It’s been a while since I’ve written but it’s only because I’ve been busy wrapping up my finance career of nine years. Yep, it’s official, I’m leaving the finance world and transitioning full-time to animal welfare. I’m excited to share that I’ve accepted a full time job with The Catcade!
As I sit here on my first official day off, I’m overwhelmed with emotion. A little sadness and fear of letting go of something I have done for nine years. A lot of excitement, joy, and happiness with what’s to come. Something I’ve worked for my entire life is now a reality. A vision that truly only ever felt like a pipe dream is now going to be my life.
It’s funny to think of 28-year-old Christine. She was so uncertain about her career path and what she wanted to do. She looked at her friends that were becoming powerful career women and longed for that sort of satisfaction. 28-year-old Christine wasn’t fulfilled in her finance job but it was easy, comfortable, and flexible. Why would she ever leave?
Perhaps it was the breast cancer scare or living through a pandemic that has taught me that nothing is guaranteed. So why would I keep doing something that didn’t add value to my life?
Ever since I was a toddler I’ve wanted to help animals. I thought my failed attempt at being a veterinarian meant that I could never work with animals in a professional capacity. So instead, I pursued an alternative career. In my free time, I volunteered and started Rescue in Style. Since launching this blog, I have been daydreaming about leaving finance behind and immersing myself in the animal world.
That dream started to become a real possibility last Fall when I signed on to work part-time for Second City Canine Rescue. I was an Adoption Center Assistant and I loved it. I thrived on working with adopters and helping to complete families. It was a fantastic job that reaffirmed that I wanted to work in animal welfare fully.
I started working part-time at The Catcade this past May. Honestly, the last few months have been a blur. Since signing on, I’ve worked four days of the week at The Cade and two and a half days doing finance. On top of that, I’ve been trying to work on Rescue Chicago programs and fitting in Rescue in Style where I can. It’s been a lot, but so worth it. I was balancing everything but not able to fully commit to anything.
A few weeks ago, I received a full time offer from The Catcade. A salaried position with a rescue that I would have only dreamed of working for. It doesn’t feel real yet.
As I embark on this new career path of mine, everything feels right. I’ll be heading up their adoptions and grant programming and I couldn’t be more eager to dive in. Beyond that, I get to work with and for some truly incredible humans that I respect and adore. I can’t wait to grow with The Catcade in so many ways.
I never would have thought that walking into a brand new cat cafe four and a half years ago would lead to a fulfilling career, but I am beyond thankful it did.
Now let’s go save all the damn cats.
XOXO,
Christine
THE RESCUE:
Paris, Bloomsdale, and Kurt have all been adopted. But come stop by The Catcade because we have the cutest cats and I would be happy to help you find your perfect fit 🙂
THE STYLE:
This top is from Walmart – size up! Pants are Agolde and shoes are Bhava!
All photos are Adventure Satos!
