The United States recession was said to have “ended” in 2009. Then, in the spring of 2011, my department downsized. I was uprooted from my job, thrown out of my position and into the scary realm of unemployment like so many others in America at the time. While this experience was challenging, it was a reawakening.

There’s absolutely no law that says you have to stick to the same gig forever. In fact, sometimes our best career moves come only after these big “aha” moments that make a new path, a fork in the road, or even a U-turn absolutely imperative.