Last week while scanning through pages of LinkedIn insider posts, I came across an interesting clip of comedian Jim Carrey speaking at the commencement of Maharishi University in Iowa. During the eight minute clip I witnessed something I had never seen from the slap-happy comedian: sincerity. He spoke about his father, who chose a conservative career path as an accountant instead of the uncertain and challenging path of a comedian. When Jim was 12, his father was let go from his job, leaving his family to scramble and struggle to support themselves. His message was simple, but powerful – in life we can choose to love or to fear; rather than making the safe choice out of a fear of failure, you might as well do what you love.
This resonates so strongly with me as I look back over my varied career path – my many years of education, with far too much student loan debt and degrees ranging from a Master’s in Psychology to an (expected) MBA in International Marketing. Every choice in my career, school or location has been out of necessity and fear. That was, until I met entreQuest (eQ).
I found eQ at a point in my life when I was in a career that made me unhappy with no growth potential and little challenge. But, it was safe. It paid my bills and I knew as long as I continued to show up to work, I would have a job. But, as many disengaged employees do, I began to send out resumes just to see if another opportunity was out there. After a few weeks, a series of interviews and phone calls, I was fortunate enough to land an offer with eQ. Upon going home and sharing the great news with my family, I was warned about the “dangers of small business,” the unstable job market and my lack of experience working in an entrepreneurial setting. I received no support from my family which made the choice between love and fear even greater.
Now, at my one year anniversary with eQ, I look back at the choice I made to leave my “safe” job that brought me no happiness and little challenge, and I could not be happier. eQ is an exciting company to be a part of, it challenges me every day and has afforded me more opportunity for growth, development and advancement than any degree or career I’ve ever had. I have the opportunity to help businesses grow and exceed their expectations, and help candidates find jobs that will change their lives.
The best advice that I can give to anyone reading this blog is, that you can’t go back. There may never be another chance to do what you love but at any moment what is safe can be gone. So, as Henry David Thoreau so aptly said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams” and, in my own words: don’t play it too safe.
Jes Geoffroy is an Operations Manager for entreQuest. She works closely with all team members to provide employees and clients with remarkable experiences.
