And.....my first year at Darden is over. Just like that, nine months raced by and I now suddenly find myself packing up this week and heading back to the tri-state area for the summer. I really feel like asking myself, what just happened? Back in August I was asking myself if I was ready to be a student again. Had I made the right choice leaving my job and forgoing 52 paychecks over two years to change my path? Diana and I were leaving our friends and family behind and had really no idea what to expect. Were we making the right decision?
I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point during the fall, Charlottesville began to feel like home. Not that New York City did not, because it will always be a huge part of who we are, but C'ville became a 2nd home pretty quickly. While we always thought of ourselves as city people, we quickly became suburban-ites. We were wine tasting, hiking, and of all things, driving...what was happening!?!?
Not only that, but I came into Darden as an accountant who transitioned into corporate finance in the banking world. That was my professional identity. At Darden, I suddenly became a blank slate. Now I am going to be interning in a marketing/brand management role in the CPG industry. Me, who felt my entire career was already defined and felt trapped before school (at the ripe old age of 27), was becoming a marketer? Talk about a change.
I still have an entire summer and another year of school to go, but if this experience has taught me anything it is that change is refreshing. Even if it is not as dramatic as uprooting your life and moving to a new city, or changing your professional aspirations, opening yourself up to something new is invigorating. Every once in awhile switch things up. This is what keeps life interesting.
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