They say it takes 20 hours to learn something new.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve given myself an education in new—new jobs, in particular. It’s been nerve wracking, intimidating, uncertain, and at times, downright hard, but it’s also been exhilarating and freeing.

When I left my job nearly two years ago, I left a company I’d been with for seven years. Although I rarely stuck to just one role during the time I spent there, I did pass my days saying hello and goodbye to the same people, taking the same route to and from work, buying vanilla lattes at the same coffee shops, and sitting in the same desk.

Work had become routine. And that’s something I’ve come to appreciate—crave, even—about starting a new job. Rather than routine, thrusting yourself into a new job provides you with the opportunity to shake it up. And you can’t just sit back and relax; you gotta be on your toes.

Since moving on from banking, I’ve shaken things up a lot, and I’ve worn a plethora of hats: I spent a summer working as a bookseller, a job I likened to a kid in a candy shop, given my affinity for books; I spent a winter working as a ticket seller at the ski resort I used to spend weekends and vacations snowboarding at; I’m spending another summer working as Concierge/Beach Attendant at a swanky club house on one of the most beautiful lakes in the country; not to mention the various freelance jobs I’ve taken on over the past two years, ranging from co-writing a memoir, blogging, brushing the surface of what it is to grow a startup, and video editing.

Needless to say, it’s been a whirlwind. And it hasn’t always been comfortable. Learning something new can be hard. You go from being competent, maybe even from a place of authority or leadership, to the lowly and precarious position of a novice. Your self-esteem takes a nosedive, and you feel like you can’t possibly learn everything you’ll have to learn to do a good job. Once you do learn it, it’s time to leave that job and start something new.

This is not something your sense of self-preservation—that voice in your head that tells you to just stay put—encourages you to do. Even your body can protest at the new physical demands you’re putting on it. That’s what happens when you suddenly start doing something you’ve never done before, like standing for eight hours at a time, or hauling kayaks and standup paddle boards up and down a sandy beach.

But I’ll tell you one thing: it’s been worth it. Taking on these new roles has not only brought variety and greater challenge to my life, but it’s taught me a lot about the value of switching it up. In terms of starting new jobs, I've  realized a whole bunch of advantages:

  • Being the new gal/guy is uncomfortable, but the discomfort only lasts for a short time: Even though it doesn’t feel like it in the beginning, you’ll start to pick up on the nuances of a new job pretty quickly. You just have to be patient with yourself in the beginning and allow yourself the time to learn. You’ll be sailing along before you know it.
  • You learn new skills and new ways to exercise your mind and body: I spent 14 years working in banking and finance, but I had no idea the thought and organization that went into a magazine display until I worked at a bookstore. And despite the aches and pains of new physical demands, I feel the satisfaction of a hard day’s work that I never experienced sitting at a desk for eight hours a day.
  • You open yourself up to new knowledge and information: As a bookseller, I knew all the best-selling books—hardback and paperback—and I learned how to give informed book suggestions to customers who asked for them. You can spend years becoming an expert at a single job, even an entire industry, but you’ll miss out on all the knowledge other jobs have to offer.
  • You learn how to function, even thrive, in new environments: Even if you’ve worked half your adult life in a strict environment, dominated by order and control, you can become accustomed to an environment that fosters autonomy and collaboration. It might take some time, but just the act of leaving one environment for another equips you with the flexibility you need to adjust.
  • You meet new people and build new work relationships: I met a lot of great people throughout my career, and many of them became lasting friends. Now that I've moved on from that work, I'm getting the opportunity to meet all sorts of new people, people of all ages and different backgrounds. It's broadened the scope of work relationships beyond the bubble of the office, and even though I may never see some of these people again once the season ends, I know my life is richer for having known them.
  • The more you do it, the better you get at it: Even though there is still awkwardness and discomfort at the beginning of a new gig, it's getting easier. I'm starting to learn quicker and gain more confidence in my abilities. Best of all, it's actually starting to feel more fun than uncomfortable, because with each new job, I know all the great experiences I'll have.

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Taking the security out of your work life can be a scary thing, and I realize it's not something that most of us would voluntarily do. It can be challenging and uncertain at times, and every job surely won't be your "dream job." But for myself, I've learned to truly appreciate the change it's afforded me. This life is still new to me, and I'm sure there will be bumps along the way, but I can say with honesty that I'm happy I decided to shake it up.

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