I am pursuing my passions!

I am leaving my corporate career to be a stay at home dad and pursue a Master's degree and certification as an elementary school teacher. Both of these new endeavors have been passions of mine for many years. And, while I continue to enjoy my corporate career even after 19 years, I know that I have just one life to live and that I want to live life for my passions.

Life is short. Time flies by. Children grow too fast. These statements are echoed often especially if you are a parent. While you cannot control time, you can make decisions to make the most of your time. It starts with identifying your priorities and passions. Even before Catherine and I had children, I had expressed my desire to be a stay at home parent. While my career grew, the desire to be at home to nurture our children never diminished. A few years ago, I made a bold decision to leave a high profile role that I really enjoyed because the responsibilities took me further away from my desire to be home. I made a life goal to be an active parent of my young children and assumed a role that allowed me to enjoy significantly more time with my children. While that has been a wonderful move, I still have not fulfilled my desire to be a stay at home parent. And, with my children growing from little kids to big kids to the cusp of teenagehood, the time to fulfill my desire was getting short. Last summer, after much thought and discussion, Catherine and I agreed to switch roles allowing me to assume the stay at home parent responsibilities she has enjoyed for over ten years. We agreed to a yearlong transition period to allow each of us to enjoy the roles we are leaving and prepare for our future ones.

Secondly, my new role will allow me to pursue another passion to be an elementary school teacher. I think I've always had the desire to teach in me. I vividly recall when I was 10 that I pretended to teach to an imaginary class in my bedroom. But, as I grew up, I never had the self confidence to believe I could teach. But, as my corporate career grew, so did my confidence. A few years ago, I took the opportunity to support my company's commitment to the local community by volunteering to teach lessons in personal finance for Junior Achievement. And, I loved it. I taught more lessons and my love for teaching grew. I would look forward to the lessons with exuberance and return to tell my wife and friends all the details of each lesson with equal excitement. I found a passion. I found my calling.

I begin my new responsibilities as a stay at home dad and a full time student in a few months. I am ready and I am very excited.