What was I thinking? Is age 52 a wise time to make a massive career change? Though, I can’t say I’ve ever thought of my work history as a career. They’ve been jobs. I never really loved what I did.
But you know what? Life is too short. I only really figured that out about a year and a half ago. But, it helped me walk away from a 10-year post at the IRS.
I was proud of my time there. I worked my way up to a GS-15 slot doing web content strategy. There were even a few years in the middle there that I actually enjoyed going to work. That is, until office politics got out of hand. Can you say drama? Not only was I dreading Mondays, but I’d started to dread Sundays, too. Not good. So I walked away.
I did a brief stint as a contractor leading a small web team at the U.S. Mint, but that wasn’t the right fit, either.
Back to indeed.com and Career Builder. Only this time, I found myself typing “photography” into the search bar more frequently than “content strategy.” I spent about a month fighting it before I realized there was no way I could go back to life in a cubicle.
I traded my dress slacks and pumps for khakis and Sketchers and spent the fall season with Lifetouch doing underclass portraits. Talk about a different world—confirmed my theory that teenagers lose any ability for rational thought when gathered in large groups. While volume photography isn’t quite my scene, I confirmed that it’s time to turn my life-long hobby into something more.
So Anne Corcoran Photography was born. I’m excited and totally overwhelmed in equal measure. Many hoops to jump through staring a business, but each day I cross another detail off the list and take a step closer.
Stay tuned!
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