Why I Stopped Stressing About My Next Job

The Weight of Worry

Over the past few months in my MBA program, I’ve found myself worrying about my future career in a way I never have before.

My journey at Ivey Business School began in July, but even before that, there were networking events in Toronto in June. I cut my travels short and returned to Toronto at the end of May to prepare. While I was still in Catania, Sicily, I started browsing through the career platforms Ivey provided, and that's when reality hit. Job postings for the top consulting firms were opening in July—just as my MBA was set to begin.

The Pressure to Prepare for Case Interviews

That realization sent me into overdrive. If I wanted to be ready for those notorious consulting case interviews, I had to start preparing before the program even began. The more I dove into what it takes to succeed in these interviews, the more I realized: I needed to start now.

July and August became a whirlwind of stress. Each day was packed with class prep, perfecting job applications, and practicing case interviews. Before long, it became overwhelming. By August, it was clear I hadn’t landed an interview with the top firms, and the weight of that disappointment hit me hard. I started questioning myself—had I made all the wrong choices?

Doubting My Past Career Decisions

A few of my peers were getting interviews, some even securing the jobs, and they all seemed to have one thing in common: a resume filled with brand-name companies. Mine didn’t. Suddenly, I felt foolish for how I’d spent the last ten years of my career. Sure, I had done some pretty cool things as a traveling content creator and entrepreneur, but no one told me how much harder it might be to break into corporate later if I didn’t start young.

For weeks, I was down on myself.

Up until now, I had always had unique, seemingly predestined jobs. I had never scrambled for work. In fact, during the pandemic, every role I landed came to me without any effort on my part. The jobs kept getting better and better until my last role at Experience Niagara felt like it was handcrafted just for me. It combined my love for travel, marketing, and strategy, and I even got to live in a gorgeous house in Niagara wine country. When people visited, I found myself saying, "God did this!" It felt like such a miraculous, divinely orchestrated opportunity that I couldn’t take credit for it.

Worry and Restless Nights

But here, in my MBA program, everything felt different. I tried to remember how God had always provided for me, but doubt clouded my mind. I doubted my abilities, my resume, my life choices. It all seemed to weigh me down, to the point where I woke up at 3 a.m. one night, filled with regret, questioning everything. I obsessed over what my next step should be:

• Should I keep trying for a consulting role?

• Should I pivot into tech?

• Should I stick with marketing, since it seemed easier?

• Should I work for a startup or a large company?

My mind was constantly racing with these questions.

This was not what I had signed up for.

Reclaiming My Sabbatical

As August drew to a close and I looked ahead to the second half of my MBA, I realized something had to change. I couldn’t spend the next seven months in a constant state of stress, networking, and applying to jobs. It was draining. And more importantly—this was supposed to be my sabbatical!

I hadn’t intended to spend my sabbatical fretting over a job.

So, I revisited my original goals. This year was supposed to be about rest, about trusting God’s timing and provision. Did I still trust Him to take care of me?

A Turning Point: Returning to Trust

That same weekend, as I was packing, I tuned into Elevation Church’s service and heard Steven Furtick say the words, “God did this!”

I was instantly reminded of how I used to describe my role at Experience Niagara: God did this! When I first landed my job at Catch The Fire? God did this! When I was asked to do the podcast with Tyndale University? God did this!

The reason I hadn’t worried about my work life before was because I had this unshakable sense of trust. Throughout the pandemic, jobs had come to me, without me even having to update my resume or do an interview. I hadn’t applied for those roles—they were offered to me. And I knew deep down that it was God who had opened those doors.

If God could do that, He could certainly do it again.

Choosing Peace Over Panic

I choose to return to that place of peace, knowing that God’s got me. He knows where He wants me next. He knows what I’m capable of, even more than my resume or portfolio could ever convey. He has a reason for me being in this MBA program, and I trust that in time, those reasons will become clear.

He can do for me what I cannot even do for myself. He can open doors that were closed. Even with my unconventional career path, he can put in corporate if he knows that’s where I’m supposed to be.

It’s time for my soul to come back home.

Embracing Joy and Trusting the Process

Rather than spending the next few months scrambling to secure a job, I’m choosing to take a different approach. I’m focusing on the things that bring me joy—writing, exploring, being with loved ones. I’m taking time to discern, listen, and trust that when it’s time for me to take action, I’ll know. God could give me a job next month, or exactly one month after my MBA. I don’t know what is best. He does. As long as I follow his leading, I know the right path will appear.

I believe that God has something for me that is exceedingly better than I imagine.

God Did This!

Until then, I’m resting in the knowledge that God is crafting a story for me, one where I’ll look back and say with confidence: God did this.