About Me
Hi! I am Amanda Hi-Sea
My story of leaving my career for a life less structured…
Before I get started, I need to explain the spelling of my last name for anyone who doesn’t know me already. In school, I was frustrated that teachers mispronounced my last name. In second grade, I decided to adopt the phonetic spelling of “Hi-C” after the popular juice drink and have used this spelling ever since. Due to the drink’s trademark, and not knowing too much about the legalities of website branding, modifying the spelling to “Hi-Sea” seemed appropriate for this next phase of my life!
Similar to the spelling of my last name, my career journey also began early on when my dad taught me how to land survey in our backyard. It’s safe to say that my dad’s own engineering career heavily influenced mine. I strove to do well in college to get hired by a good company and, sure enough, I landed my dream job at one of the top civil engineering firms in the world. From then on, my life revolved around resume building, networking events and career advancement. I created a 5-year plan and couple years later, that’s exactly where I was and I started to ask myself “What’s next?”.
Then, in 2018, a few life-changing events happened that altered my career projection. First, I became SCUBA certified in Utila, an island off the coast of Honduras. I was in utter awe and amazement breathing underwater in the warm and crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea. Second, I went on a sailing trip through the Azores, an archipelago off the coast of Portugal. I was equally amazed sitting on the bow of the sailboat as a pod of dolphins raced back and forth beneath my feet. Third, and most importantly, my mom became terminally ill and suddenly I realized how finite life really is. Tragically, she passed away just shortly into her retirement, a startling reminder that you can save and live your whole life waiting for a retirement that isn’t guaranteed.
Since then, I began setting aside money and developing a plan to take a mini-retirement to do more things that light me up! Having loved my introduction to diving and sailing, I thought traveling the world by sailboat would bring me closer to that feeling. Through the expanse of the internet, I was connected with a boat and crew leaving from San Diego on November 1, 2020 for a circumnavigation. I knew this was an opportunity I needed to take or would always wonder “What if?”.
Putting my career on pause felt like the impossible especially knowing that others would continue to advance their careers beyond mine during my absence. Sometimes, no longer having a defined career path makes me feel a little lost and not having an income while still paying bills and health insurance gives me anxiety. Still, I submitted my resignation letter just shy of my 10-year anniversary. Prepared to face disappointment from my mentors, friends, and colleagues, I was instead met with more excitement, encouragement, and well wishes than I could ever have imagined!
Follow the rest of the story from there in my Blog!