arts in Philosophy!

Jeff Reisman · 10/17/23

I did the scariest thing, but it all worked out.

While still recovering from a traumatic brain injury, I moved to new state, into a one bedroom apartment, with my long-distance girlfriend. I didn't have a college degree, nor a job lined up, but I had a truck to drive and enough money to last two months. (Years later, I learned that my parents thought I'd be moving back within 6 months, while my siblings guessed I'd be back in two months. That was 27 years ago.)

I found work quickly and kept looking for better opportunities. We moved into a larger apartment. I lost that job, but found a better one, got hired permanently and advanced quickly. My brain had recovered and I worked hard, used my innate creativity to find many ways of improving the company and saving money. Two years later my employer was paying for me to attend I.T. training classes at night, and then moved me into the I.T. Department. Within a few years I was a Team Lead. I worked there for a total of 10 years. I've had several I.T. jobs since then, until landing here at METUS nearly 5 years ago.

I married that girl 2 years after we took that crazy risk and moved together, and we celebrated our 25th anniversary this year. Way back at age 28 we bought our current home from the Atlanta Falcons' all-time worst draft pick. We have 2 sons, one daughter, and one granddaughter. We still face challenges and have to take some risks sometimes, but we know in the end everything does indeed come out okay.

RebSchr · 10/17/23

I have been thinking about what I wanted to share since the question was posted. I didn't know if I wanted to share something professionally related, or personally related.

But in the end, the personal side is what defined my professional side of things.

It was scary for a long time, until it wasn't.

Personal Side: I was a young mother in the middle of a messy divorce, when I found out that I was also pregnant with my daughter. I was absolutely terrified as to how I was going to make it as a single Mom with a five-year-old and a newborn. I knew that I wanted to be the best Mom that I could be for them. I knew there were going to be a lot of hard times both financially and personally for a long time. I was up for the task. I was going to be the best Mom that I could be and that was no longer scary to me. Over time, the financial side of things starting getting harder. The job that I had wasn't going to get me anywhere or provide the financial stability that we needed for our future.

It was time for me to make a change.

Professional Side: Now came the next big scary thing, I went back to school. I was juggling taking care of my children, my job and now going to class. There were times that I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I pushed forward. When I graduated, I no longer felt as scared as I did before. I figured if I made it this far, anything was possible.

I was hired at a small company, that overtime became a big company and moved my way up the latter. This opened a ton of doors for me in my career and gave me a lot of opportunities. I made a big scary leap 6 years ago and changed companies. Not only did a change companies, but I also completely changed the industry that I worked in. I went from food industry to the medical industry. In the end, it was the best decision that I made.

Lots of things in life can be scary until they aren’t.

Trish Dillon · 10/18/23

SOLO travels outside the United States. Going to a new foreign country by myself was scary. Once I got there and felt more at ease in the environment, I was able to enjoy myself and the experience. 😎

Dawn_ATX · 10/18/23

Moving from Detroit to Austin without a job or knowing anyone in the city! It was terrifying but the best move I have ever made!! 💚

NicoleGill · 10/19/23

The scariest thing I ever did was walk away from a very safe & comfortable job with a company I'd been with for 19+ years. I had no real plan for what to do next, but I was no longer being challenged or saw myself being truly happy with the company. I was the breadwinner for my family and my youngest was a junior in high school (we had college to think about!).

That was August of 2017. Over the next 5 years I lost my father, my husband lost his job, we became business owners of 3 companies, my mother became ill & I became her primary caregiveer until she passed away, I went back to school & completed my BS & MBA, sent one daughter off to college, watched another get married & bless me me with my first grandchild, saw 2 of my children purchase their first homes, closed 2 of our businesses, traveled a TON, learned how to Salsa and returned to the corporate world.

Scary... yes. Rewarding... hell yes.

Erin Kim · 10/20/23

Changing my career path from Education to IT Healthcare. Moving from something I was so familiar with to a career field I did not go to school for was a big jump/ super scary but SOOO happy I did it for myself.

Susan Ross · 10/20/23

Quitting my job to care for a family member. It was well worth it! I actually had to do this twice. The decision the second time was so much easier.

Joanna C. · 10/23/23

At 26, I moved from Chicago where I was the girl about town who knew the people to know and had a great career to Denver where I knew absolutely no one but my boyfriend and no job. The boyfriend didn't last but it was the best decision of my life. The move forced me into an environment where not many people looked like me at the time (the mid-1990s) and the lifestyle was very much outdoors-focused. I'd never owned a fleece or a pair of hiking boots my entire life. By the time I moved again 8 years later, I had new skills (both personal and job-related) and lifelong friends. I left a different, more accomplished, better person.

Emily Fink · 10/24/23

Taking the PMP exam! I studied and studied, and passed on my first attempt.

Deanna Vandermeer · 10/24/23

Deciding to leave a position that I had held for 23 years was scary but it was honestly the BEST thing I ever did and doing so has provided me with some amazing opportunities! Looking back now (14 years later) I should have done it sooner! Working for people who know and understand your worth makes all the difference.

ShaunW · 10/25/23

The Scariest moment for me was being laid off for the first time in my long career going and then going from a leader to an IC, at that particular point in time it was the right decision but it does take a bit of getting use to but i find it very rewarding and gave me time to find new technology and play around with it to create great solutions.

MikeWhite · 10/25/23

I was always scared of heights. So to try and deal with that, I tried jumping out of planes. The first time was the most scared I've ever been. However, once the Parachute opened up and I was in control of the "fall", it was one of the best experiences I ever had and I wasn't impacted at all by the height. I was hooked and love that experience.

The irony of it all is that it didn't help with the fear of heights. I did learn though that my fear is based on having a reference point to how high something is in my vision. ex. If on the edge of a cliff, the edge is what is triggering the fear, NOT the height.

Jeff Reisman · 10/25/23

@MikeWhite

cbredehoeft · 10/25/23

Moving into a new department and introducing Smartsheet to a team of experienced project managers who were hesitant to try yet another PM tool. Happy to say, it has been a success with minor bumps and bruises!

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