We are always trying to answer the question “What causes breast cancer?” Rightfully so, but I also like the flip side question. “What does breast cancer cause?”
Breast cancer causes career changes.
I’ve seen it over and over again. There are so many women who make radical career changes after breast cancer — a few of them have been profiled on this blog (here and here for example). And then there are also plenty of women who tweak their careers after the diagnosis. And while I don’t find this too surprising (if getting slammed with this disease doesn’t lead to a bit of introspection then what would?), I still find it fascinating.
I’m in the process of completely revamping my career. One of the blogs that I read regularly is Penelope Trunk’s career blog . In a recent post, she noted the realization that “any career shift is about learning and exploring until you land in the right spot.”
I started out as a mechanical design engineer. Then I went into the business development side of things, which in my little corner of the business world meant being a liaison between engineering and the customer, developing marketing strategies, and negotiating contracts. Stuff like that. And traveling. Lots of traveling.
Then, for a myriad of reasons, I embraced the stay-at-home mom gig. I never would have predicted that phase, but if you are reading this blog you probably have some connection to breast cancer and you know that life can be unpredictable.
While I was a full-time stay-at-home mom I did a little bit of freelance writing. Not a lot, but it was enough to know that I don’t totally suck at writing. Now that my kids are older I am building up my writing business with clients in health, wellness and engineering. And I am teaching journaling workshops to all kinds of people: cancer survivors, caregivers, people trying to quit smoking, people trying to figure out a career change. I recently launched a new blog called Journaling with Jayne.
Last but not least, I have gone back to school to study Medical Device Product Development. The lead story of a recent ASME magazine was called “Treating Cancer as a Mechanism.” Quoting from the article: “Nanotechnology and nanoscale mechanical engineering may soon lead to a revolution in oncology.” No kidding, I just about cried when I read that. It brought home that I can put my engineering background to use in the fight against cancer.
So I’ve put myself on the path to somehow be a part of that revolution. Studying nanotechnology, the FDA approval process, quality control procedures for medical device manufacturers, imaging technology…Lovin’ it.
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