How I Exited a Role In My Life

All people in all cultures have specific roles that they must take on in order to function within their society. I have had many roles in my life thus far, and one role in particular that I remember having is that of a young adult working in the corporate world.

Most of my family members have careers in the corporate world. I, without my consent, was expected to follow in the same career path as my father who had master status within our family. Also, the group I associated with during my younger years was knowledgeable of their expected norms which also involved the corporate field, which were basically identical to my expected career choice. Since reading about Helen Ebaugh’s model, I now recognize that Ebaugh's model took precedence while I began deterring myself away from the corporate career goal into another career aspiration that suited me.

There are four steps in Ebaugh’s model; those steps include first doubts, seeking and weighing role alternatives, a turning point and establishing and ex-role identity. Although I was expected to take on the corporate employee role accordingly, I had my doubts. I enjoyed being active while working and my take on corporate was negative. I sat behind the walls of a stuffy cubicle wearing uncomfortable work attire and dreading the sound of irritating printing and copier machines. I did feel as though I should stay in that field because of the money I would possibly be earning. According to Milne, “Identities are constantly changing; therefore identity processes rather than components (which imply stability) are examined as to how they affect whether an individual will retain or exit from the role identity.” After working in the field for a few months I later realized that I wanted something different for my life than doing the same repetitive thing, so I began seeking and weighing my role alternatives, although I had some backlash from my immediate family. Soon after, I became more confident in my decision to choose a career path that suited me, not only to the best of my educational abilities, but also one that fits my own personality for my personal enjoyment. After six months of working in the corporate field I exited my role as a corporate employee and chose a path that allowed me to enjoy almost all aspects of the job rather than staying in a career that would appease others rather than me.

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