Regret

Regret.

The famous six letter word.

I recently had an experience that required me to evaluate the all-encompassing word from 987,928,349,827,349 different angles.

I could have been working as a full-time, salaried International Account Executive by this time next week. But I turned it down.

Let me back up ...

About a month ago, I met one of Esteban´s friends, María José. She works as a Human Resources Generalist at a reputable international news company for 12 different industry sectors in the Americas. She mentioned that they were always looking for English speakers to edit copies and call businesses in the States. I figured it would do no harm to submit a resume and see what happens. After all, I have a BA in Communications, emphasis in Public Relations and will eventually be doing something in that field. This might be an unpassable opportunity.

I received an e-mail from the company two Wednesdays ago, saying they had an open position as an International Account Executive. In the Sales Department.

Ok... worth getting more information, right?

I had a three hour interview mostly in Spanish last Friday. It went great. Fabulous. Fantastic. Magnificent. I learned more about the company, the position, everything. Great; I´d make more money, have an impressive job title to put on my resume, get some professional experience ... but there´s one problem. I´d be selling subscriptions to the news service. Sales ... not something I´ve ever particularly wanted to do.

And - I have a job I love right now. Yeah, so it might not be something that I want to do for the rest of my life but for right now, it´s exactly why I´m here in Chile. As the first semester nears its end, I can reflect on the incredible experience I´ve had and see where I can go from there to make it even better next semester. I´m not ready to leave the colegio yet.

That´s my heart speaking.

When it comes to my rational mind, I think about the professional experience I´d gain that could make me more marketable for a position back home in the Pacific Northwest. Would it be a mistake to pass up an opportunity like this? To cohort with the big wigs and convince them that they absolutely need to buy a news subscription or their company will go under (something to that extent). I don´t know. You often never know the answers to those kinds of questions until it´s too late to go back and change your mind.

But when you follow your heart, you never lose. Because at the end of the day, if you´re not happy, then what´s the point?