A letter to my son on why I switched jobs

Recently I accepted a position as the marketing manager for C&L Aviation,  a well-respected and growing company in Bangor Maine.  The company is a one-stop shop for maintenance, painting and upgrading private and commercial jets. They are also involved in the sale, leasing and service of corporate airplanes around the world. In a sense, this is a dream job for me.

It’s the second major job change for me in a year. In looking back over the past 5 years I have actually now held 6 different jobs with 3 companies. This got me thinking.

Though he is only 4 now and doesn’t really know (or care) about the “where” of where daddy works, this most recent change has made me pause and write these thoughts down, that maybe someday in the future (if the robot overloads allow it) he can look back on. I haven’t always known these thoughts to be true, so perhaps they can help him in his future.

  1. Find your right fit. – Not everything is going to work out for you. In fact some things that on paper seem perfect and make others happy may not do the same for you. That’s ok. There’s nothing wrong with you. Part of knowing what makes you happy in life is knowing what doesn’t.
  2. Don’t give in to “impostor syndrome”. You dad struggles with this. “I can’t be me.” “I’m not qualified for that.” “There are better people out there.” “Why would anyone listen to me?” These types of questions can stop you from tying a lot of things. How you prove the impostor syndrome wrong is by doing, and you can do it.
  3. Once you think you know what you want, fight like hell to get it. Maybe 3 years ago I figured out what I really wanted to do with my career. I tried several similar things, did a few things on my own, and got told no many times; but I didn’t give up. Now I have that opportunity.
  4. It’s ok to change your mind. This is my second career change in less than a year. I thought the last job was going to be great, but in the end it wasn’t what I ultimately wanted. So I changed my mind. Changing your mind can (and will) make things harder for others. Change isn’t easy. But remember that ultimately change is good if it is going to make you happy. A happy you in a better you, for you and for everybody.
  5. Don’t let others tell you who you are. I have been told by many people what I am good at or what type of work I do. I have been referred to as a great salesman, a marketer, a digital marketer, a social media guy and a whole bunch of other (some much less polite) labels. None of these are in my mind a correct fit. I didn’t settle for what others called me as I think there is much more to a person than what someone else perceives they are or what they can do. Believe in who you are and present yourself that way and make sure others see that vision of you. Don’t let it be the other way around.

I’m excited for this new opportunity before me and I think it will be an amazing fit. More than that I’m excited at the possibility of me being happier in general, which can only make my home life that much better. And really, isn’t a fulfilling life what we all are chasing?

Pat Lemieux

About Pat Lemieux

Pat has it all, family, big old house, dogs, a young son and a quarter-life crisis. He blogs about trying to be who he has always been and be who he now needs to be. He enjoys 90's grunge metal, tasty local brews and the outdoors.