Adventures in Career Change: Part VIII – Work Worth Doing

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

It’s discouraging to know something isn’t right in life and not know what to do about it. I had been living in that funk for six long months (read about that here) when I had the opportunity to work with an organizational psychologist on a project at work in March 2024.

Our first conversation drifted from our work project into a profoundly entertaining discussion of various management and leadership theories that left me with a stupid grin on my face. Chatting about the merits and challenges of leadership styles, sharing ideas and theories, and discussing ways to better engage employees was strikingly different from interactions I was used to having with accountant colleagues. Such pursuits as leadership training and employee engagement tend to lack measurable ROI, and accountants tend to sacrifice priceless intangibles at the altar of the bottom line. That I value those things accountants often do not leaves me feeling out of place. But this organizational psychologist and I seemed to get each other; we spoke the same language.

My curiosity awakened and my imagination was intrigued. I spent quite a bit of spare time over the following days and weeks researching organizational psychology. I began to connect some proverbial dots and to suspect that many of my life’s experiences, struggles, setbacks, and lessons had shaped within me a passion for employee advocacy. Throughout my 28 years in the workforce, I have always seemed to be more focused on improving the dignity and honor of the workplace than any other pursuit.

Organizational psychologists study human behavior in the workplace. Their aim is to—in the words of notable organizational psychologist and University of Pennsylvania professor Adam Grant—“make work not suck.” As I learned more about what organizational psychologists do, I became increasingly convinced that I had just answered Charles Bukowski’s haunting question: “Can you remember who you were before the world taught you who you should be?”

But there was a glaring problem. I couldn’t be an organizational psychologist with an accounting degree. The solution to this problem was as obvious as it was terrifying. While I consider college—undergraduate and graduate—the best years of my life, the thought of going back to school intimidated me. I’m 46 years old and almost twenty years removed from grad school. Would I even remember how to write a paper or take a test?

I kept thinking about coming home from Kilimanjaro to a life I didn’t recognize, and then struggling through the next nine months trying to identify my purpose. I realized that ache in my soul far outweighed the anxiety provoked by the thought of a third stint in college. And so ultimately the decision to go back to school wasn’t difficult. The challenge was figuring out where.

Colorado State University has an Industrial and Organizational Psychology PhD program at its Fort Collins campus. However, that’s simply too far away for me to commute, requiring me to live part time in Fort Collins. That was an obvious unbearable family sacrifice. So I began looking into online programs, narrowing the list down to a handful of programs across the country. I spent months researching each program and talking with admissions representatives. Many of these programs are not organizational psychology but rather something related or adjacent—for example, Gonzaga’s is a PhD in Leadership Studies. USC’s is a PhD in Social Work. Only Grand Canyon’s is org psych, which became increasingly important to me through the process. I realized that only with an org psych degree could I be an organizational psychologist, and as one, I could become an expert in leadership and/or organizational behavior and/or organizational change and/or any of the adjacent fields of study offered by the other universities.

I found Grand Canyon’s to be the best online org psych program in the country, in my opinion. I started the application process with GCU in August 2024, and I was accepted into its PhD of Industrial Organizational Psychology in November 2024. My classes start in February 2025.

After I finish my program I intend to pursue certificates in disciplines such as leadership, organizational behavior, performance management, change management, and other related fields to continue building my knowledge and credibility. In addition to consulting, I may decide to teach at the college level. I have long suspected that I may feel more at home in academia than in the business world. It’s in academia where I could truly pursue ideas, explore abstract thought and theories, and—most importantly to me—challenge conventional wisdom.

The letter of intent I included in my program’s application sums up well my intentions after I graduate:

“Ultimately, my aspiration is to encourage companies and leaders to build workplace environments that help people thrive—whether that’s through applying the scientific method to research issues of critical relevance to individuals and businesses, or through consulting and education. I believe companies can become healthier and more effective by designing their cultures to maximize employee fulfillment. In my experience, most companies only tap a portion of their employees’ potential. Unlocking this potential involves creating a human-centered environment, building trust and collaboration, empowering people with authority and information to make decisions and effect change, accepting employees’ humanity, and managing people not just numbers.

“Our companies and our people need help…to understand how to engage employees and build cultures that will allow them to thrive. With a PhD in organizational psychology from Grand Canyon University, I can be part of that effort.”

Most of all, this line of work provides me the opportunity to write books and articles on a subject I am passionate about. I have struggled for years to make writing my work. This is one way to accomplish that. Finally, starting a podcast or a YouTube channel highly interests me and would complement my writing.

Time is precious; I want it to matter. I don’t want to lie on my death bed feeling my life served only to make others rich—or worse yet, to make myself rich. Too often we’re focused on making money instead of making a difference.

I won’t change the world, but I can change some companies, change some mindsets, and play a part in making the world better for future generations. That is work worth doing.