Legally Blonde is one of my FAVORITE movies of all time. I quote it often.
Exactly one year ago, on a Friday afternoon, I left the family law firm that had been my place of employment for two years.
I loved my co-workers. I even really loved my boss, and I am so grateful to still call them friends of mine. However, I knew it was time to leave and go in a different direction in terms of my career and what I wanted when it came to my life and my priorities.
After lots of prayer, and even some job searching done on Indeed, I noticed a common theme regarding working in a particular industry. It kept popping up in my alerts as a potential opportunity that I could be a good fit for. At that time, I had zero of the licensing required for those positions, however I had other skills that perfectly lined up. I told my fiance that I was ready to give it ago, and behold, here we are a year later.
Lots and lots of tears and triumphs have occured through this journey. Changing career paths (or for some of you, restarting yours) is not for the faint of heart. Allow me to be real honest with you about what has transpired over the last 12 months.
First up, I had to study a state licensing exam for life and health insurance. That was easy and I was able to complete that within one sitting. Actually, technically two because I took that exam virtually, and I should not have. I should have just gone in, but I thought I would like doing it online and not have to drive anywhere. However, during the first exam, my computer, even though plugged in to the power source, completely died in the middle of my test. Y'all. I CRIED. Ugly tears. I was so mad. Take this from me. Just go in to the testing center. Yes, you may have to drive a bit, but you will be less likely to experiece stupid technical issues. But I passed quickly and it was awesome. I was ready to move on to the next steps.
Second exam to study for was the securities entrance exam. Initially, this exam was part of one big exam (in which you were tested for 7 hours), but recently it has been broken up into two separate exams. You were allowed to take it up to three times (with a 30 day window between each failed exam) before you would have to wait 180 days if you failed a third time.
First attempt: FAIL
Second attemtp: FAIL
Third attempt: PASS!
I cried happy tears. My fiance and I celebrated.
Hold up. Couldn't celebrate for too long. It was now time to study for the big exam. This one was the hardest exam. Think of it like the state bar exam for attorneys. The study guide was huge. I was overwhelmed. Same concept in terms of testing. You get three attempts to pass and after that, you have to wait 180 days each failure. Yikes!
At this point, thanks to passing the securites entrance exam, I was now temporarily contracted with the company. The contract was only for 7 weeks, but during this time, I was being paid an hourly rate to study. The goal was so that I would pass this next exam (the series 7) and the following exam within a little over a month. I was grateful for the paycheck, even though it was not large, as it provided me with some income as I prepared.
First attempt: FAIL
Second attempt: FAIL
Third attempt: FAIL
Yeah. I failed it three times. I bawled. I honestly considered giving up and I believed that maybe I was wrong in thinking that I could work in this industry. I have never felt more stupid or incompetent in my entire life. I definitely allowed myself to mourn and be upset in this setback. I not only failed to pass this particular exam, I now have to wait six months before I am able to sit for it again. Luckily, my fiance's best friend made the suggestion that I should sit for the exam just underneath it (the series 6). Basically the same, but less questions and equally dreaded.
I was encouraged to take it right away without much studying, since folks had assured me that most of the material would be on the exam. Yeah. No. I studied. And I passed all the practice exam, but:
First attempt: Fail by one point 🤦🏼♀️
I was so pissed off that I texted my fiancé and told him that I didn’t want to talk about it. And that I was thinking about quitting. Once again, I was questioning whether I was doing the right thing in the first place.
I took about a week to really process everything. I wrote about this in a previous blog post. I really needed that time to just sit and deal with it all. I was exhausted. My brain really did not feel like it could hold any more information and I also wondered if this was all good for my mental health. I could definitely feel myself slipping into a dark place.
I asked myself nearly every day and every night: do I keep going? Or do I stop and figure out a different direction to go in?
I decided to give it one more go.
I didn’t tell anyone, not even my fiancé, when I signed up for the next exam 30 days in the future. I got focused. I was angry. I was ready. Buckled down and sat in my office/closer and just studied.
2nd attempt: PASS!
Finally!! The third exam is done and behind me. I am about to burn that study guide because I will never have to look at it again!
Now, I have one more exam to get through and I will be that much closer to launch. I could not be more excited. This has literally been a year in the making. I left my job and took a big leap of faith, and truthfully, I had no idea whether this would really pay off. What business did I have to place myself at the table in this industry? According to most, none. But, I do enjoy doing things that people say I can’t do. I am a bit of a rebel in that way. And I am old, so I am starting to care a little less about what people think lol.
Why am I sharing all of this with you? I suppose I could have kept it to myself and not admit to the world how many times I failed taking exams and how many setbacks I have experienced in this journey. However, I pride myself on keeping it as real as I can. And this is as real as it gets.
This career transition has been difficult. I have doubted. Cried. Screamed at the sky and at God. Wondered. Experienced small victories and crippling defeats. My mental, physical and emotional health has gone up and down. I know deep down thought, that this is all part of the journey. It is all part of the process. Every person in the industry I am entering in to has had to do the same things. Study, take exams. Pray we pass. Then move forward. Because we knew the end goal was that much closer. Whatever you are doing currently to get to your next step, next career, your next reinvention of yourself, step into the process.
You got this. Trust me. If I can do this, a girl with no real college education, can reinvent her life and do something as crazy as this, you most certainly can.
I am rooting for you.
Your Dream BuildHer Bestie,
Tiffany Rhea
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