I had a project unexpectedly fall through for August, and it had me a bit rattled. I’ve been thinking about what to do for a few days now and realize I’m struggling because I feel fairly flexible in regards to what happens next—which is not a situation I’ve found myself in for many years. 

For the past decade, I’ve been focused on branding, design, and marketing in the tech space. Before that, I worked in nonprofit administration, managing programs and writing grants for at-risk youth initiatives. I’ve enjoyed all of this work, and the path here has been surprisingly cohesive, with writing, project management, communication, and strategy being at the forefront of it all. Still, I find myself often missing mission-driven work, creating an inner conflict where I have to ultimately choose between these two worlds, firmly settling into a single direction. This feels impossible, though, since realizing I do not have strong convictions about job titles or roles at all. 

I really just miss working with great people on great projects, with bonus points around supporting a mission grounded in environmental or social justice. I can do this within a number of roles, including as an employee or contractor. And while I still prefer a remote setup, I also now see the appeal of a hybrid setup when necessary. 

There is a part of this that could potentially look like a career crisis of some kind, but I’m slowly realizing it’s actually just hard-earned insight into what does and doesn’t matter and the true value I bring to projects and the values I admire most in others. So, I don’t actually know what I’m going to do about losing this project, but I somehow now feel excited about the unrestricted possibilities.