Yesterday morning when I caught my bus into town there was a young lady at the bus stop. We don't always see each other but we do enough to acknowledge each other when we are both there. Today we struck up a conversation.

She asked me what I did for a living and I said design and marketing and she said that she wanted to do design but the course she was on stopped and later the school closed.

I asked her what she was doing now and she told me she had a job in the freezer section of a local supermarket. I then asked if she still wanted to do design and she replied implying that she would but that it was now too late. It had been more than a year since she was studying.

I couldn't believe it - she was only about 20-21. She had accepted her future was set as external influences had dictated so. Then my coaching skills came to the fore and I asked her some searching questions which I think hit home.

How do I know this? Well, she always sits downstairs on the bus but today she followed me upstairs and we chatted some more. You could hear the cogs turning in her head. I dunno but it felt like she understood that she could actually make a change. That her dream was still possible.

There were a few occasions where she put obstacles in the way of herself like she couldn't afford this or not able to do that but I think it was line: "If you want it enough you will find a way of making it happen." that made the difference.

This young person does have options though it was clear she didn't think she had at that moment. Some people feel stifled by a career whereby you are at the beck and call of another and decide to quit the rat race. However, quitting your job to embark on a dream is not easy by any means and it very depends on your personal circumstances.

For those that are single and not happy in their work I would be wary of staying in a situation where you don't enjoy when you do when you settle down. This is because once you do you get a number of other responsibilities that will be hard to get away from especially if you end up with children.

While you are single and your life is your own you have much more flexibility. My family relies on me to provide so all my decisions have to consider four other people too. It's not straightforward which is why I have to consider what I do much more carefully than I used to. That job that you saw as temporary could end up being long term.

"So what if you are considering quitting your job?"

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