Career Crossroads

My lovely boyfriend whisked me away yesterday (25/02/11) for a romantic stay at the Hilton Hotel, complete with a dip in the jacuzzi, and yummy evening meal and a fair few drinks. We had a great time, and as the conversation flowed we stumbled onto the topic of career choices, and spent a fair bit of the evening debating the pros and cons of obtaining a successful career.

I have always been extremely career-driven, and I have always believed that I was born to write. When I was younger and the teachers would set you the task of making a poster for homework, I'd always ask if I could design a newspaper or a magazine instead. While the other kids were happy colouring in, I wanted to write and to explore the English language as best I could at that young age.

That passion has stayed with me throughout my life, and now that I am nearing the end of my University education, and the world of work is beckoning, I've had to start contemplating where I want my life to go after Uni.

The most likely prospect for me at my current age and experience is to get a job at a regional newspaper, like the Birmingham Mail where I worked for a week earlier in the year - or perhaps to try and crack my way into the fashion/woman's magazine business. In many respects I'm happy to sit back and see where my life progresses on it's own; see what opportunities arise and how my career pans out. But I do have aspirations to travel with my job, and I'd love to report on world news and international current affairs one day.

I've always loved the idea of working in a real journalistic hub, such as London or New York, but this is where my problem arises. As I'm sure you have all gathered by now, I have built a pretty great life for myself right here in Birmingham. I live in a nice house with my family, who I'm close to - my Mam in particular. I have great friends who all live in and around Birmingham. My best friend Ray lives minutes from my house, and we always pop by to see each other or call each other up for a drink at short notice. And not forgetting my gorgeous boyfriend Sean, who lives half an hour away down the motorway. I have it good here, and I know I do.

I'm happy here. I'd struggle to leave my family, and it doesn't bare thinking about moving away from Ray. I love my Man and I see us having a great future together. I never went into this relationship thinking it would be the be all and end all of my life, but I also didn't come into it thinking it would just do for now. I'd started to make plans; considered moving out of home and possibly moving in with him. Not in great leaps or bounds, but it's what you do when you're settled with someone, you allow yourself to imagine the future you might have. But this is the debate you see.

My other half has already begun his career as a teacher. He has been to Uni, graduated with a good degree, completed his teacher training and landed himself a fantastic job at a really good school in Sutton. He hasn't been teaching long, but he's happy where he is and there's still so many options for him to rise up through the ranks and progress in his career. He has no reason to move, and I can't I blame him. He's worked hard to get where he is and he deserves the career he has now.

But I have itchy feet. Birmingham's great, and it's been my home for the last 21 years. But I have dreams to go places and see things. I want to land an excellent job, where I can work my way up to being a success and where I can feel like I'm getting total job satisfaction. My question is, am I going to get all that at a publication here in Brum? Will I be missing out on the lifestyle and the buzz and excitement of working in a core part of the industry if I stay where I am?

I know of people who cut everyone out of their lives and moved away to follow their dreams and be who they wanted to be, and there's an odd sense of admiration on my part about that. They are now hugely successful in their chosen field, but they are also lonely. They gave it all up, their friends, family, boyfriend and just did what made them happy - nothing to hold them back and nothing to stand in their way.

I haven't got it in me to just walk away, not when I've spent so long building a good life for myself right here - but that's the problem. If you don't break away to live your own life and follow your own dreams, will you look back and regret not being that little bit braver? That little bit more selfish, perhaps?

If I could just pick up the life I have here and move it away with me then I'd do it tomorrow, without a doubt. The best of both worlds; everyone I love, in the place I love, letting me do the thing I want most. But then the truth of the matter would be that everyone I love would have had to have sacrificed their lives to suit mine, and that just isn't right.

I think that's what I've come to realise, that a lot of the time your career and your personal life collide and you can't just have your cake and eat it. It all seems to be about sacrifice and compromise - but the question is what to sacrifice and compromise, my career or my personal life. It obviously isn't like this for everyone, as my Fella's happy as Larry where he is. Great job, near to home, which allows him to lead his life the way he wants. If only it was going to be that simple for me.

So I'm facing a choice in the near future, and as of yet I'm undecided on my path in life. Obviously, being fresh out of Uni, I'll take whatever jobs come my way and I won't set the bar too high to begin with, or limit myself to a particular area of the industry, until I can be more secure in my abilities. My worry is, that if one day the call comes in to say that I've been offered a dream job miles from home, I'll be left to face a seriously hard decision. Where do I choose to settle down, home or away?