[jodi]

I left my last job for several reasons:
1. Money (of course). I started at $19,700 full time. After two years, I calculated how long it would take me to reach $25k in my current position, as there was very little room for advancement. It was so depressing I started to look for other options.
2. I decided to pursue another career - real estate sales. I kept my prior job part-time while getting established. I liked the idea of being in control of how much or how little I made, rather than knowing I was stuck at a certain salary until my next raise.
3. I could not stomach the job anymore. It was at a homeless teenage shelter in an inner-city enviroment on a street where there were gangs, guns, and drugs. I was so frustrated with the job that I felt I was no longer effective in it.
I wasn't looking to get back into that field, but an opportunity arose that was part-time, close to where I live, and pays half-time almost what I was making full-time. Now I've got the best of both worlds: stability in a job I like, plus the freedom to make more money selling houses.