"When Plans Don't Work Out" by Faith Miller

CFers are very familiar with the concept of life not working out how or when we planned.  How many of us have had to cancel plans or vacations because we get sick or end up in the hospital?

But what about the more long-term plans?  What happens when your life goal or dream doesn’t end up working out, whether it be because of CF, tough job markets, or other external factors?

When I was in high school, I wanted to become a professional actress.  Very, very few things gave me more joy than performing and singing and this is still true today.  However, CF would make this extraordinarily difficult.  Not just because of my health issues, but especially because it is so difficult for someone with CF to not have a steady job that provides good health insurance so we can make sure the medications, doctor visits, and potential hospitalizations are taken care of.  Even without all of that to consider, acting is a truly brutal and cutthroat profession.  There are millions of incredibly talented people around the world who are all trying to get noticed.

So not very surprisingly, this dream of mine fell flat about halfway through my college journey.  My university required Theatre majors to complete Sophomore Hearing which was basically a huge audition that determined if you could continue through the program or not.  You were able to take it three times, and I failed twice.  Since I was halfway through junior year at that point, I didn’t have time to take it again, and I had to face the fact that being a Theatre major just wasn’t going to be in my future.  So I ended up switching my major to Interdisciplinary Studies with concentrations in Theatre, Cinematic Arts, and American Sign Language.  Essentially, it was three minors to make a major.

In my senior year, I decided to pursue a job teaching English in Japan with AEON following my graduation, so a lot of my future planning in some of my classes revolved around that.

Shortly after I graduated, I applied with AEON, passed the initial Skype interview, went to the in-person interview in New York, passed the first round which was a group interview, and completed the second round which was just me.  A couple weeks later, I was told I was not getting offered a position.

At this point, two of my plans that I had spent so much time working toward had both imploded.  I had no idea what to do now.

So in a desperate search for anything full-time…I just applied for absolutely everything I could whether it aligned with my skills and interests or not.  I ended up interviewing for a position in the Cashiering department at the university I had graduated from 9 months prior.  I left thinking the interview hadn’t gone well since I had absolutely no finance experience, but to my surprise, they decided to hire me for a different position in the same department.

To be quite honest, I hated it.  I had no idea what I was doing since I did not have a “finance-brain” in the slightest, and my artsy self did not want to be restrained inside a cubicle.

But I have worked there for almost 7 years (though I have now switched over to working in Accounts Payable), and the pros far outweigh the cons.  My first supervisor became like a second mother to me before she sadly retired, I met one of my now-closest friends, my current position is much more suited to my skills and personality, I work with an absolutely incredible team, I have a manager who is extremely supportive and understanding when CF issues crop up, and the health insurance plan is truly amazing.

But just because I work in finance now and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, doesn’t mean that I’ve totally given up all my artsy passions.  I dabble in community theater here and there when my health allows it, I take SingSpire sessions, I write, I produce full-cast audiobooks with music and sound effects (see my work at “Fanfiction Audio Dramas” on YouTube!), I’ve directed and produced a virtual production as a CF fundraiser, and I’m currently attempting to direct and film a short skit for no other reason than that I can.

The photo above is when I had the amazing privilege of hosting a panel at Fan Expo Cleveland in 2025 about directing voice actors, which I do in my free time. I don’t get paid for any of that part of my life, but I love every second of it anyway and still get awesome opportunities!

I’m not where I ever pictured myself because no one could possibly predict that I would end up in a career in Finance, but honestly, I’m very content with where I am now in my life.  I could’ve wallowed and stayed miserable because the job I got wasn’t even close to the one I wanted.  And sure, that may have been my attitude for the first couple months.  But I always worked hard and gave everything my best effort which helped me get to my better current position, and now my knowledge base has expanded to include something that I never would’ve gained experience in otherwise.  My previous rejections opened the door for me to discover different ways for me to explore my passions.  I absolutely love writing and making my audio dramas even if I’ll probably never get paid to do it.

I don’t consider myself a failure just because I didn’t get the career I wanted.  It was of course devastating at the time to face those rejections and the uncertainty following them.  But I believe I’m a success because I give my all at my job and then come home and give my all in my hobby projects too.