Spirit Magazine - March 2014 - (Page 86)

We Buy Used Cell Phones & pay up to 300 for each phone! Some phones have no value. See current purchase price list for individual model prices at www.pacebutler.com Here's how to do it! We issue your check within 2 days! WE DONATE AN EDUCATIONAL BOOK! for EVERY cell phone sold to PaceButler since 1987 5915 NW 23rd St. Oklahoma City, OK 73127 ance. The threat of a layoff was all the sign she needed to start thinking about her next move. In a way, she was lucky to have been given the nudge-and she took the leap. More uncommon but still prevalent are people who, in upward-trajectory jobs, find themselves unable to tolerate another minute of the rat race. Jeff Campbell, 31, was excelling in a stable graphic design gig at ComedyCentral.com when he began to get the itch to leave. He produced great things there-including mobile apps for The Daily Show and Tosh.0-that brought laughter and information to people. But the more he stared at his computer screen, the more he yearned for an alternative. "I had the urge to make something with my hands," he says. He'd spent more than a year looking for a new job when he came upon an opportunity at Mast Brothers Chocolate, a small-batch, bean-to-bar operation based in Brooklyn. A home brewer and craft food-and-drink enthusiast, Jeff massaged his resumé to include food-related jobs he hadn't actually worked since the age of 19. He crossed his fingers, applied for the Mast Brothers gig-and got it. And much of that had to do with the cheering on of the people around him. Jeff 's wife, Kate, who works in fashion, was very supportive, which is something he doesn't take for granted. "I spoke to a lot of my co-workers," Jeff says, "and they were jealous that my wife agreed to this." He and Kate have committed to altering their lifestyle, which no longer includes laying out $10 for the chocolate bars that Jeff will help make. Still, he says it's worth it. "I've learned that making good money and accumulating wealth isn't what's important to me. Doing what you want to do is far more important." A month in, Jeff 's job is what he'd hoped it would be-an intuitive process with a tactile result. But he's also getting something he never anticipated: a new kind of life. He told me For every striver I spoke with, there are 10 more with a great idea or something they know they could be good at-and a billion reasons why it just won't work. he hasn't ridden the subway since he started his job, and while he's had to alter his sleep schedule for an earlier call time, he gets three emails a day versus 300, which was what he was pulling in at his last job. He's on his feet more, which is good (if sometimes demanding), but best of all, he says, "My clothes smell like chocolate all the time." Not all of the adjustments have been easy. Jeff misses his old coworkers, and he doesn't necessarily have more leisure time-the hours are shorter, but he comes home more exhausted. And, he says, "It is humbling to go from a manager-level position to a position where I am the employee with the least seniority." But with the challenges come a reward: "I'm really proud of myself for doing something new." Changing jobs or launching that new career isn't always about a personal preference or a fast exit from a shrinking industry. Sometimes it's about values, about working a job more in line with your ethics. Michael Meier, 27, was on the rise at an advertising firm named Vindico, but he became disenchanted with the excess and manipulation inherent in the industry. As an alternative, he began to investigate the burgeoning agriculture scene in New York City. He left his Vindico gig after three years, and six months later met an urban homesteader http://www.ComedyCentral.com http://www.pacebutler.com http://www.ComedyCentral.com http://www.pacebutler.com http://www.pacebutler.com http://www.pacebutler.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - March 2014

Spirit Magazine - March 2014
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
Wise Guide
Numbers
Business
The New American Dream
Your Adventure In New York City
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Service
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The “If” List

Spirit Magazine - March 2014