Last weekend, I watched The Little Mermaid with my (almost) four year old. This time, Ariel’s song “Part of your World” caught my attention in a new way:

Looking around here, you think
“Sure, she’s got everything”
I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I’ve got whozits and whatzits galore
You want thingamabobs?
I’ve got twenty!
But who cares?
No big deal
I want more…
When’s it my turn?
Wouldn’t I love, love to explore that world…
Wish I could be
Part of that world

You see, I’ve been yearning for a new career path for years. I’ve been networking, building relationships, showcasing what I can do, and opting in to projects that are related to the work I want to do. All the while, I’ve done great work for Best Buy in many areas of the organization where they have needed me. But the nagging feeling has remained: I want to be part of “that” world.

So, when the voluntary severance (”buyout”) plan was announced, I did consider taking it. For a minute. But, in addition to my desire to work in a new field, I love Best Buy – who we are, what we stand for, and what we bring to the world.

And so, I hoped that I could have both: a career in the field I love, working at a company I love.

With this in mind, I took a pretty big risk. I told my leaders that I wanted a new career, that they should build my current team’s organizational structure without me. Meanwhile, I would go all-out for the career I dreamed about at Best Buy, choosing not to apply for just any job, and only focus on the area that fits my passion. I put my heart into combining my personal ambition with an opportunity at Best Buy.

Yesterday afternoon I learned that this was not meant to be. So now I am choosing to go after my career, and with a heavy heart, leave behind the company where I grew up. <Be sure to read this update>

I feel that this is how it had to happen. That I would never have considered leaving this company without some watershed moment, some cataclysmic event.  That some force as strong as my desire to stay would move me to leave.

There are indeed Best Buy positions for which I am qualified, and certainly would ensure my continued employment. But then I would be left with that nagging feeling that I want more.

So, I am going after a career that has been calling to me for years. It will be exhilarating, new, incredible. It will also be hard, and I will struggle along the way. But I have drive. I have passion.

And I have you, my amazing network, behind me. I could never do this without your love and support, in the past and in the future.

Now is the time, I am going to be part of that world.